Instagram is upgrading search on its platform, letting users in six English-speaking countries make keyword searches.
Up until now, search on Instagram would bring up results for two things: hashtags or accounts. Now, users in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US, Ireland, and Canada will be able to search using keywords as well. This means they can search for pretty much anything on the platform and get results for the keywords within any post across Instagram.
Related | Facebook Messenger And Instagram Add Disappearing Messages Feature
According to a report from The Verge, an Instagram spokesperson said that the system uses machine learning to “find the highest quality content that’s relevant to you,” after considering “a number of factors” like “type of content, captions, [and] when it was posted.”
Apart from making it a lot easier for people to search for, and find, new content on Instagram, it could also give brands one more way to optimize their presence on the platform.
This is because it gives them more “natural” ways to be found by users, outside the traditional hashtag experience. It essentially minimizes the need to use the most optimal combination of hashtags that were previously necessary to be discovered.
For the time being, keyword searches will be “limited to general interest topics and keywords that are within Instagram’s community guidelines,” so don’t hurry up to try to cover your niche just yet.
In any case, it’s something to consider when looking at your hashtag strategy. In my opinion, it may be a good thing to examine and test for a while, to see how the upgraded search will affect your presence.
You might also like
More from Instagram
Leaked: Instagram Is Working On An AI Chatbot
Images leaked by app researcher Alessandra Paluzzi show that Instagram is working on an AI chatbot. According to the images shared …
Instagram Introduces Search Ads Via Its Marketing API
Instagram Search Ads are now available to all advertisers via the Instagram marketing API. Just two months after it began to …
Instagram’s New Twitter Competitor Revealed
Instagram's rumored text-based Twitter competitor still does not have a name, but now we know what it might look like. The …
Instagram Now Lets Everyone Use GIFs In Comments
Instagram is now letting every user comment on posts and Reels with GIFs. I think we can all agree that if …
You Can Now Add Songs To Your Instagram Photo Carousels
Instagram says it is testing a new feature that lets users add songs to the photo carousels they share on …
Instagram Now Lets You Add Up To 5 ‘Links In Bio’
Instagram is rolling out a new feature for adding up to 5 'links in bio' - a feature doomed to …
Instagram Collaborative Collections Are The New Way To Save And Share Content With Your Friends
Instagram is introducing a new 'Save posts with friends' that lets you create a collaborative collection for you and your …
Meta Verified Service Goes Live In The US
Want to get the coveted blue verification checkmark on Facebook and Instagram? If you're in the US, now you can. …
Instagram Is Testing A ‘Top 3’ Sticker To Boost Engagement
According to reports, Instagram is testing a new Top 3 sticker for Stories, allowing users to highlight favorite accounts, places, …
