Most generations are using social media in some form. Therefore, one of the best ways for businesses to reach their target audience is through social media platforms. With so much content posted by content creators every day on social media platforms, there’s intense competition to make it into users’ feed. That’s why it is important for businesses and content creators to optimize for search on their social media posts and accounts.
One of the ways I optimize the content I post as an Instagram admin for the Center for Rural Ministries is through hashtags. I try to use keywords that are relevant to the CRM organization, mission and the specific content I am posting. Instagram is its own search engine. Some Instagram users search for accounts and relevant content using hashtags. Therefore, it’s important to choose hashtags that include the keywords that your target audience is most likely to search for. One hashtag that I use on every single post I make is #grovecitycollege. I started using this hashtag because I noticed that some Grove City College Instagram accounts follow that hashtag. Therefore, if I use that hashtag, my post will come up in their feed without them having to search for my account. I also try to use keywords in the alt text for each of my posts. This can also help my posts rank higher in my target audience’s feed.
According to an article by SEMrush, Instagram is the third best platform for Social Media SEO. The SEO expert recommends using keywords in your business account’s bio and handle. While it suggests using keywords in the caption of a post, it points out that comments on the post with relevant keywords will not be considered as a factor of ranking.
Using keywords in content posted on certain social media platforms can also improve your ranking on Google. According to SEMrush, YouTube videos are some of the best content to optimize because the platform is owned by Google. Therefore, YouTube videos rank on the Google SERP, and optimized content can help your ranking.
It’s important to consider SEO not just for web content, but also for social media posts. Optimization on social media can help businesses reach their target audience more effectively.
2 Responses
This is a super important tip for marketers. Most people search on Google, but people search on social media all the time. Or, if your social media comes up in a Google result, that’s two birds with one stone.
Great insights! Optimizing social media content with relevant keywords and hashtags is key to reaching the target audience. SEO is not just for websites–in today’s world, social platforms are search engines as well.