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SEO Step-by-Step Tutorial: 8 Easy Basics for Beginners to Master
If you’re just getting started with search engine optimization (SEO), then a step-by-step SEO tutorial is in order. By this point, you’ve likely heard of a few basic terms, such as keyword research and on-page optimization. But how do you apply all the knowledge you’ve gathered thus far?
We’ll walk you through it step-by-step. No matter how new you are to SEO, anyone can get started with the below SEO tips and get their website to rank in no time. Well — some time. Maybe a year or more. SEO, you should know, is a long game.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to walk away with a list of actionable steps to get your SEO strategy off the ground.
1. Find keywords.
Keyword research is as simple as picking a list of words and phrases relevant to your business. Think about which words are most likely to get people to do what you want them to do (visit your website and submit a form) and focus on those words.
You can use a dedicated keyword research tool, but as a beginner, it’s wise to choose your keywords intuitively at first. For instance, if you sell roasted coffee, you might opt for “roasted coffee,” “Colombian coffee,” and “local coffee roaster.”
List these keywords out in a spreadsheet or document for you to keep track of. Then, pick one word or phrase to use on one page of your site. In other words, you don’t want to target different keywords on one page. You want to target one keyword, as well as any keywords it’s semantically related to.
For instance, you might write a page for “local coffee roaster.” In this page, you can target semantically related terms such as “local coffee,” “coffee roaster near me,” “coffee roaster [city name],” and “locally roasted coffee.”
Here’s an example of what that looks like:
You can see a few keyword variants: “CRM software,” ”CRM solution,” and “free CRM.”
2. Put keywords in the page title.
Once you’ve chosen a keyword, it’s time to put it into action. First up, you want to put in your web page’s title.
The page title is one of the most important things that Google and other search engines evaluate to determine what is on a web page. It’s what appears on top of your web page’s result in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Notice how the following brand put its keyword, “Atlanta Coffee Roaster,” on its page title:
Don’t forget to keep it short. We recommend 65 characters or fewer to ensure that search engines don’t trim your title, like in this search result:
Keep in mind that your brand name is part of the character count of your website’s title.
3. Put keywords in the page URL.
Google and other search engines also use the text of the URL of the page to determine the content of the web page. You should use your keyword or phrase specifically in the slug.
Don’t overdo it, though. If you sell coffee, for instance, don’t create a slug as follows:
mycoffeecompany.com/coffee-atlanta-near-me-fulton-county-greater-atlanta-area-coffee
Keep it short, descriptive, and simple. One effective example would be:
mycoffeecompany.com/atlanta-coffee-roaster
If you’re using WordPress, here’s how to change your web pages’ slugs in the backend.
4. Put keywords in your meta description.
Your page’s meta description can further tell search engines and users what your page is about.
While metadata is not nearly as important as it used to be, it still counts. Take advantage by putting your keyword or phrase there. The description should be readable by a person and make sense, and the keyword metadata should focus on your keyword or phrase. Don’t make it long — less is often more.
5. Put keywords in your H1 text.
The H1 text is usually the title of an article or some larger bold text at the top of your page. Google and other search engines can see this, and they put extra importance on the words in the H1 text. Make sure your keyword or phrase is there.
Here’s an example from a local coffee roaster company:
6. Use keywords in the page’s content.
Using your target keywords in your content is an essential part of your on-page SEO strategy.
Why? Because doing that signals to search engines that the page is actually about the keyword and should show up in search results. I have heard from “experts” that you should use your keyword anywhere from 4-6 times to 10-12 times. My advice is to just write naturally, but to carefully avoid black-hat practices such as keyword stuffing.
In other words, don’t write something like this:
“We are Atlanta Coffee Roasters, the best coffee roasting company in Atlanta, GA, where you can find Atlanta locally roasted coffee roasted by hand in our coffee shop serving the greater Atlanta area.”
That’s simply unreadable. Compare that with the content from the local coffee roaster company:
“At Peach Coffee Roasters, we’re passionate about single-origin coffees and carefully crafted blends. We have three licensed Coffee Q-Graders who select the best coffees from around the world and roast them to perfection. This obsession with quality extends to every step of the process, from green coffee sourcing to small-batch roasting and using only the best brewing methods every time. “
7. Build links to your website.
Once you signal relevancy to search engines via your keywords, it’s time for the hard work to start: building inbound links to your website from authoritative sites in your industry or niche.
This is arguably one of the most important SEO steps you have to take. The number and quality of links pointing to your website are quite important to Google and other search engines to evaluate your rank on different terms. If people are linking to you, then that means that your site offers authoritative, trustworthy information on a certain topic.
For instance, check out the backlink HubSpot received in this Digital Trends article (anchor text: “Accruing inbound links”):
You should also externally link to websites related to your industry, which further demonstrates your relevance for that keyword.
8. Monitor your rank.
Last but not least, it’s time to check on the results from your efforts. Give the search engines some time to do their thing (from a couple of weeks to a few months), and then keep checking your rank to see what happened and track your progress.
If you’re just getting started with SEO, you can check this rank manually by searching for your target keyword in Google. We also recommend using Google Search Console to see your rankings for free. Since GSC can be limited in some respects, you can upgrade to an official SEO monitoring tool to track the most relevant keywords and consistently come up with strategies to improve your performance.
On that same vein, you should monitor your Google PageRank. Google uses your Page Rank as a measure of how “important” your website is on the web. Having a higher Page Rank means you have a better shot at being one of the top results for search terms.
Use a free tool such as Check Page Rank to get an estimate.
During the monitoring process, you should also grade your website. Use a free tool such as Website Grader to evaluate the SEO effectiveness of your site.
This SEO Step-by-Step Tutorial is Just the Beginning
Don’t let your learning to stop here. With the above steps, you can get started creating an effective search engine optimization strategy, but keep in mind that SEO has countless moving parts that warrant care, attention, and tenacity. That’s why some companies have entire teams dedicated to their SEO efforts.
The good news is that you don’t have to guess about your next steps. Use our starter pack to ramp up your SEO plans and boost the likelihood of your website ranking on the first page of the SERPs.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2007 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
How to Write a SMART Goal [+ Free SMART Goal Template]
Work can feel like a never-ending grind when you’re not chasing a clear goal. A SMART goal template can help you clarify your motivations, set a clear direction for you and your team members, and ensure you’re able to celebrate the wins when they come along.
But what exactly is a SMART goal, and how does it differ from a regular goal?
To help you write SMART goals, we’ve created a free template with all the tools you need to get started.
What is a SMART goal?
The letters of SMART stand for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
The SMART acronym is a framework that will enable you to write goals that drive greater impact. Write goals with each of these aspects in mind, and you’ll be able to quantify how far you’ve come and how far you have left to go against your goal.
When you reach the milestone you articulated in your SMART goal, you’ll be able to celebrate knowing that you achieved something tangible and impactful.
To make setting a SMART goal simple, we’ve created a free, downloadable SMART goal setting template.
I’ll walk through the template below as we discuss each aspect of a SMART goal.
I’d suggest downloading the template yourself to follow along with this blog post. However, before anything else, let’s dive into the importance of each aspect of the SMART acronym.
What does each aspect of the SMART acronym mean?
While we run through the definition of each aspect of the SMART goal framework, we’ll apply the framework to a real-world example.
Let’s start with a basic, non-SMART goal as our example — “I want to get fitter.”
1. Specific
Goal setting is often associated with striving toward our highest aspirations, and reaching those aspirations can seem daunting. Specificity helps us determine the path between where we are and where we want to be.
Ambiguous goal: “I want to get fitter.”
There are innumerable ways to get fitter, and everyone has their own definition of fitness. For instance, do you want to lose weight? Do you want to perform more push-ups? Or do you want to cut a minute off your mile time?
When a goal isn’t specific, there is no way to tell whether your actions will help you achieve that goal or not. If your specific fitness goal is to increase the number of push-ups you can do, then following a running plan will not be very helpful in getting you to your true goal.
Specific goal: “I want to be able to do more push-ups.”
A specific goal makes your next steps clearer or, at the very least, narrows down the next steps you are going to take.
Make your goal more specific and type it into the cell under Step 1.
2. Measurable
When a goal is measurable, you can easily track your progress. Typically, this means that a number will be attached to your goal.
Immeasurable goal: “I want to be able to do more push-ups.”
Measurable goal: “I want to be able to do 25 push-ups in a row.”
A numerical goal is valuable for many reasons. In addition to giving you something to strive toward, you’ll be able to celebrate a victory when you reach the final benchmark.
If you say that you just “want to do more push-ups,” does that mean that you want to complete just one more push-up per session, or that you want to double the number of push-ups you can do overall? One goal will take a lot more time and dedication than the other.
Let’s say I can do 10 push-ups in a row right now. To measure our progress against our final goal and to determine whether we’ve reached a milestone, we’ll edit our push-ups goal to read, “I want to be able to do 25 push-ups in a row.”
3. Attainable
Big aspirations are admirable, but it’s important to balance long-term goals with more achievable, short-term goals.
Setting attainable goals is all about looking at what you’ve done so far and adjusting your goals to be more realistic in relation to those benchmarks.
To consider the point in more concrete terms, think about business growth rates if your company has been selling 2% more product each month for the past 12 months:
Unattainable goal: Sell 15% more product next month.
Attainable goal: Sell 3% or 4% more product next month.
Unattainable goal: 25 push-ups.
Attainable goal: 20 push-ups.
Keep in mind that 2% growth is the status quo. Selling 4% more product would still be doubling your month-over-month growth.
Attainable goals are useful because they help you maintain momentum. It can be discouraging to miss huge targets, but consistently making small gains will encourage you to continue delivering wins.
Each month, you’ll be aiming for the familiar satisfaction of hitting your target rather than dreading another seemingly major miss.
Of course, there’s still a significant amount of work required to get to where I want to be, but I’ll be able to celebrate a huge achievement like doubling the number of push-ups I can do, and use that momentum to drive me in setting a goal of doing 25 push-ups soon after I achieve my goal of 20.
Consider what you’ve done in the past in relation to the goal you’re in the process of setting, and adjust it accordingly.
4. Relevant
Relevant goals will help you move in the direction you truly desire. You can allocate your time to an infinite amount of activities, but which activities will push you closest to your ultimate goals?
It’s a common trap to feel like we’re being productive when we’re busy, even if our action isn’t creating a meaningful impact.
In the beginning, our example goal was to “get fitter.” To ensure our goal is relevant, we need to ask ourselves if following through on this goal will help us get to where we want to be.
In the case of our push-up goal, the answer is yes.
Irrelevant goal: “I want to be able to do 20 push-ups in a row,”
Relevant goal: “I want to be able to do 20 push-ups in a row to improve my overall muscular fitness.”
Push-ups engage several muscle groups, including your back, arms, shoulders, and core, and consecutively doing a significant number can elevate your heart rate.
Executing this goal will improve my muscular strength and perhaps even my cardiovascular strength, which are key elements to overall fitness.
Ask yourself if the goal you’ve set will create a real impact on your overarching targets, then adapt it or identify a way to track its impact if the answer is currently no.
5. Time-bound
The final letter of the SMART acronym stands for time-bound. You should always aim to accomplish your goal within a specific time period. Adding a time frame will motivate you to take consistent steps every day toward your goal. In addition, setting a timeline or time boundaries allows you to track how much progress you’ve made toward your goal based on the amount of time that’s passed.
Goal that isn’t time-bound: “I want to be able to do 20 push-ups in a row to improve my overall muscular fitness.”
Time-bound goal: “I want to be able to do 20 consecutive push-ups two months from now to improve my overall muscular fitness.”
If I aim to increase the number of push-ups I can do from 10 to 20 in two months, I can set a midpoint milestone of adding five more push-ups in the first month. However, if a month passes and I’ve only increased the number by three, I’ll know I need to ramp up my efforts, re-evaluate my strategy, or perhaps adjust the time frame I initially chose.
A time frame can help you chart your progress. Now, I have a goal that clarifies the path to where I want to be.
In the final tab of the SMART goals template, you’ll be able to document the roadblocks to achieving your goal that you anticipate and make an action plan for overcoming those roadblocks to set yourself off on the right foot.
Before I made my goal SMART, it would’ve been easy for me to make excuses. It wasn’t clear how I’d measure my progress or keep myself on track toward my goal.
Still need some help creating your SMART goals? You have a variety of worksheets at your disposal to help you establish SMART objectives. We’ve listed our favorite ones below.
1. Hubspot’s SMART Goal Template
HubSpots’ SMART goal template will help you design effective marketing goals with measurable, time-bound results. It’s particularly useful if your key objectives are related to increasing traffic and conversions across your online properties.
We’ll teach you how to fill it out below, but remember: You can adjust it and customize it as you see fit. If you work for a customer service organization, for instance, you could change “Monthly visits” to “Incoming customer service calls,” then aim to increase first call resolution rate.
Because it lives on a Google Sheets file, HubSpot’s worksheet is ideal for collaborative SMART goal setting. Everyone in your team can access, comment, and edit the file with a Google Workspace account.
Step 1: Define your SMART goal.
Start by defining your SMART goal using the Define your SMART goal sheet.
Write your goal next to the example goal in Your Initial Goal section.
Make your goal specific by defining exactly what you want to accomplish. Write the specific goal next to the example goal in the Make it specific section.
After specifying your goal, make it measurable by including quantifiable KPIs that you would like to reach. Write your new specific, measurable goal next to the example in the Make it measurable section.
After making your goal measurable, make it attainable by setting realistic expectations. Write your new specific, measurable, attainable goal next to the example in the Make it attainable section.
After making your goal attainable, make it relevant by asking yourself why you are setting the goal. Determine the impact that achieving the goal will have on your business. Write your specific, measurable, attainable, relevant goal next to the example in the Make it relevant section.
Lastly, make your goal SMART by making it time-bound. Set a timeline that will keep you on track to achieve the goal.
Step 2: Calculate your SMART goal.
After defining your SMART goal, you can calculate recommended target metrics for site visits, leads, and customers using the Calculate your SMART goal sheet.
Visits
Enter your current number of monthly site visits in the cell to the right of Current.
Enter your month-over-month % increase goal in the cell to the right of Month-over-month % increase goal.
Enter the number of months you have to achieve your goal in the cell to the right of How many months out is your goal?
The template will calculate a recommended monthly traffic goal.
Leads
In the cell to the right of Current in the Average number of monthly website visits column, enter your current number of monthly site visits.
In the cell to the right of By what % would you like to increase your visitor-to-lead conversion rate each month?, enter your desired % increase of your monthly visitor-to-lead conversion rate.
Enter the number of months you have to achieve your goal in the cell to the right of How many months out is your goal?
In the cell in the Visitor-to-lead conversion rate column and Current row, enter your current visitor-to-lead CVR.
The template will estimate the number of leads your website generates a month. The template will also calculate a recommended visitor-to-lead CVR goal and monthly lead goal.
Customers
In the cell to the right of Current in the Average number of monthly website visits column, enter your current number of monthly leads.
In the cell to the right of By what % would you like to increase your lead-to-customer conversion rate each month?, enter your desired % increase of your monthly lead-to-customer conversion rate.
Enter the number of months you have to achieve your goal in the cell to the right of How many months out is your goal?
In the cell in the Lead-to-customer conversion rate column and Current row, enter your current lead-to-customer CVR.
The template will estimate the number of customers your website generates a month. The template will also calculate a recommended lead-to-customer CVR goal and monthly new customer goal.
Step 3: Evaluate your SMART goal.
After calculating the recommended target metrics for your SMART goal, you can evaluate your goal using the questions on the Evaluate your SMART goal sheet. This sheet will prompt you to think critically about your goal, identify challenges that may make it difficult to achieve the goal, and brainstorm steps that you can take to remove the challenges and achieve your goal.
Write your SMART goal in the cell next to What is your SMART marketing goal? If you have defined a SMART goal using the first sheet, the goal will populate this cell.
In the cell below your SMART goal, answer the question, “Do you feel that this goal is realistically attainable in the time frame you’ve set?”
In the next cell, enter the number of hours you can dedicate to inbound marketing.
In the next cell, enter the biggest marketing challenge preventing you from achieving the goal.
In the last cell, enter 3 steps you can take to reduce or remove the challenge and succeed in reaching your goal.
2. Organized 31’s SMART Goals Template
This simple SMART goal worksheet by Organized 31 is a great fit for you if you’d like to create your SMART goals as quickly as possible. It provides five boxes to fill out, each one dedicated to a letter of the SMART acronym. A big plus? It can be used both at work and at home.
Here’s how to fill it out:
Specific
In this section, clearly define your goal. Determine what you will accomplish, the resources you have available, why the goal is important, who will do the work to accomplish the goal, and where the goal will be accomplished.
Sample scenario: Instead of setting a goal to get rich, set a specific goal of having enough money to buy a house.
Measurable
In this section, determine how you will measure your progress toward the goal. Use questions such as “How much?” and “How long?” to make your goal measurable.
Sample scenario: Instead of setting a goal to gain more social media followers, set a measurable goal of gaining 1,000 new followers.
Achievable
In this section, determine how you will achieve the goal. Determine the resources you will need and the amount of time you can allot to achieve the goal. Also, consider whether you have the necessary skills to achieve the goal.
Sample scenario: Instead of setting a goal of gaining 10,000 followers in the first six months, a social media team may set a more achievable goal of gaining 500 followers by the end of the year.
Relevant
In this section, determine if your goal is meaningful and relevant to your other goals. Determine if the goal supports your mission and if it’s the right time to pursue the goal.
Sample scenario: Instead of an online retailer setting a goal of increasing foot traffic, they may set a more relevant goal of increasing their leads by 15% in the first quarter.
Time-Bound
In this section, determine the deadline for your goal. In addition, consider what you can do in the coming days, weeks, or months to progress toward your goal.
For instance, rather than simply writing a novel, set a more time-bound goal of writing a 100,000-word novel in a year by writing 300 words a day.
3. IntelliHR’s Goal-Setting Template
IntelliHR’s goal setting worksheet is ideal for managers who want to establish SMART goals with or for their teams. It’s an online fillable PDF file, making it easy to distribute among your team members.
Here’s how to fill out each section:
What is your goal?
The first step to completing IntelliHR’s goal-setting template is to define your team’s goal. For instance, your team’s goal may be to bring more traffic to your website. At this stage, your goal doesn’t have to be too focused. Write your goal in the What is your goal? box.
Specific
After determining your goal, make it specific — detail exactly what your team has to do for the goal to be met. For instance, your team’s specific goal may be to increase website traffic by 10% in the next year.
Measurable
After making your goal specific, make it measurable. List the actions you will take to meet your goal. For instance, your team’s measurable goal may be to increase website traffic by 10% by posting ads and sponsored content on social media that will lead more of your target audience to visit your site and improve your CTR.
Achievable
After making your goal measurable, make it achievable. List the resources you will need to meet your goal. For example, to increase website traffic by 10% by posting ads and sponsored content on social media, your team will need to launch advertising campaigns and reach out to celebrities who may be interested in endorsing your brand and participating in sponsored content.
Relevant
After making your goal achievable, make it relevant. Consider how your goal contributes to your business’ overall goals. For instance, increasing website traffic by 10% by posting ads and sponsored content may be beneficial for businesses with a strong social media presence, but for businesses with little or no social media presence, the goal of increasing website traffic may not align with their other goals.
Timely
After making your goal relevant, the last step is to make it timely. Consider the amount of time you can allot to this goal every week. This template also factors in your workload, as a busy schedule may limit the amount of time you have to complete your goal.
4. Hirebook’s SMART Goals Template
This SMART goal worksheet from Hirebook lives on a Google Docs file, making it an excellent choice if you want your team to collaborate on one documents. It also offers the simplicity of Organized 31’s template with a more workplace-friendly color palette.
Here’s how to fill it out:
Goal
The first step to completing Hirebook’s SMART Goals Template is identifying your goal. The template gives you a few examples, such as “Buying a house,” to help you brainstorm ideas for goals. Write your goal here.
Specific
The next step is to make your goal specific. The template includes a few questions, such as, “What do you want to accomplish?” and “Who needs to participate in this with you?” to help you narrow the focus of your goal as much as possible. Write a more specific version of your goal here.
Measurable
After making your goal specific, make it measurable. Determine how you will quantify the goal. How much do you need to increase or decrease a metric to reach your goal? How will you know that the goal has been met? Write the answers to these questions here.
Achievable
After making your goal measurable, make it achievable. How do you know that you can fulfill the goal? What past experiences have you had that make you capable of achieving the goal? Do you have access to the resources you need to accomplish the goal? Is this goal realistic when you consider time and financial limitations? Write the answers to these questions here.
Relevant
After making your goal achievable, make it relevant. Define how the goal is relevant to you, your business, and your long-term needs. Is this the right time to focus on this goal? Write about the relevance of the goal here.
Time-Bound
After making your goal relevant, the last step is making it time-bound. To keep yourself and your team accountable, you need to set a deadline for accomplishing this goal. When should this goal be completed? What can you do today to work towards completing your goal? What can you do in the next 6 weeks? The next 6 months? Establish a timeline and write it here.
5. SpriggHR’s SMART Goals Worksheet
SpriggHR’s goal setting worksheet is available in three file types: A fillable online PDF file, an Excel spreadsheet, and a Word document. Because it offers three flexible options, it’s a great choice if you don’t want to use a Google Doc document or force your team to use a certain file type. You and your team members can choose what works best on an individual basis.
Here’s how to fill it out:
Simple Goal
The first step to completing SpriggHR’s SMART Goals Worksheet is coming up with a simple goal. This goal will be the basis of your SMART goal.
Specific
After creating a simple goal, the next step is making it specific. What exactly do you want to accomplish, and why? Who should be involved in this process? Where will the process take place? Write the answers to these questions here.
Measurable
After making your goal specific, the next step is making it measurable. How will you measure your goal’s progress? How will you know when you’ve successfully attained your goal? Write the answers to these questions here.
Attainable
After making your goal measurable, the next step is making it attainable. Is the goal attainable with your current skills and resources? If not, can you obtain new skills and resources to help you attain the goal? Write the answers to these questions here.
Relevant
After making your goal attainable, the next step is making it relevant. Is this goal a priority? How does it align with your team’s overall objectives? Write the answers to these questions here.
Timely
After making your goal relevant, the next step is making it timely. What is the deadline to achieve this goal?
SMART GOAL
The last step of this worksheet is taking your answers from the previous sections and rewriting them in a sentence or two to turn your simple goal into a SMART goal.
Start practicing smarter goal setting. Download a SMART goal template today.
Whether your goals are personal or professional, working toward them will never feel like a grind when you set SMART goals. Make sure every goal you set is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound by downloading one of these SMART goal templates today.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in September 2019 and has been updated for comprehension.
How to Plan Your Instagram Posts [+22 Free Instagram Planning Templates]
When you’re not following a plan on social media, it’s easy to forget to post regularly.
Additionally, creating image and video-based content meant to drive revenue for your business can seem far from your bottom line.
However, 90% of people on Instagram follow at least one business nowadays. To compete with other companies in your industry, you must have a solid Instagram strategy, especially if your intended audience uses the app.
Fortunately, once you have an ideal plan for your Instagram content, you can create content more intentionally and ultimately drive more results for your team and organization.
In this post, we’ll cover everything from determining what kind of content you want to post to picking a content theme. Then, we’ll get into the details of planning individual posts.
HubSpot, AdobeSpark, and Iconosquare teamed up to create a 30-day planning guide for business Instagram planning.
We’ve also thrown in 30 templates to help you get started. Click here to get the planning guide.
Your Instagram’s Visual Theme
Once you’ve decided on the type of content you want to post, you’ll want to select a visual theme for your posts.
Aesthetic consistency will help you in several ways:
When an Instagram user finds your business’ account, the images will appear coordinated and well-thought-out.
Your followers will begin to sense patterns in your content and pause when they see your post as they scroll because they recognize that pattern.
When you’ve pre-selected a go-to font and color scheme, it takes away some of the pressure of planning because there are fewer decisions to make for each new post.
If you use Adobe Spark, you can download our free Adobe Spark Instagram templates to create a new post with a template rather than starting from scratch. You’ll also get access to the previously-mentioned calendar of content ideas.
To establish visual consistency across your posts, pay attention to the colors in your photos, the filters you use, the fonts you use in your images, and, if you’d like, the pattern of content types you’re posting.
Colors – Keep your brand colors top of mind when creating Instagram posts. Pick a few colors that complement your primary brand color and ensure that the most prominent color appears in your posts.
Filters – When using filters, do so lightly, as over-editing can dilute the quality of your photos. If you decide to use filters, use the same one or two across all posts.
Fonts – Select one font to use whenever you want to overlay text on photos or videos and use one of your brand colors for the font. Since Instagram is a friendly platform, aim to use an easy-to-read, sans-serif font and keep it the same across all posts.
Content Pattern – To create a visual pattern for your overall feed, ensure that every third post has a specific background color. Since Instagram has three columns in the grid view, you’ll end up with a column that shows you thoughtfully planned your posts. You might consider using a white background with the same font style and color to share an industry tip for every third post.
Once you’ve decided on the content type and visual theme you’ll use on your brand’s Instagram account, it’s time to start planning posts.
Create a spreadsheet with the following columns (or download our free, pre-made spreadsheet along with planning templates for all of your other social media channels, too):
Date of publication
Time of publication
Image caption
Image file name or a link (if it has been uploaded to the web)
The link that you’ll add to your bio when the post goes live (or add to a Linktree-type multiple links tool)
Campaign/Goal: What is the goal for this post? Are you trying to amass more followers? Drive sign-ups for your product, a free trial, a consultation, or another next step toward becoming a customer? A well-articulated goal will help you ensure that each post exists for a purpose. You won’t be creating a dead-end for your followers but rather an opportunity for continued engagement with your account, brand, or product.
When you’re done, it should look like this:
Pro Tip: Duplicate the spreadsheet tab for Instagram Stories, as well, to leverage Instagram’s other avenue for engaging with your followers. Stories are best used for interactive content like polls and quizzes, sharing photos or videos from live events, and more casual, friendly updates.
Once you have your spreadsheet ready to go, decide on your frequency. We recommend ramping up to posting around three times per week.
1. Define Your Content Posting Schedule
Post at least once a week to establish a reliable posting pattern for your followers. You’ll risk losing followers if people feel that they’re not consistently seeing interesting or helpful content from your account.
To establish that consistent pattern, set dates and times for posting first. For example, if you decide to post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, fill in the date and time column with the next month’s Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Then, add a recurring event to your calendar for post planning for the following two to four weeks. Set a recurring 10-minute calendar invitation at your selected posting times to reference your spreadsheet and quickly post what you’ve planned if you’re not using an automated scheduling tool. With the planning sheet handy, you’ll be able to copy and paste captions and links and locate the images for your posts easily.
When slotting specific posts into your spreadsheet, begin in whichever column you’d like. For example, you could start by evenly splitting the rows into separate campaigns and filling in the caption or image link for each post later.
2. Add Visuals
If you already have a repository of photos that you can post, you might start pasting the links into the Image File Name/Link column and fill in the other columns afterward.
You’ll also want to start creating more visual content for future posts. For example, consider repurposing event images that your company has taken, soliciting photos of your employees or customers using your product, or simply creating visually-appealing text graphics like this one on a tool like Canva or Photoshop.
Upload each photo to a centralized folder and use a standardized naming convention so that it’s easy to find the file you’re looking for. If you’re not using a post-scheduling tool, you’ll likely have to post directly from your phone.
To easily access photos with their file names from your phone, you can upload photos to a Google Photos album on your computer and then use the Google Photos app to download the content before posting directly.
3. Write Engaging Captions
Finally, decide on your caption for each post. The ideal caption style depends on your audience and the type of content you’re sharing. For example, aesthetics-focused content may perform best with a quirky, short, and clever caption. In contrast, education-focused content may be most likely shared and liked if the caption includes a couple of concise, straightforward tips.
4. Choose Hashtags
Make sure to include three to five thoughtfully planned hashtags in your caption or in a comment on your post to ensure it gets in front of new audiences. You’ll want to include a mix of branded hashtags (e.g., #HubSpotAcademy or #OnlineLearning) and trending hashtags so that more people see your post.
You can research the hashtags you might want to use by typing them into Instagram (head to the ‘Search’ tab and then tap ‘Tags’) to see how much volume they get. Prioritize the higher-volume ones.
Types of Content to Post on Instagram
Regardless of which kind of content you decide to post, it should always be content that attracts your ideal audience. Think beyond your product, service, or office. What does your ideal customer actually care about, and what motivates them to follow a business account on Instagram?
Bite-Sized Education Instagram Content
If you know your audience is interested in consuming bite-sized education on social media, you might use Instagram to share industry tips and tricks.
Videos or well-organized captions can be useful vehicles for providing your audience with well-researched information for their benefit rather than the benefit of your business.
Showcasing Products Instagram Content
If your product or service lends itself to being photographed, consider sharing photos or videos of real customers using it. You can lighten your content creation load by relying on user-generated content. Have your customers send in photos of your product in action.
Here’s an example of how Beats by Dre uses Instagram to showcase customers using their products:
Still, there’s no need to make these product or service posts promotional. Instead, the value for your Instagram following would come from drawing personal connections with real stories about how others have successfully used your product.
Inspiring Imagery Instagram Content
However, if your audience isn’t consuming education on Instagram and your product or service isn’t easily photographed, you can take a more aesthetically-focused route, posting images and videos that people would simply love to consume. These may not drive a significant number of conversions, but a visual-first Instagram can amass a large number of followers.
The key to the aesthetically-pleasing route is to check in frequently to ensure your posts are driving actual value (perhaps in the form of brand awareness or community among your followers) for your business.
Experiment With Content
If you’re unsure of the type of content you want to post or the kind that will succeed for your brand, pick the one you believe your audience will be most interested in seeing. That can include product-agnostic education, product-centric content, usage-focused content, or aesthetically pleasing content. Try it consistently for a month.
Then, try another type for the following month and compare engagement rates. How many people are liking and commenting on your content? How many followers did you gain each month? What other business outcomes, if any, were impacted by your Instagram posts?
In addition to deciding the general topics you’ll post on Instagram, you’ll want to experiment and determine which content formats you’ll post. For example, if you take an educational approach, experiment with videos versus text-focused images and various lengths of captions.
Alternatively, if your educational content lives on your blog, knowledge base, or in another library, consider using Instagram posts to point people to those resources rather than squeezing too much information into one Instagram.
For example, HubSpot Academy’s Instagram often promotes in-depth courses that HubSpot Academy produces rather than trying to dive into the details in the caption, image, or video itself. The account keeps followers interested by sharing short clips and tips from the courses, too:
Additionally, we’ve put together this downloadable calendar of creative content ideas if you’re not sure what type of content to try first.
Instagram Planning Apps
Who has time to come up with every post at a moment’s notice? It takes time to create compelling content, and that timing won’t always line up with your content calendar. Using planning apps to schedule Instagram content in advance makes the most efficient use of time and sparks creativity. It can also allow you and your marketing team to become more informed marketers.
1. Preview
Preview allows users to design, edit, and analyze their Instagram business page. With Preview, you can create a calendar to schedule photos, videos, albums, and stories for your business’ Instagram page. Preview lets you plan reels and IGTVs and access a suite of editing and analytical tools, including hashtag testing, engagement rates, and interactive charts. Preview also allows your entire social media team to plan your Instagram page together without sharing your Instagram password.
2. Later
Later’s Instagram scheduler can be used on your desktop or mobile devices. The scheduling tool offers a calendar with drag-and-drop functionality, hashtag tools, personalized scheduling insights, analytics, a stock photo library, and many more features to help you make the most of your business’ Instagram presence.
3. Sked Social
Sked Social makes it easy to edit your photos, queue posts, create a linked landing page for your business’ bio, and quickly add hashtags and mentions to your posts using templates. Sked Social also features a robust content calendar pre-filled with holidays from around the world, so you can plan content that celebrates and commemorates the special days that matter to your audience.
With Sked Social’s Essentials and Professional plans, you can collaborate with your team to manage your business’ Instagram marketing, no matter how many team members you have.
4. Planoly
Planoly’s Instagram post planner and Reels planner allow users to plan, design, and schedule their business’ Instagram posts and Reels.
Planoly lets users analyze post metrics and add to their content with stock photos and photos from Canva. Users can also create a linked landing page and respond to Instagram comments from within Planoly.
Planoly’s scheduling tools include a content calendar that sends users reminder emails and push notifications when it is time to post content.
The right kinds of content planners ensure that your business’ Instagram posts are well thought out and draw consumers to your product or services. The following tools provide visual support as well as ideas that can transform content from dull to engaging:
1. HopperHQ
HopperHQ claims to be the number one Instagram tool. It goes beyond crafting posts, giving users the ability to access analytics that help determine the best time to post.
HopperHQ’s Instagram planning tools include a drag-and-drop content calendar, automated posting features, an Instagram grid planner, and a team manager that allows you to collaborate with your business’ social media team and customize each member’s posting permissions.
Pricing: $19/month. HopperHQ offers a 14-day free trial.
2. Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a platform devoted to creating strategies to help you plan your next Instagram campaign with progressive insights. Brandwatch helps you monitor your business’ brand and benchmark it against your competitors.
With Brandwatch, you can monitor social media trends, convert your Instagram posts to ads, and create workflows that repurpose assets to help your business save time and money.
Pricing: Brandwatch offers a $108/month plan for small businesses of 1 – 2 users. Larger teams can access Brandwatch’s full suite of products by booking a demo.
3. Content Scheduler in Adobe Express
Adobe Express’ Content Scheduler, previously known as ContentCal, allows Instagram users to plan and schedule content. With features such as snippets, pinboards, and a web clipper, Adobe Express’ Content Scheduler makes planning for Instagram campaigns more organized.
Adobe Express’ Content Scheduler offers free downloadable tools and templates, including content calendars, an engagement rate calculator, and a marketing plan template that help you plan and execute your business’ Instagram strategy.
Pricing: Free plan with limited features; Premium Plan, $9.99/month with a 30-day free trial.
Tools for Making the Most of Your Instagram
To stay organized, we recommend using two types of tools — a post-scheduling tool and a tool that allows you to link to several different places from your Instagram bio.
By using a post-scheduling tool, you’ll be able to plan out as far in advance as you’d like, ensuring you have a steady stream of content ready to be posted even when other projects pop up in your day-to-day work. Posting consistently is important for follower retention and will give you more opportunities to experiment and figure out which posts get the most engagement.
Scheduling your posts allows you to visualize which types of posts you have coming out and swap posts if needed. You can see the weeks you’ve planned enough content and those during which there are still empty slots.
You can also use a spreadsheet like this one (download for free here):
Examples of post-scheduling tools include HubSpot Social Tools, Later, Buffer, and Hopper.
Expanding Bio
An Instagram bio can either entice a potential customer, make them laugh, or make them keep scrolling past a page. Unfortunately, writing an eye-catching bio with an enticing call-to-action that tells visitors everything they need to know about your business can be tough because of Instagram’s limiting structure for bios.
Since Instagram only allows you to place one hyperlink in your bio at the top of your profile, we recommend investing a few dollars per month in a tool that creates one landing page that links out to several other pages.
Then, in individual posts, you can reference clickable links available at the link in your bio, which provides a much more user-friendly experience than having your followers copy a URL manually into their browser, toggling between apps. MilkShake is a tool that allows you to create a mini-website with links and videos that users can access through a link in your business’ Instagram bio.
Examples of post-scheduling tools include Linktree, Lnk.Bio, and Link In Profile.
Enhance Your Instagram Experience
By taking a thoughtful approach to planning your Instagram content, you can ensure that your posts deliver value to your followers, convert those followers into leads or product users, and expand the reach of your brand’s messaging to new audiences.
Using tools such as schedulers and links to help carry out your Instagram journey can improve your business’ social media presence and extend its reach. It takes time to determine what resonates with your audience, so be patient as you experiment and evaluate your strategy.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.