In 2026, Instagram’s algorithm has evolved into something that feels less like a social sandbox and more like a search engine (SEO). For years, hashtags were the bread and butter of content discovery – the little tags that promised exposure beyond your follower base. Today, that era is effectively over!
Instagram has deprioritised hashtags as a core ranking signal. The platform has removed the ability to follow hashtags and capped how many you can include in a post to just a handful, a move designed to curb spam and encourage more meaningful content categorisation rather than bulk tagging.
Instead of relaying on hashtags, the algorithm judges content largely on user behaviour and relevance.
- Engagement Signals – like watch time, shares, saves and comments now outweigh simple hashtag usage.
- Semantic Understanding – meaning the actual words in captions, bios, and on screen text helps Instagram determine what a post is about.
- Personalised Interests – drive recommendation far more than generic tagging ever did.
It’s important to remember Hashtags haven’t disappeared entirely, but their role has changed. They’re now more like metadata labels that help with search and classification rather than tools to magically boost reach. Using a small set of higher relevant hashtags can still assist discovery, but they no longer act as the engine of growth they once were.
If you would like to know more please feel free to drop me an email at hello@vervemedia.co.uk
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