Basics of Instagram Hashtags: What They Are and How They Work

Instagram hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the '#' sign. They serve as clickable links on the Instagram app, allowing users to find posts with the same hashtag. They're used to categorise content, making it discoverable to users who might not be following your account. The more relevant your hashtags are to your post, the better the chances of reaching potential followers interested in your content.

In essence, think of Instagram hashtags as a pathway that leads potential followers to your content. For instance, in Instagram Manual Growth, the effective use of hashtags is vital in ensuring your brand and content reach the right audience. It's a way to join conversations and trends, making your brand more relevant and relatable.

Understanding the basic mechanics of Instagram hashtags is crucial for implementing strategies that will enhance your SEO and boost your brand's visibility. Stay tuned for the next sections, where we delve deeper into the relationship between Instagram hashtags and SEO, and how to use Instagram hashtags effectively for SEO.

The Relationship Between Instagram Hashtags and SEO

Instagram SEO is all about optimising your profile to increase its visibility on both the platform's internal search and external search engines. Hashtags play a vital role in this optimisation process, acting as a categorisation system that makes your content easily discoverable.

When you use relevant hashtags in your posts, they get indexed by Instagram's search function, making them visible to users searching for those specific hashtags. Consequently, your posts gain more impressions, and your profile witnesses increased traffic, thereby positively impacting your SEO ranking.

Take a look at our blog on SEO strategies for Instagram to better understand how incorporating the right Instagram hashtags can significantly influence your SEO efforts.

Using Instagram Hashtags Effectively for SEO

Simply put, using Instagram hashtags isn't about including as many as you can. It's about strategically choosing the ones that best align with your content and audience. Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, but data shows that posts with 9 to 11 hashtags garner the most engagement.

Ensure the hashtags you use are relevant and specific to your content. Irrelevant hashtags may attract the wrong audience and could negatively impact your engagement rates. It's also beneficial to mix popular hashtags with less popular ones to maximise your post's visibility.

Services like our Instagram Hashtag Report can provide you with data-driven insights into which hashtags are working best for your content.

Instagram Hashtag Types and Their SEO Impacts

Broadly speaking, there are five types of hashtags that you can use for different purposes: Brand and campaign-specific hashtags, Community hashtags, Location hashtags, Event hashtags, and Trending hashtags.

Brand and campaign-specific hashtags are unique to your business and can be used to promote a specific campaign or your brand as a whole. Community hashtags connect like-minded users around a specific subject, while location hashtags are useful for businesses looking to target a specific geographical area. Event hashtags are great for increasing visibility during events, and trending hashtags can be capitalised upon when relevant to your content.

Each hashtag type has a different impact on your SEO strategies. For instance, brand hashtags enhance brand recognition, while location hashtags can help your content appear in location-specific searches.

Our article on the best way to use Instagram hashtags provides a more in-depth look into the different hashtag types and their benefits.

Measuring the Success of Your Hashtag Strategy

The effectiveness of your Instagram hashtag strategy is measured through the insights and analytics provided by Instagram. The key metrics to look at include the number of impressions, reach, and engagement your posts are garnering due to hashtags.

To get more insight into how users are interacting with your posts through hashtags, use Instagram's native analytics tools, or services like Instagram Automatic Growth offered by OwskiMedia.

Mistakes to Avoid When Using Instagram Hashtags

While using Instagram hashtags can significantly boost your SEO efforts, certain mistakes can hinder your progress. These include using irrelevant hashtags, overusing hashtags, or using banned or broken hashtags.

It's essential to keep your hashtags relevant to your content, as irrelevant ones may attract the wrong audience and result in low engagement. Overusing hashtags can also lead to reduced engagement, as it can come across as spammy. Finally, using banned or broken hashtags can lead to reduced visibility of your post or even penalisation by Instagram.

For more information on these and other common Instagram mistakes, check out our blog post on common Instagram mistakes.

Conclusion

Instagram hashtags are a powerful tool for enhancing your SEO strategies, increasing your content's visibility, and driving more engagement on your posts. Understanding the power of hashtags and learning to use them effectively is crucial in boosting your Instagram marketing strategies. Keep these tips and insights in mind as you craft your hashtag strategy, and always remember to measure and adapt your tactics based on performance metrics.



At OwskiMedia, we're here to help you at every step of your Instagram growth journey. From content creation to hashtag reports, we offer a range of services designed to propel your brand to new heights on Instagram. Explore our services today to see how we can help you amplify your Instagram presence.