Instagram introduce keyword search

Instagram is catching up with the times and making an upgrade to the search functionality of the app.

It announced in November that six countries were being introduced to the feature including the UK, US, Ireland and Canada.

Prior to the launch, users were only able to search for hashtags or accounts, but the new update allows users to search for keywords that can identify posts from captions, alt text, location, time of post etc.

There’s not much known or cemented, but there’s many rumours on the feature.

So what does that mean for your business?

• Start using alt text on your posts (if you’re not already). Alt text is used to describe the image or video you are posting. Ensure you are using relevant keywords in this alt text. You can add alt text by clicking ADVANCED SETTINGS on the caption page of instagram.

• Ensure your captions are thought through and have relevant keywords. If your post is relevant to ‘healthy recipes’ include this in your caption.

• When appropriate, include a location.

It appears that Instagram will blacklist certain search terms, like they previously would with hashtags or accounts, so be careful!