Instagram algorithms are constantly changing – Are there any tips for more visibility that always apply?We look at every Instagram algorithm.
Quickly open an Instagram account and become an influencer? The big dream of many. But it’s not quite that simple. How successful your content will ultimately be depends on two aspects: the algorithm and, of course, yourself! In the following, we’ll give you a few tips on how you can improve your visibility.
Instagram, the search engine
The social media platform Instagram has 1.27 billion users per month. This quickly makes it clear who the top dog is. With its integrated search function, which users regularly use to search for interests and current topics, the app can already be called a search engine. This is also supported by the algorithm, which reacts to various optimization factors of the publishing accounts.
How does the Instagram algorithm actually work?
An algorithm is a unique set of instructions for solving a problem or a class of problems. Algorithms consist of a finite number of well-defined individual steps. Thus, they can be implemented in a computer program for execution, but they can also be formulated in human language. Put simply, algorithms are a sequence of predefined instructions on how your content will be evaluated.
A social media platform, is constantly evolving. Instagram is no exception. The further development mostly happens in the form of features and user behavior. Anyone who has their own Instagram profile knows this. The personalized feed, in which the latest posts from friendly users and frequently visited accounts gradually appear by scrolling. This personalization – and thus the ranking of all posts – is calculated by the Instagram algorithm.
The different areas at Insta
Instagram Explore
Instagram Feed
Instagram Stories
Instagram Reels
Each section has its own algorithm and will be different things from.
What does an algorithm evaluate on Instagram?
Popularity
The more often your images and videos, reels are viewed, liked and the more comments you receive, the more successful your content will be on the social media platform. In the case of reels, it also plays a role whether the published video is viewed a certain number of seconds.
What is a reel?
A reel is a short and entertaining video on Instagram that you can create and add different effects to. After that, you can share the reel. Reels gives you the opportunity to share fun videos with your friends and other Instagram users. You can record 15-second multi-clip videos and edit them with sound, effects, and new creative tools.
You can share Reels in your feed with your followers, and if you have a public account, you can also share them with the entire Instagram community via a new section in Explore. Through Reels in the Explore tab, everyone has the opportunity to become a Creator on Instagram and reach new audiences around the world.
What is a feed?
In your Instagram feed, you’ll see photos and videos from people you follow, suggested posts, and more. Over time, you’ll see more recommendations based on your interests. A feed can be described as an electronic message from the Internet that you can subscribe to for free.
Recency
Well, if you’re an active Instagramer, you know how important timeliness is. Like all social media platforms, Instagram thrives on its topicality. Accordingly, the latest content is usually also displayed higher up in the feed. And as an extension of the popularity factor already mentioned: posts that generate a lot of interaction very quickly, such as likes, follows and comments, are additionally rewarded with a better ranking. Therefore, if you decide to become an influencer, it can be very exhausting. To excite the Instagram community and not get forgotten, you need to post very frequently, different types of content.
Interest
As you have probably already noticed, you get on the social media platforms, increased suggestions topics that you have liked. Instagram, of course, wants you to stay on the app as long as possible. Accordingly, the algorithm suggests more similar content to you in the future based on the posts you have liked.
Relationship
Interaction is everything. Who are you friends with on Instagram? From which account have you already increasingly liked, shared and commented on content? Which profiles do you visit more often? Based on these relationships, Instagram tracks how interesting the content of a certain user is for you – and ranks this content high in your feed.
By the way: Users who rarely use Instagram or only have a short session duration are only shown the „most relevant“ content, which is usually friends and family. Especially for companies with business accounts, the users who are regularly on the app are therefore of more interest.
What aspects are important in expanding your visibility?
Even though Instagram’s algorithm is in a constant state of change, there are still fundamental aspects to improving your visibility that never „go out of style.“
Good content – qualitative content
Qualitative and exclusive content will always be rewarded in the long run. The better and more qualitative your content is that you share with the Instagram community, the better your ranking will be. If photos and videos get a lot of likes and comments, it signals to the algorithm that the content is interesting for many users. But for this to happen, your content must be appropriately meaningful, entertain well, and encourage interaction. A common problem for users with low reach is the content. Images and videos with poor resolution are often penalized with low visibility.
The platform ranks reels higher than images right now. Since short videos usually bring more interaction.
Post regularly
As mentioned earlier, to succeed, you need to post regularly. Namely, quality content always scores high when posting. Both privately and as a business with a business account, posts should be posted regularly. In the best case, you post something every day, but at least once or twice a week, so as not to be classified as „irrelevant“ by Instagram.
Social media activities for businesses
If you want to succeed as a private person or company, you have to put a lot of time and work into it. Often, the company is not even aware of the effort behind it. Many companies do not have a clearly thought-out social media strategy. What do I want to achieve through social media? How much effort is involved and how can I check all this. Cost-benefit. We are happy to advise you and help you become successful on Instagram. Just contact us.
Search Engine Optimization
The term SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, usually appears in connection with Google. But since we already mentioned that Instagram is basically nothing but a search engine, you can also optimize your posts. Therefore, when creating a new post, you should pay special attention to the caption and set relevant hashtags. Put yourself in your target group’s shoes – what do users search for to get your posts suggested? Very topical: You can now also add alternative text to your image.
Follow community guidelines
Instagram doesn’t like inappropriate or sensitive content and can quickly limit visibility. This can be especially nudity, violence or even misinformation. If in doubt, take a look at the guidelines – or ask our social media experts!
Schedule posts at the right time
This is always a hot topic and you should look at it from different angles. When is your target audience online? Since Instagram rewards content that quickly generates a lot of interactions, you should simply check when your followers are most active. The easiest way to do this is via the integrated analytics tool Instagram Insights. However, this is currently only available with a business account. When it comes to the time of the posts, it also always depends on where you have your target group, Germany, USA …. In any case, we can say that it’s worth finding out when your target group is active.
digitalpurster also manages your social media account
Instagram has long been one of the most important tools in our social media work at digitalpulser. We now maintain business accounts for numerous customers in the popular app – with success. Whether plastic surgeon or technology company, we increase visibility among target groups. To do this, we create interesting articles within the framework of fixed editorial plans, take over the interaction with your community and always keep an eye on current trends. Interest aroused? We are very happy to be available for a personal consultation.
*Source: © Statista 2022