Instagram Search and How the Algorithm Works

Want To Be Found On Instagram Search?

If you’ve ever thought, “I know people would like my stuff if they could just find me”…

…then this post on how the Instagram algorithm works and how to get found on the Instagram search is for you.

It’s no secret that we’re all a little bit annoyed (and confused) by algorithms on social media.

Let’s look at how Instagram search works so you can make sure your business is showing up when folks are looking for what you do.

We’ll cover: 

• How Instagram ranks search results
• How you show up in search results
• What Instagram has planned for the future of search
• Plus, a note on Shadowbanning (is that even real?)

Ready? We’ll start with a universal truth…

Algorithms Have Been A Pain 

As a small business owner or digital marketer, we’re sure you’ve sat at your desk asking yourself what in the world the algorithm wants from you.

It’s up, it’s down, you’re getting traffic, you’re not… and as far as you know, you’re following all the rules. 

A lot of social media and search engine platforms aren’t totally upfront about how their algorithm works…

…or all of the factors that are used to make the decisions. 

What Is An Algorithm?

We talk a lot about algorithms these days, but what does that even mean?

An algorithm is a set of instructions you give to a computer so that it can sort through information and complete a task.

For instance, you ask it to show search results for Coffee Shops Near Me.

These are in everything that we do online. 

Understand The Instagram’s Algorithm

The Instagram algorithm is actually a bunch of different algorithms, measurements, and processes. 

We all say, “the algorithm”, but there’s not a singular algorithm making all the determinations for us.

Reels, Stories, and Feed all use their own algorithms set to measure and prioritize different things.

That means you can see great success in one area, like Instagram Stories for business, but then see slow or no growth in other places (like Feed). 

This has traditionally made it even more challenging to figure it out.

Instagram Search: The Transparency Problem

As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, search platforms and social media networks aren’t always transparent about how their algorithms work.

That makes it difficult to optimize your content and properties, and it keeps you guessing when changes are made. 

But in June of this year, Instagram announced its commitment to sharing how the platform works.

This is so that you can make more informed choices about your content and advertising. 

We’ll go over what was included in that announcement as well, later on in this post, so stay tuned for that. 

Instagram Told Us What It Wants!

Because of the newfound transparency, we get to enjoy Instagram telling us what factors matter most to get your posts seen.

This is great news for marketers and small businesses (and anyone who wants to be seen on Instagram)!

Let’s look at what they consider for each algorithm.

Then we’ll focus on how Instagram search works, as well as what you can do to improve your placement. 

Any algorithm follows a series of steps that can be summarized like this: 

1. Define what the algorithm plans to rank (i.e. what part of IG is this being published to and what’s the goal of that place?)
2. Gather signals from what was posted (there are thousands of them and they include things like:
   • when you post,
   • what device you’re using, and
   • how often do you like videos.
3. Make predictions about what content you’re likely to interact with and in what way.

We’ll cover the 5 interactions they look at most often in just a minute. For more tips, check out our post on Instagram algorithm hacks next.

Let’s look at the interactions that Instagram looks at most closely when making predictions. They measure how likely you are to:

• Stop scrolling (spend time on the post)
• Comment on the post
• Like the post
• Save the post
• Tap on the profile photo

Now let’s look at what’s measured for each.

How Instagram Ranks Feed & Stories

Users in Feed and Stories want to see content from their friends and family first.

Let’s look at the signals that Instagram is going to use to rank content posted on the app. 

We mentioned previously, there are thousands of signals that Instagram uses.

But they say that these are the most important, in order of importance (roughly): 

• Information about the post. 
• Information about the person who posted. 
• Your activity. 
• Your history of interacting with someone. 

How Instagram Search Ranks Explore

Explore was created to help users find new accounts that they don’t follow on Instagram.

All of the posts ranked here will be new accounts to you (or at least, accounts you don’t yet follow).

Once you follow an account, you’ll see their posts in your Stories and Main Feeds.

The signals that matter most in Explore are: 

• Information about the post including how many people are liking and sharing the post 
• Your history of interacting with the person who posted
• Your activity
• Information about the person who posted like how often you interacted with them in the last few weeks

How Instagram Ranks Reels

Instagram Reels are short-form video content, similar to TikTok, that Instagram is really pushing.

We recommend you use Reels because they are shown to everyone. 

The signals that matter most in Reels are: 

• Your activity
• Your history of interacting with the person who posted
• Information about the reel like the audio track, video frames, activity
• Information about the person who posted

But let’s look at Instagram Search in particular. 

How IG Ranks Search & How to Improve It

Social media sites and search engines used to be different things.

But because of the sheer volume of content and accounts online, every social media platform needs to have an option to search.

And, they’re becoming increasingly important to your discoverability everywhere. 

What Signals Do Instagram Search Rank?

• The text you enter for your search (of course)
• Your activity
• Information about the search results

Here’s how you can show up in search results:

1. Use keywords in your handle and profile name
2. Include relevant keywords and locations in your bio
3. Use keywords and hashtags in captions

What’s Coming Up For Instagram Search

Since Search is so important for Instagram, they’re working on improvements that they’ll be rolling out (hopefully) next year. Some of those include: 

• A full search results page experience that makes it even easier to go deep on your interests.
• Expanding keywords in English (and then in other languages as they perfect English search).
• Broader terms for deeper exploration will work (like the example shown by IG for “space) to pull up video and image as well as accounts.

Conclusion

We hope you found this post helpful.

Algorithms can be intimidating, but Instagram’s transparency has made it a lot easier to know what to prioritize.

As more social media platforms look to keep users and businesses on the platform longer…

…we hope Instagram will set a trend for more open communication. 

Oh wait, are we forgetting something? Right!

Let’s talk about Shadowbanning before we go.

Shadowbanning is a term used to describe a lower level of engagement…

…than you typically receive for your account after publishing something that’s a “hot topic”. 

Instagram says they don’t actively shadowban accounts.

But, that they can make the wrong call (which they acknowledge affects thousands of accounts daily).

From their recent announcement about algorithm transparency…

…they committed to sharing more info about why they remove posts and “shadowbanning”. 

Hopefully, that will enlighten us. For now, expect your reach to fluctuate, especially if you post about anything that is a hot-button topic.

We recommend running Instagram ads to promote your page and any posts you want to get out there.

And if you need help with that, work with our Instagram advertising agency today! Contact us to get started.

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