[FAQ]

As a photographer, I’ve always focused purely on the visual quality of my posts and crafting a good caption. I recently stumbled upon the “Write Alt Text” option in the advanced settings for a post, and I’ve been ignoring it because it just seems like another tedious step.

However, I’ve seen some articles suggesting that filling this out can significantly boost your discoverability, both in Instagram’s search and even on Google Images. Is this actually true?

I’m trying to understand if the algorithm really pays attention to the keywords in the alt text. I don’t want to spend the extra time writing detailed descriptions for every single photo if it doesn’t provide a real, measurable benefit to my reach.

[Jeff Bullas]

This is a fantastic question because it touches on one of the most underutilised features on the platform.

Short Answer: Yes, custom alt text absolutely helps your Instagram SEO. It’s a direct signal you can send the algorithm to help it understand your image content and rank it in relevant searches.

While its primary purpose is accessibility for visually impaired users, that same descriptive text is a goldmine of keywords for the search algorithm.

Here’s how it works: if you don’t write your own alt text, Instagram’s AI analyses your photo and generates a generic description for screen readers. By writing your own, you can be far more specific and strategic. For instance, the AI might describe your photo as ‘a couple on a beach’. But in the custom alt text field, you can write, ‘A newlywed couple holding hands during a golden hour wedding photoshoot at a beach in Byron Bay’.

That highly descriptive text provides specific keywords like ‘wedding photoshoot’ and ‘Byron Bay’ directly to the algorithm. This significantly increases the chances of your image appearing when users search for those terms. It’s one of the most direct ways to tell Instagram exactly what your content is about, and you should absolutely take the extra thirty seconds to do it for every post.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Author]

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