Banned Instagram Hashtags: Here’s How To Avoid the Shadowban

Avoid banned Instagram hashtags to ensure you don’t get into trouble. There’s usually a good reason why Instagram decides to ban hashtags. It’s your job to figure out banned hashtags and remove them from your content strategy.

In this article, we’ll also share some tips for using hashtags correctly to get more traffic. By sticking with the proven strategies, you can increase the odds of competing in your industry. Also, read to the end of the article for insight into how we can help grow your Instagram account.

Hashtags on Instagram: Why Avoid Banned Ones?

When considering the hashtags on Instagram that you’ll be using, it’s important to avoid banned ones. That’s because there are a host of negative consequences that will arise if you use them. In this section, we’ll cover the different negatives of using the wrong hashtags.

Instagram Shadowban

After using the wrong Instagram hashtags, you may get shadowbanned. This is one of the worst things that can happen to your account. It means that Instagram users who aren’t your followers will not find your content. Also, Instagram will not share when you’ve been shadowbanned, which makes things more tricky.

To overcome the Instagram shadowban, you’ll need to look at every hashtag used on your account. Look for the banned hashtags to ensure that you find the problem. You can look online for a complete list of hashtags breaking Instagram community guidelines. 

Additionally, you can contact customer support on Instagram to figure out the banned hashtags on Instagram. You may get the insight you need to overcome the shadowban quickly. However, in many cases, IG users report that shadowbans can last weeks. 

Poor User Experience

Some of your Instagram users may find the use of some hashtags to be offensive. Instagram banned them for a reason. Therefore, you could see your follower count dropping since more people will want to avoid inappropriate content.

Therefore, it’s essential to look at the list of banned hashtags to avoid accidental use. Instagram or your audience will not look too kindly, regardless of why instagram banned hashtags are used.

Loss of Traffic and Sales

Are you operating a business on Instagram? Then there’s even more reason not to use popular banned hashtags. There will be a big dip in traffic to your posts if you get shadowbanned. This could last for days, weeks, and even months.

However, when the traffic to posts dries up, so will the number of sales. That’s because you’ll get less referral traffic to your website or Instagram product pages. Therefore, it’s a good idea to use hashtag generators that avoid banned ones. You can use Instagram’s built-in generator since that will avoid the ones you’re not supposed to use.

Instagram Banned Hashtags Checker

It’s a good idea to use a banned hashtag checker to see what hashtags you’re allowed to use. This will help you avoid the irrelevant hashtags and stick with the ones you can use. This leaves the guesswork out of the equation and reduces the chances of getting shadowbanned.

However, the list of innocent hashtags is constantly updated. Therefore, you will need to use the checker software often. That’s especially true for the hashtags that you frequently use on your account.

Instagram business accounts can use the analytics software to check popular hashtags. This will help you clean up your hashtag library from a single dashboard.

Why Do Instagram Hashtags Get Banned?

There are a range of reasons why the list of Instagram-banned hashtags is increasing. Perhaps by appreciating the different reasons, you can understand why to avoid them. It may even help you avoid using hashtags that might get banned in the future. This will help you reduce the chances of getting banned.

Here’s a summary of the different reasons why Instagram hashtags might get banned:

• Age-restricted: Instagram is a platform that’s used by all age ranges—adults and kids alike. Therefore, IG bans some hashtags because they are not appropriate for kids. This might be ones of a sexual nature or with foul language. 
• Hate-speech: You should avoid hashtags that are considered hate-speech, and you should avoid these. Even if you find some hashtags that are not banned, you will get in trouble with your community. 
• Content not allowed: Instagram doesn’t allow some types of content. The social media platform may also ban the hashtags associated with this content. Therefore, they might seem innocent at first glance, but they are banned for a reason.

Instagram Hashtag Best Practices

Now that you have a good idea of what Instagram hashtags to avoid, let’s consider some best practices. In this section, we’ll explore ideas for coming up with Instagram hashtags that aren’t banned. 

It’s important to have a strong Instagram hashtag game to increase traffic, sales, and brand recognition. For some Instagram accounts, it’s the hashtags that help increase searchability for each post.

Spy On Competitor Posts

You can look at the hashtag strategy your competitors are using to gain valuable insights. The top competitors in your industry may have poured a lot of resources into research. This can include countless hours worth of digging through the Instagram Insights dashboard. 

You can learn from their insights by looking at their frequently used hashtags. These are perhaps the ones with the highest traffic or convert at the best rate. However, to find the most relevant hashtags, you need to spy on competitors with the same objectives. This can include ones with similar products or the same brand objectives.

Product Hashtags

Do you want to sell on Instagram? Then, you can use product pages and drive traffic to them with product hashtags. This option is only available to Instagram business accounts, so you’ll need to sign up for one.

When using product hashtags, you need to include your product or brand name. This will help with brand awareness and searchability. Also, using the right hashtags can help increase conversions and target the right Instagram audience.

Research Hashtags Before Use

It’s a good idea to look at the top posts for hashtags you’re considering to use. This will help you find out if you understood the hashtag use case correctly. Let’s say there’s a target hashtag you like, but the top 10 posts for it are completely different from yours. You may want to rethink using it since the context does not match.

Also, by doing the right research, you can identify the banned hashtags. This allows you to avoid trouble by not using the wrong hashtags for your social media campaign.

You can research hashtags by using hashtags checker services like Tailwind, All Hashtag, and HastagsForLikes. These are among the most popular options that can consistently help you find the best hashtags to use. Compare the features and user interface to find ones that match your preferences. 

Instagram Scheduling Software

You can organize your hashtag strategy by adding them to your Instagram scheduling software. This type of software allows you to find high-traffic hashtags and automatically add them to posts.

Also, make sure that the hashtags you use for each post vary. This ensures that you cover every important hashtag in your niche. Also, your content will be more appealing when not sticking with a narrow set of hashtags.

Don’t Spam Hashtags 

The more the merrier isn’t a notion you should apply to hashtags used on Instagram. In fact, you should use hashtags sparingly to retain Instagram content quality. Your Instagram viewers don’t want to see a large number of hashtags on each post.

Also, if you’re using brand or product hashtags, there’s a lower chance of them getting clicked. Hence, you’ll want to push these hashtags without others getting in the way. We recommend using around 3-5 hashtags to maintain quality.

Holiday and Seasonal Hashtags

It’s a good idea to take advantage of seasonal hashtags that trend during brief periods of the year. These hashtags are often a great source of traffic that you can use to grow your account. Also, you can use the opportunity to create content for specific seasons. This might give you more content ideas when you’re stuck.

Analyze Your Hashtag Strategy

It’s essential to constantly analyze and modify your Instagram hashtag strategy. This ensures that you’re always adding more traffic, sales, and account growth. Here are some of the top benefits of tracking your hashtags with analytics:

• Brand awareness: You can improve your brand awareness by understanding what your target audience wants. Inspect the hashtags they are most interested in for clues. This can provide insight into their problems and interests. 
• Exposure: You will increase the scope of your audience by using new hashtags. That’s because some Instagram users will stick with a specific set of hashtags when searching. However, you should keep the target audience in mind when diversifying your hashtags. 
• Engagement: You may find your Instagram post engagement increases when using hashtags. This will have a positive effect on your account by getting more love from the IG algorithm. Hence, your post traffic will rise as it increases in searchability. 

Put Banned Instagram Hashtags Behind You

To conclude, hashtags are an important part of Instagram growth, but you need to steer clear of banned ones. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting shadowbanned or getting in trouble with your audience.

It’s a good idea to use Instagram hashtag checkers to figure out the banned hashtags. Also, use the hashtags best practices to increase your odds of success. This ensures that you can avoid banned Instagram hashtags while growing your account.

Want more methods to grow your Instagram account to the next level? Then, take advantage of the services here at Plixi. We provide a combination of an Instagram influencer network and an in-house algorithm to target users. So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.