Every day, social media managers, agencies, and content creators wake up knowing they have to outrun Instagram’s latest updates. It’s a constant race—analyze, optimize, adapt—because in the world of social media, if you snooze, you lose!
Over the past few months, hashtags have taken on a whole new role. If you’ve been keeping up with our previous articles, you’ll know that Instagram removed dedicated hashtag pages and changed how they function. Now, hashtags aren’t just about getting views—they’re a key part of building a solid SEO strategy for your profile.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to check if you’re using the right hashtags, how to “borrow” the best ones from your competitors, and how to optimize every single hashtag for strategic positioning.
Am I using hashtags the right way?
Too often, people pick hashtags based on popularity or size without considering whether they actually fit their profile or content. #followforfollow and #likeforlike? Yeah, we left those back in 2016. But “How many hashtags should I use?” is still one of the most Googled questions.
The real question is: are the hashtags I’m using sending the right signals to Instagram’s algorithm? You don’t want to confuse the system—you need to make sure your profile and content are positioned in the right niche.
To do this, you can use Not Just Analytics’ Profile SEO analysis tool to see if your hashtags truly represent your brand. This feature lets you analyze your profile to check if the hashtags you’re using align with your identity. For example, a food blogger specializing in Italian recipes might discover that broad hashtags like #foodie or #instafood—while popular—aren’t actually helping them rank effectively. On the other hand, more niche hashtags like #ricetteitaliane or #pastalovers send clear signals to the algorithm, improving their positioning within the right niche.
But wait, there’s more—because you might be unknowingly using a banned hashtag! And that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Not only will it hurt the reach of that specific post, but it could also tank your entire profile’s visibility. That’s why we always recommend checking the “Profile SEO Analysis” section to spot any banned hashtags and remove them ASAP!
It’s not about how many hashtags you use—it’s about making sure they align with your SEO positioning. Pick the ones that truly represent your identity and fine-tune your profile for strong, strategic positioning.
What can I learn from my competitors?
Keeping an eye on your competitors isn’t just about watching what they post—it’s about analyzing how they position themselves on Instagram. The hashtags they choose aren’t random; they’re strategic signals telling the algorithm who they are and who should see their content.
With Not Just Analytics’ Competitor SEO analysis, you can discover which hashtags actually work in your industry. This tool lets you identify the most relevant hashtags your competitors use and figure out how to adapt their strategies to improve your own ranking.
For example, if you manage a sportswear brand’s Instagram profile and notice a competitor using hashtags like #sportstyle or #athleisurelook, it’s clear they’re aiming for a specific, targeted niche. With this analysis, you can not only see which hashtags they’re using that match your brand (so you can add them to your Hashtag collections), but you can also analyze brand-creator collaborations for deeper insights.
Studying your competitors helps you save time and improve your strategies. Don’t just copy—observe, adapt, and build a strategy that positions your profile uniquely and effectively for your audience.
How to optimize every single hashtag
To maximize the impact of your hashtags, they need to align with your Instagram profile’s SEO strategy and your target audience. Using irrelevant or banned hashtags can harm your content’s visibility and limit your reach.
Not Just Analytics’ Single hashtag SEO analysis provides crucial insights to help you choose the best hashtags. For example, if you’re posting about fitness and considering using #fitlife, the analysis might reveal that, while popular, it doesn’t align with your profile’s SEO and has too much competition. In this case, hashtags like #homeworkouttips or #fitlifestyle2024 could be more effective because they are more targeted and offer a better engagement rate.
Additionally, this tool allows you to preview top-performing posts for each hashtag, determine the best posting times, and identify banned hashtags before you accidentally use them.
Choosing optimized hashtags isn’t just about increasing visibility—it’s about reinforcing a strong and cohesive profile identity on Instagram.
P.s. If you have your own branded hashtag, this tool is perfect for tracking its performance and usage over time.
Final thoughts
Instagram SEO has become a crucial factor in standing out in an increasingly competitive space. Hashtags are no longer just about visibility—they are strategic elements that shape how your profile and content are ranked.
With Not Just Analytics’ tools, you can tackle some of the biggest Instagram SEO challenges:
- Ensure your hashtags truly represent your profile, removing any that are useless or harmful
- Learn from competitors and tweak their strategies to fit your own brand
- Optimize every post with targeted hashtags that reinforce your positioning
It’s not about using the most popular hashtags—it’s about choosing the ones that are relevant and consistent with your niche. Ready to level up your Instagram SEO strategy? Learn how to find the perfect hashtags and create effective hashtag collections to master Instagram’s algorithm with Not Just Analytics!