In the last few months, or even weeks, Instagram has made some changes to its platform, and no, I’m not talking about the unpopular, and in my opinion unnecessary, relocation of the ‘new post’ and ‘notifications’ tabs right now. What I’m interested in is the new keyword search. Until now, Instagram has only given users the ability to search for a hashtag, another user, or location. With keyword search, users can now discover even more content with one single word or phrase. But Erika, how does that differ from hashtags? A hashtag search only shows posts that contain an exact or specific hashtag. Keyword searches are a little more advanced.

The Key to Keywords – Instagram

When searching for a keyword, posts that contain that keyword appear, which is to be expected. But posts that do not contain the keyword but contain similar content also appear. While Instagram hasn’t shared exactly how their algorithm works, a company spokesperson told The Verge that a number of factors are considered, including but not limited to the “type of content, captions, when it was posted,” etc.

While this is certainly a step in the right direction towards allowing all content to be discoverable, there are still some setbacks. For now, the feature is only available in English to users located in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Instagram is also only allowing certain, popular keywords to be utilized. What this means is that you can search for generic terms and get results. For example, searching “Christmas recipes” gives you the option to see posts related to “Christmas recipe, Christmas cookie recipe, and Christmas punch recipe.”

instagram search christmas recipes

But searching for something specific, such as a celebrity, only gives you suggested accounts or hashtags, with no keywords in sight.

instagram search kim kardashian

How It Helps Social Media Marketing

As I mentioned before, the keyword feature picks up on certain phrases or words in your caption, which means that even if you don’t have a specific hashtag in your post, your content is still discoverable to the right audience. Now, that doesn’t mean that you no longer need to use hashtags — we always recommend using at least a few hashtags in each and every post — it simply means that your discoverability is not so dependent on them.

Rise Above the Competition with ENX2 Marketing

Keywords, hashtags, the right content… all of this may seem confusing to those with minimal social media experience. But to us, it’s the foundation of making all of your social media platforms stand out amongst the rest. Let the social media marketing professionals of ENX2 Marketing boost your online presence today! Contact us by filling out our contact form or by calling 1-844-ENX2-WEB.