How Instagram Search Works: Explained in Detail

Aug. 29, 2021

As Instagramadvanced to become a full-fledged social media platformfrom a simple photo-sharing app, the Facebook-owned company has brought a ton ofchanges to its appto improve user experience very recently. Amongst others, the Search and Explore functionality on Instagram hasevolved to become more relevantand user-friendly than ever. So, in a recent detailed blog post, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri explained how the platform’s search functionality actually works.

In theblog post, Mosseri explained a few significant features that the Search functionality on Instagram leverages to deliver relevant search results while keeping them safe for the users. So, when a user searches for a certain topic or account on Instagram, the company makes sure they get the most relevant results curated for them.

The first thing that Instagram Search does isrank the search results based on their relevanceto the users. To do this right, the platform leverages other data from accounts, hashtags, and places, which are essentially called Signals, to rank and curate the search results of users.

Mosseri explained some of the elements that the search functionality on Instagram uses to rank your search results. They are:

Mosseri also explained the ways through which the company keeps the search functionality remain safe for users. So, as per the Instagram head, the company restricts accounts that spam posts or violate the guidelines to show up at the top of the search results. For these kinds of accounts, users must put their full username on a search bar to find them on the platform.

Furthermore, the company balances the search results for sensitive topics with “additional safety measures” to ensure that no harmful content shows up on your search results page. Plus, the companyentirely removes accounts, posts, and hashtags that violate the Community Guidelines, which prevents them from showing up as a search result.

Now, other than explaining the technical details about Instagram’s Search function, Mosseri also provided some tips that will enable your account or posts to show up at the top of the search results page.

That company saysyou should use a“fitting handle and profile name”for your Instagram account. It should match with the type of content you share on the platform and will enable other users to easily look for your account on Instagram.

Other than this, you shoulduse relevant hashtags, keywords, and locationsin your Instagram profile bio as well as your posts to enable you to show up at the top of search results. These tips come from the head of Instagram, so you should include them in your profile to make you easily discoverable.

So, these are some of the ways using which Instagram’s Search function works. Going forward, the company aims to introduce various new design improvements for search to better its performance and discoverability capabilities. The company says it is moving towards“a full search results page experience that makes it even easier to go deep on your interests.”

Moreover, Instagram will further improve the keyword search function of its search tool and add support for more languages other than English in the future.

This is How Instagram Search Works!

Now, this is how Instagram’s Search function works. So if you are a content creator or an influencer, take this article as an educative story and try to make the most of the tips and tricks to appear in the search on Instagram. Also, this way, you will be able to discover more content on the platform while keeping your search results litter-free. If you found this educational resource helpful, do share it with other content creators and friends. Also, if you have any queries, do let us know in the comments section below.

A geek at heart, you’ll find me fidgeting with an iOS device or sitting in front of the laptop, scouring the internet to find interesting technological innovations. In my free time, you’d find me playing Valorant or listening to Pink Floyd.