8 Instagram SEO Tips Every Creator Should Know

Simple changes that can help you discoverability.

Let’s be honest. SEO sounds so intimidating. So let’s start with what SEO is. It stands for Search Engine Optimization, or how you can make your website, account, etc easier for users to find on search engines.

It seems like one of those fancy terms that gets tossed around a lot, but nobody really stops to explain what it’s all about. When you’re talking about Instagram, though, SEO is actually pretty straightforward.

All SEO is, is about making it easy for both Instagram and your audience to understand what your content is about.

I want you to think about how you use Instagram. You probably search for things like “healthy dinner ideas,” “Canva tutorial,” or “morning routine.” Your audience does the exact same thing.

When you make it clear what your post is about on Instagram, it’s more likely to show up for people who are actually interested in that stuff.

Here are eight things I check before I post on Instagram.

1. Pick one keyword before you create anything.

Before you open Canva or hit record on a Reel, I want you to stop and ask yourself one thing:

What would someone search to find this post?

Are you sharing Canva hacks, your keyword might be “Canva tips”.

If you’re talking about meal prep, your keyword might be “easy meal prep”.

Will you be teaching social media, your keyword could be “Instagram SEO” or “content strategy”.

When you have one clear focus it makes creating the rest of your post much easier.

2. Use that keyword early in your caption.

Your caption doesn’t have to sound like a robot or like it was written for Google.

Just naturally add your keyword into the first couple of sentences.

So instead of saying something like this:

“I wanted to share something that’s been helping me lately…”

I want you to try something like:

“These Canva tips have saved me hours every week, and I wish I’d started using them sooner.”

You can definitely notice a difference. The tone is still pretty casual, but it’s clearer what the topic is going to be about. It’s more straightforward and to the point, making it easier to understand what’s being discussed.

3. Make your title obvious.

Don’t make covers that just say “Read This” or “You Need This”.

They’re very cute, but they don’t tell anyone what the post/reel is about.

Instead, I want you to be specific.

Try something like these:

• 5 Canva Tips Every Creator Should Know
• How I Batch a Month of Content in One Day
• Instagram SEO Made Simple

These options tell your audience exactly what they are getting from your post/reel. People are more likely to click on your content when they know exactly what they’re getting.

4. Say your keyword out loud in your reels.

You’re going to find this one pretty surprising, it’s not what most people expect.

If you’re making a reel, verbally say your topic with your keyword naturally included.

You can say something as simple as:

“Today I’m sharing 3 Instagram SEO tips that every creator should know.”

Saying your keyword out loud in your video can really help get the point across about what your content is all about. It also sounds way more natural than trying to cram keywords into every single sentence of your description.

5. Answer a question.

My favorite content usually starts with a question that someone is already asking.

I want you to think about questions in your DMs.

Maybe you see questions like these:

How do I grow on Instagram?

What should I post this week?

How do I use Canva?

How do I get brand deals?

When people have a question, they usually try to find the answer online.

You need to create content that answers those questions. A bonus of doing this is you’ll never run out of ideas!

6. Don’t skip your alt text.

I don’t see a ton of people talking about alt text (alternative text). What is it? It is a brief description of the image/graphic you are sharing so users that are visually impaired can use screen readers and have the text read to them. That way they know what the image/graphic is about.

Most people either choose not to use this feature or don’t even know it’s there.

Here is an example of alt text for the carousel for my post on this topic:

“Carousel sharing 8 Instagram SEO tips to help creators improve discoverability and reach more people.”

You can also add alternative text to each image in your carousel post.

Here’s where to find it:

In the Instagram app:

Create your post as like normal.

When you’re all set to publish, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on More options.

To add a description to an image, scroll down to the Accessibility section and then click on the option that says Write Alt Text.

Add a brief description to your image or carousel post to give it some context. This will make it more engaging and help others understand what it’s about. Just type in a few words, then hit Done to finish publishing.

On Instagram.com:

Upload your post like normal.

Before you click Share, hit Accessibility in the publishing window.

Add your alt text in the text box.

Finish publishing your post.

Adding alt text only takes about 30 seconds, and it’s one of those small details that a lot of creators skip. The more detail you give Instagram about your content, the better it can understand who might find it helpful.

7. Think of hashtags as your support system.

In the beginning of social media, creators were told to spend forever finding perfect hashtags.

But now?

Hashtags are still useful, but they shouldn’t be doing held on such a high pedestal.

Now, it is more beneficial to spend time writing a clear caption with the right keywords then adding a handful of relevant hashtags than rely just on hashtags.

When you do use hashtags, try it this way:

To me, a good mix of hashtags may include the following:

Niche hashtags that describe your topic: #InstagramSEO or #CanvaTips.

Audience hashtags that describe who the post is for: #ContentCreators, #SmallBusinessOwner, or #CreatorsOfInstagram.

Industry hashtags that relate to your niche: #SocialMediaMarketing or #ContentStrategy.

Community hashtags where your ideal audience spends time: #WomenInBusiness or #CreativeEntrepreneur

Make sure your hashtags fit your niche!

One question I see asked all the time on social media is, “How big should my hashtags be?”

I like to find hashtags with about 10,000 to 500,000 posts. These are active enough that people are still searching and following them, but they’re not so competitive that your post quickly disappears.

• A mix of these hastags could be something like this:
• 2 niche hashtags with 10,000–50,000 posts
• 2 medium sized hashtags with 50,000–250,000 posts
• 1 larger hashtag with 250,000–500,000 posts

If you use hashtags with 10 million or more posts, your content will more than likely get lost very quickly. However, if you use hashtags with a few hundred posts, there may not be enough people looking at them to make much of a difference with exposure.

When you’re posting something online, it’s really important to use hashtags that actually relate to what you’re talking about. Don’t just use popular hashtags because you think they’ll get you more views – if they have nothing to do with your post, they’re not going to help you reach the right people. For example, if you’re sharing tips on how to use Canva, using hashtags like “travel” or “fitness” isn’t going to help the people who are interested in design find your content. It’s better to use hashtags that are specific to your niche, so you can connect with people who are actually interested in what you have to say. This way, you can build a community of people who care about the same things as you, and your posts will be more likely to get seen by the people who will appreciate them.

Using hashtags to support your keywords is a good idea, but relying on them too much isn’t. It’s better to focus on using the right keywords in your post, and then add a few relevant hashtags to help it reach more people. This way, you can make sure your post is found by people who are searching for the same things, and the hashtags will just give it a little extra boost.

8. Tell people what to do next.

Have you ever kept scrolling after looking at a really good post and thinking “Wow. That post was so helpful”.

Many individuals do this, and I am no exception, as I find myself doing it fairly regularly.

People don’t keep scrolling because they don’t like the content, but because they weren’t given a reason to engage with it.

That’s where a call to action, or CTA, comes in handy.

A CTA is a sentence that tells your audience what to do after seeing your post. Your CTA doesn’t have to be complicated or “salesy”.

Is your goal to get more saves on your post? Ask people to save the post.

Do you want to start a conversation with your audience? Ask them a question.

If you’re offering a free resource to your audience, tell them exactly how to get it.

Here are a few examples of CTAs:

You might want to bookmark this so you can find it easily later on.

Pass this along to someone you know who could really use the information – it might just make their day.

What’s the one thing that catches your eye from this post that you’re excited to give a shot? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

Just let me know you’re interested in search engine optimization by typing “SEO” and I’ll share my free checklist to help you boost your Instagram presence.

Don’t overload your posts with too many requests. It’s annoying when you’re asked to like, comment, share, save, and follow all at once. Think about it, would you really want to do all that for just one post? Keep it simple and focus on one or two things you want people to do. That way, they’re more likely to actually do it.

What you can do instead is choose one primary action for each piece of content. Think about what your goal of the post is and let your CTA support that goal.

If you do ask a question, stick around and reply to the comments. Conversations convey that people are finding your content valuable, and they help build a real connection with your audience. So many times I look at creators’ comment sections and see so many genuine questions about whatever they posted go unanswered. Answer the questions and build a community where your audience can trust you will answer them.

At the end of the day, people are much more likely to take action when you make it easy. Sometimes all they need is you telling them what to do.

The Bottom Line

You don’t have to learn everything about getting your website to show up on search engines right away.

Just focus on being clear, use keywords your audience is searching for, answer questions they ask, and make it easy for Instagram to understand your content.

The next time you’re creating a post, don’t ask yourself, “How do I beat the Instagram algorithm?”

Instead, I want you to ask yourself:

“If I were looking for this content, what would I type into Instagram to find it?”

You’ll be surprised how much that one question changes the way you go about creating content for your Instagram page.

Before You Go…

I put together a simple Creator’s Instagram SEO Checklist that I use before publishing my own content.

This is a handy guide that you can refer to whenever you’re planning your Instagram posts, and the best part is it’s only one page long, so you can easily keep it nearby for quick reference.

Want to boost your website’s search engine ranking? I’ve got a free SEO checklist that can help. To get your hands on it, head over to my Instagram page, send me a direct message with the word “SEO”, and I’ll send it your way.