Instagram Search & Explore

Understanding how to use the Search & Explore feature is essential if you plan on developing a fully realised Instagram marketing strategy for your small business. And as Instagram currently has approximately one billion monthly active users [1] you absolutely should want to use the platform to its full potential because it could help you to seriously increase your reach and grow an engaged audience of people who are interested in your business.

So, if you want to enhance your existing Instagram for small business strategy or develop one from scratch, you don’t want to overlook the potential of the Search & Explore feature.

What is Search & Explore?

Search & Explore is designed to introduce users to new content they might find interesting or appealing. So, ensuring you are featured on that page when your ideal audience are browsing could be transformative for your business.

– Explore

Essentially, Instagram wants to simplify the process of discovering new content. The front page of the Explore feed contains 25 pieces of content that the Instagram algorithm thinks a user will find interesting and engaging. Users can keep scrolling to find even more content that should be catered to their interests, identifying new accounts to follow and new posts to share.

As part of your Instagram marketing strategy, you should regularly use this feature to understand exactly what Instagram views as high-quality content.

– Search

In addition to searching for specific hashtags, the Search feature also supports keywords which means that users don’t need to enter exact hashtags to find relevant content. The Search feature will also suggest hashtags as the user starts typing, further simplifying the search process.

– Topic Channels

Users can now also browse feeds curated by subject, which can be seen just below the Search Bar and include things like ‘Travel’, ‘Home’, ‘Fashion’, and ‘Food’. In terms of Instagram for small business, this feature can be invaluable when conducting competitor research.

What Do I Need to Know About Search & Explore?

There are two elements of the Search & Explore algorithm:

1. Generation

Instagram initially uses seed accounts for research purposes. Seed accounts are those that users have engaged with already and Instagram uses this data to identify posts that users might be interested in. This information will then be used to identify similar accounts and create a pool of media content that a user might also find appealing.

2. Ranking

The ranking stage is when the algorithm will identify 25 posts that it thinks are both ultra-relevant and super high-quality. A user will see those 25 posts on the first page of their Explore feature.

How Can I Get on the Search & Explore Page?

When you’re ready to enhance your Instagram marketing strategy, here are some of my top tips:

1. Post consistently and at the right times
2. Focus on quality
3. Use hashtags and location tags
4. Engage with other accounts