How Instagram Algorithms Work in 2020 :
There are more than 120 million Instagram users in the United States alone. Instagram has become one of the favorite destinations for influencers, content creators, and corporates for marketing and propagating brand awareness. The feed order of Instagram has been redesigned from a reverse chronological order, which in turn has created a lot of confusion among the users. Instagram algorithms determine what appears on the Instagram feed of the user and in what order it appears. The method of ranking the posts is constantly evolving because the algorithm of Instagram is constantly evolving. In 2016, Instagram discontinued the reverse-chronological feed. So let us analyze the factors on how the Instagram algorithms work in 2020. The algorithm primarily works on three factors to determine the ranking of the posts. They are:
- Relationship
- Interest
- Timeliness
Now, let us dissect each of these factors.
Relationship
Focusing on community engagement plays a key role in the algorithm. The algorithm gives a higher ranking to the posts from profiles that the user already interacts with. Content creators, influencers, and social media marketers should be involved in engaging with the users to earn a better ranking in the feeds. These actions determine that the accounts are in a close relationship with each other on Instagram:
- exchange of DMs (Direct Messages)
- tagging each other frequently on posts
- leaving comments
- likes
- re-shares
- views
Interest
The second factor that affects the Instagram algorithm for ranking posts that appear on the feed is interest. The probability of the algorithm displaying a post increases if the users have enjoyed similar posts in the past.
Example
Instagram users will see more videos appearing in their feed if they prefer watching a lot of videos on Instagram. Another example is if a user interacts with a lot of verified and business accounts, they will see a lot of similar accounts in their suggestions.
Timeliness
More recent posts are more likely to appear at the top of the Instagram feed. Timing your Instagram posts when more audiences are online is also crucial for getting an extensive reach for your posts. Few other factors affect the Instagram feed of an individual user as well.
Usage Frequency
The Instagram algorithm displays the best performing posts since the last time a user opened Instagram. It is to be noted that more than 42% of the users engage in multiple social media platforms daily.
Session Time
A user who spends very little time on Instagram views the most popular and trending posts in his or her feed. On the other hand, users who spend more than one hour on Instagram will scroll down more and view underperforming posts as well.
Following Count
The number of accounts that an Instagram user follows also has an impact on the posts that appear on the feed. If the user follows only a few pages on Instagram, they are likely to be caught up. To optimize your Instagram with the latest algorithm, post consistently, engage your users, and use analytics to analyze the performance of your posts. This brings us to the end of our discussion on how Instagram algorithms work in 2020.
