MAXIMIZING YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILE FOR SEARCH

Maximizing the 4 fields at the top of your Instagram profile for search can help you attract more of the right kinds of followers and get found faster by potential clients, brands and editors searching for you by name, location and/or services offered.

Below are 3 tips to help you maximize your Instagram profile for search. This image of my own IG profile shows you the 4 fields: USERNAME, NAME, BIO and LINKS. A fifth field will appear only if you use Instagram’s THREADS app, which I do.

TIP 1: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE USERNAME AND NAME FIELDS.

As you can see, the USERNAME and NAME fields are different. The NAME field is a key field for Instagram search. It does not have to be your name and can be up to 64 characters.

If the USERNAME is, for instance, @mollybrooksinteriors, the NAME field should not repeat Molly Brooks or Molly Brooks Interiors again [ and neither should the BIO field ].

However, if the USERNAME is, for instance, @mrsbrooksdesigns or another similar USERNAME, [ which I don’t recommend ] then the NAME field should contain your actual name so people searching for you by your name can find you.

Here are some examples:

If the USERNAME is already @MollyBrooks or @MollyBrooksInteriors, then the NAME field might say:

Interior Designer | Houston, Texas | As Seen In AD Pro

In this way, people searching for Molly Brooks by her name, what she offers or by location can find her. Do not abbreviate the location.

However, if her USERNAME was something like @mrsbrooksdesigns then her NAME field should read something like this:

Molly Brooks | Interior Designer | Houston, Texas
EXCEPTION: If you have paid to have your IG profile verified, your NAME field must be your actual name. You cannot change the NAME field.

TIP 2: MAKE YOUR INSTAGRAM BIO FIELD EASY TO READ AND USE KEYWORDS.

Use keywords in your Instagram bio that describe additional services you offer. For instance, do you also offer kitchen design? Use the keywords *Kitchen Designer* in the BIO field so people searching *kitchen designer Houston* can find you.

The idea is to match the keywords you use in your NAME and BIO fields with the words your potential client might use to search for what you do so think about this: If you were searching for what you offer, what keywords would you enter into Google search to find that person? Use those keywords in your BIO field.

Do not use hashtags in the BIO field. Why? If people click on them, they don’t direct to you.

TIP 3:  THE LINKS FIELD CAN HAVE UP TO 5 LINKS.

The first link should always direct to your website. Website traffic is monetizable. When you use Linktr.ee or any other site like that for your links, you are giving up a valuable asset. Use your LINKS field to direct traffic to your own website and important calls to action.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope you’ve found it helpful. I have many more posts on my own blog at https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog that will help you with your digital marketing efforts, and I invite you to subscribe to it today. In addition, if you are an interior designer, I invite you to join my Facebook community for interior designers,

Design Wealth, by Requesting To Join on this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/designwealth.

Please answer the 4 membership questions you will be asked, so I can review your request. If you’re interested in hiring me to help you with your digital marketing efforts in order to secure more affluent clients and/or gain national publicity, please reach out to me at leslie@savourpartnership.com.

Leslie Carothers

https://www.instagram.com/lesliemcarothers

https://www./linkedin.com/in/lesliecarothers