But where does it get these suggestions from – and is there any underlying link between the accounts that Instagram suggests, and those who search for your profile regularly?
Are All Instagram’s Suggestions Made Up Of People Who View Your Profile?
There are a number of things and algorithms that Instagram uses to inform the suggested users that you can follow. However, the app does not use the profiles of users who search for and view your profile, as suggested users.
In fact, the number of searches linked to your profile barely count at all in suggesting users – with Instagram instead using a collection of information based on who you both follow, the kinds of content that you search for and engage with, and of course details like location and what you have in common.
Thus, Instagram will only suggest users that it believes have things in common with you.
What Does Instagram Use To Suggest Users?
Now that we know the search volume of another user does not impact whether or not that become a suggested user to follow on your account, let’s take a look at some of the things that do matter.
This is where the Instagram algorithm comes in – a complex beast which is difficult to understand and even more difficult to unpick. Having said that, there are some things that we know influence whether a user is suggested as one for you to follow.
These include:
- Mutual interests
- Mutual followers
- Your search history / the kinds of accounts that you follow
- Whether you are both part of a group chat
- If you already follow other accounts that they manage
- Facebook friends and connections
You will also find users recommended to you, if they are already following you. This is because Instagram is built on community, and so likes to recommend that you follow back any profile which already follows you.
Suffice to say, there’s a lot that goes into the ‘Suggested Followers’ feature on Instagram. But the number of times another user has searched for your profile, has very little influence on whether or not they are a recommended follow for you.
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