SEO: Comparing Instagram to the Search Engine

Across the board, comparisons can be drawn between Instagram and the major search engines. In fact, some have gone as far as labelling Instagram a search engine on its own right. Here are some of the most glaring similarities between the typical search engine and Instagram.

Content is king

For the typical websites, even though there are many clever techniques to get the attention of the search engine, the actual content is important. This is especially considering the fact that search engines are now taking into account user experience when they rank their results. The same can be said of Instagram. While there are ways that one catch the attention of the app when it comes to results and searches, nothing beats a photo that is well taken. There is an in app camera and several filters that can improve the photos, but more people are now seeking the services of professional photographers.

Hashtags and keywords

The only way one can get the attention of the search engine is through the use of keywords. The simple definition of keywords is the words that are mentioned the most when someone searches for related products. Without these, the search engine would not know where to rank the website or blog. A corresponding tool for Instagram are the hashtags. Without them, the app will not know where to rank the pictures. Visibility is important on both platforms, especially for commerce sites. The flip side is that one cannot use too much of either hashtags or keywords. The excessive use of keywords is generally frowned upon as a black hat technique, and might lead to the website being penalized. Furthermore, they get in the way of the user experience when accessing the content. The same applies to Instagram. The more the hashtags, technically the more visible the image will be. However, one must balance this with the experience their customers have when they look at their posts. With this in mind, a rule of thumb is that one should have a maximum of four hashtags for a picture.

Paid and organic traffic

Search engines allow websites to either drive traffic through organic search engine optimization, improving the standing of their pages on the organic search engine results pages, or paid advertising through pay per click. While the payment model is not necessarily the same, Instagram also offers both paid advertising and the opportunity to capture Instagram followers and improve visibility through the generic organic posts.

Influencers

Influencer outreach works for Instagram in much same way it works for webmasters and bloggers. Many influencers will have either an access to hundreds of thousands of followers, or frequent visitors to their blogs. Whether on Instagram or on the typical search engine, influencers will be more established and will have a following that trusts them. Anything they associate with will be treated with the same respect they are accorded.

The similarities are endless, and when one makes parallels, it is easy to get the most out of them.