Is Instagram the new Google?? You’ve probably heard the term SEO thrown around in your marketing and branding journey before. If you have a website, then you know search engine optimization (SEO) is uber-important to others finding you organically. But have you considered how to optimize your Instagram SEO?

In the past, when you’re searching for something on Instagram you either had to search by a hashtag or a username, but now, you’re able to search for almost anything like “modern farmhouse decor” or “turbo cars” and you’ll have a plethora of posts to examine!

Increase your searchability and reach on Instagram (and across the web) and grow your racing business. Give your content a better chance at being found by following these steps to optimize your Instagram SEO:

1. Keywords in your profile

Consider what your key topics or interests are that you want to attract within racing. Use the Instagram search feature to explore keywords that people are searching. Like for me, my niche is helping racers with their marketing, so I use the keywords “motorsports marketing” in my name on Instagram. Anytime someone types those words, not the hashtag, into Instagram’s search engine aka explore, I’ll be the first to pop-up!

Learn how your audience searches for their interests. Check out the profiles of the top-ranking accounts and posts and note what keywords they’re using in their name and bio. Your bio should also include your series, industry topic, or interest you most want to rank for.

2. Hashtags Still Work for Instagram

Go down the same rabbit hole for hashtags like you did for keywords, they will mostly be the same anyways. Start with big ones like “drag racing” or “motocross” and see what other hashtags are popular and connected by looking at the caption or comments where the user posted hashtags. You can copy the ones that have less than 500k posts and see if that increases your impressions on your next post! You can do the same thing with the type of hashtags your sponsor, or potential sponsor, uses and make sure you sprinkle those into your hashtag mix to start showing up when someone clicks on that hashtag.

Align your hashtags with your interests and keywords and update them regularly to stay relevant. If you need help coming up with hashtags, I have a list of 80 that are my go-to + I made a training video explaining exactly how hashtags work and how powerful they can be. Get it >>> HERE.

3. Branded & Consistent

One of the fastest ways to lose followers is by not posting often. In order to make sure people want to follow you, you need to show that you are active on the platform (this rule goes for any social media). The easiest way to make sure you never run out of ideas is to post using your branded content calendar so that people who find and follow you get the value they’re expecting.

But, just because you need to post consistently, not every single day but aim for every other day, doesn’t mean that you can post anything from your camera roll. You want to make sure that what you are publishing matches your brand, whether that’s motivational, goofy, educational, or badass videos. Stay consistent with your brand. Need some help determining your brand? Hire our team to help you create a brand that turns followers into fans.

4. Analytics Are Your Friend

Want a quick fix? See which posts most people engage with by tracking your Instagram analytics each month. You can do that using my spreadsheet >>> HERE. SEO efforts help you grow and reach new people, so use those Instagram Insights to determine what kinds of content, keywords, and hashtags are boosting your reach the most. (And then do more of what works!).

5. Off-Page (Off-App) Strategies

Just like having your website domain linked to other reputable websites is very important for your overall SEO, having your Instagram profile linked elsewhere on the internet will increase your IG’s visibility and reach by driving traffic to your page for unique content. Make sure to always include your Instagram URL when you do press releases, interviews, or other public marketing where a link is available.

Your incredible racing and sponsor posts aren’t worth anything if you aren’t ultimately connecting with new people. Just like website SEO is tailored to cross-internet search engines, we need to focus on what the Instagram algorithm finds valuable.