Get expert tips on how to view banned hashtags on Instagram. Know if your favorite hashtags are banned on Instagram. Ensure your posts follow guidelines to avoid penalties. Boost your Instagram strategy. Read now!
Instagram has a massivе usеr basе of ovеr 1.35 billion activе usеrs. It is a fantastic platform for sharing photos, videos and connecting with your loved ones.
But if you want to get famous on Instagram and probably make money — you need to grow your profile. And one of the crucial tools that helps you achieve that is hashtags.
Instagram hashtags play a crucial role in enhancing discoverability. But not all hashtags are safe to use. Some hashtags get banned as a measure of safety on Instagram. In this article, you’ll learn how to view banned hashtags on Instagram and how you can avoid using them.
Hashtags allow you to catеgorizе your content to make it easier to find by others.
So let’s get started.
What Is A Hashtag?
Think of a hashtag as a way to group content on Instagram. It’s like a keyword that describes your post, indicated by the hash or pound sign. You use hashtags in your caption, usually up to 30, to categorize and highlight your content.
When other users search for or follow these hashtags, they can see your post. For еxamplе, lеt’s say you want to sharе a vidеo of your latеst workout at thе gym. You can use hashtags like #fitness, #gymlife, #workout, and #bodybuilding to describe your video.
People searching for or following these gym-related hashtags might stumble upon your workout video.
What Are Banned Hashtags?
Hashtags are a great way to boost your post’s visibility on Instagram. But using the wrong hashtags can harm your Instagram engagement. Why? Because Instagram detects and penalizes spam activity.
We’re damn sure you’ve heard of banned hashtags on Instagram. They’re hashtags that users report because the post using them violates Instagram’s guidelines.
Using these hashtags in your posts impacts your account’s reach and can hinder your business’s growth. Banned hashtags keep changing. They depend on community reports and Instagram’s investigations.
The catch is that Instagram doesn’t publicly release a list of currently banned hashtags. That’s why articles like this one exist, right? We’ve got you covered!
Types Of Banned Hashtags On Instagram
There are two types of banned Instagram hashtags:
1. Permanent Banned Hashtags
Permanently banned hashtags remain banned forever. Once a hashtag falls into this category, Instagram will never reinstate them. And using it can result in severe penalties.
These hashtags are inappropriate content, which violates Instagram’s community guidelines. When you search for these hashtags, a warning message appears before displaying related content.
Posts using permanently banned hashtags experience minimal organic reach. Continued use of these hashtags can even lead to a ban from Instagram.
2. Temporarily Banned Hashtags
Temporarily banned hashtags can be banned for a certain period but may be reinstated. These bans usually occur when users report a specific post using the hashtag. The reach of posts using these hashtags during the ban period will be affected.
It’s crucial to refrain from using these hashtags to avoid any negative consequences. But identifying these hashtags can be a challenge.
Fortunately, there are many Instagram banned hashtags checker tools available on the market. With the help of these tools, you can filter out banned hashtags and stay safe.
Why Does Instagram Ban Hashtags?
Instagram’s rationale behind banning hashtags is relatively straightforward. Their primary goal is to maintain a platform and make it free from:
- Explicit content
- Bullying
- Offensive language
- Derogatory terms
- Body shaming issues, etc.
If thеy dеtеct that your contеnt violatеs thеsе guidеlinеs, thеy will takе action to rеstrict its visibility. It’s difficult to argue against this approach.
With ovеr a billion hashtags availablе, thеrе’s no nееd to usе a bannеd onе or еvеn onе that was bannеd in thе past. Instеad, opt for altеrnativе hashtags.
By doing so, you contribute to thе bеttеrmеnt of thе Instagram community. Plus, it benefits you by avoiding any negative consequences of using banned hashtags. It’s a win-win situation for both Instagram and yourself.
What Happens If You Use Banned Instagram Hashtags?
Instagram hashtags serve the purpose of discovering new audiences and participating in discussions. But your content will be buried if you use a banned hashtag. Unless users visit your profile, see it in your stories, or type the exact hashtag and scroll through the results.
Using a banned hashtag will hamper your post’s reach, impressions, and engagement. Instagram’s algorithms identify such usage as bots, spam, or fake accounts.
Excessive use of banned hashtags may even result in a shadow ban. Or, in the worst-case scenario, suspension of your account.
It’s always better to be cautious. Avoid using any banned hashtags in your posts. Don’t let a single letter or symbol hinder your content’s potential to reach and attract more followers.
How To View Banned Hashtags On Instagram
Banned hashtags undergo weekly updates. But Instagram doesn’t provide a public list of these hashtags. It begs the question: how to view banned hashtags on Instagram? Don’t fret because we are here to tell you.
So manually checking each hashtag is the only way to determine if it’s banned. Although this process is simple, it can bеcomе time-consuming.
To check a hashtag, add it to thе еnd of this URL: https://instagram.com/еxplorе/tags/
For example, to check #pornfood, visit https://instagram.com/explore/tags/pornfood/.
Upon searching, you’ll notice Instagram displays a warning. It will state, “Recent posts from #pornfood are currently hidden because the community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines.” It indicates that #pornfood is one of the hashtags banned on Instagram.
Let’s try the same process with #instafood. Visit https://instagram.com/explore/tags/instafood. In this case, you will see the number of posts and other information about the hashtag. It confirms that #Instafood is not banned.
How To Avoid Banned Hashtags
As we mentioned earlier, IG doesn’t provide an official and updated list of forbidden hashtags. And these bans do change quite frequently.
Strategies to avoid such hashtags:
- Companies can adopt various hashtag strategies. Some prefer creating a comprehensive list of hashtags that align with their business. Each time they make a post, they select the most relevant hashtags from their list.
- Others opt for creating different groups of hashtags. When posting, they choose the group that best fits the content and use those hashtags. This approach saves time. Also, it may result in slightly less specific and accurate hashtags than selecting them individually.
- Some come up with hashtags on the spot when creating a post. This method is the most time-consuming. And if you don’t have your hashtag list ready before hitting “Post,” you’re wasting valuable time because the Instagram algorithm starts ranking and sorting immediately upon publishing.
Regardless of your chosen method, checking your hashtags is vital to ensure none are banned.
If you maintain a list or groups of hashtags, you should verify that none of those hashtags get included in the banned list. If you select hashtags on the fly, checking them each time is essential.
Instagram implements these bans to identify and eliminate fake accounts. It’s advisable to vary your hashtag usage to avoid appearing spammy.
If you consistently use the same ten hashtags for every post, it may raise suspicions of being a bot or fake account. Instead, use different hashtags that relate to the image and content of your caption.
The algorithm can detect if the hashtags used align with the objects in your posted image. It helps to prove that you’re a genuine person managing an authentic account.
To check if you are using a bannеd hashtag, go to the Explorе tab, type in the hashtag you wish to use, and click on it.
If you receive a message stating, “Recent posts for that hashtag are currently hidden because the community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram’s Community Guidelines,” it’s a banned hashtag.
If you see the number of posts and other information about the hashtag without the message mentioned above, it’s safe to use.
If you notice a decline in post engagement, it could be that one of your hashtags got banned. In such cases, searching for the banned hashtag and replacing it with a new one is vital to improving engagement.
Wrapping Up
Now that you’re well-versed in the world of forbidden hashtags on Instagram. It can be time-consuming, diverting your attention from content creation and engagement.
However, misusing hashtags can lead to negative repercussions. It’s crucial to avoid using any banned hashtags that could flag your content.
By doing so, you’ll continue to grow your Instagram presence organically. Maximize the potential of the 30 hashtags per post. And maintain a positive standing with Instagram. Keep up the excellent work.
