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
How To Create Instagram Notes (And Delete Them!)
Instagram Notes are a new feature launched by Instagram that allows users to share posts containing only text and Emojis.Instagram …
Instagram Reels: Do Longer Captions Lead To More Engagement?
Do longer Instagram Reels captions generate more engagement? Amanda Wood, Senior Social Marketing Manager at Hootsuite, and her team find …
Instagram Testing New ‘Nudity Protection’ Feature
According to reports, Instagram has started to test a new 'Nudity Protection' feature to protect users from unwanted nude content.
Does Boosting Instagram Posts Increase Profile Reach And Engagement?
Does boosting your Instagram posts lead to increased profile reach and engagement? This month, Amanda Wood, Senior Social Marketing Manager …
Instagram To Test Full-Screen Photos
Instagram continues to focus on full-screen content, getting ready for a global test of "ultra-tall" photos in feed.The news was …
You Can Now Pin Up To 3 Posts To The Top Of Your Instagram Profile
Instagram will now let you pin up to three posts to the top of your profile page, including Reels, giving …
Amber Alerts For Missing Children Are Coming To Your Instagram Feed
Instagram is rolling out a new Amber Alerts functionality to bring missing children alerts into your feed.On Wednesday, Instagram announced …
Instagram Celebrate @Shop With An NYC Pop-Up Store
To celebrate its 3rd birthday and hitting 1 million followers @shop will launch an exclusive pop-up store in NYC.Instagram launched @shop …