Navigating Instagram's Banned Hashtags: A Guide to Avoiding Shadowbans

byFeochadan

2.9K followers

2 years ago

Understanding Instagram's Banned Hashtags and Their Significance

In the fast-paced realm of Instagram, hashtags play a pivotal role in enhancing engagement and reaching a wider audience. However, not all hashtags contribute positively to this endeavor. Banned hashtags, identified through user reports and community flags, signify potential pitfalls for Instagram users.

This is especially significant for those of us in the make money online niche.

One primary reason for a hashtag's ban is its association with content that violates Instagram's community guidelines. These can relate to such things as pornography, drugs, hate and such. Generally, people here won’t fall afoul of this.

More importantly, hashtags susceptible to misuse by bots and spammers face removal. Instances of repetitive posting to these hashtags, commonly known as spamming, lead to their prohibition. Instagram implements these measures to preserve the integrity of hashtag functionality.

Examples of these banned hashtags include:

#makemoneyonline, #makemoneyfromhome, #earnmoneyonline

Understanding Shadowbanning on Instagram

If you use banned hashtags on Instagram, you might face something called a shadowban. It's like a temporary punishment from Instagram where your account's reach and engagement drop significantly. Instagram does this when they think you've broken their rules or done something suspicious, like using banned hashtags.

You'll notice it when your posts suddenly get a lot less attention, especially from non-followers. It's like your account is in the shadows, not getting as much attention as before. To avoid this, you should stop using banned hashtags, follow the rules, and behave genuinely on the platform.

How do I Know Which Hashtags Are Banned?

There are several banned hashtag checkers on the web. My favourite is MetaHashtags (https://metahashtags.com/banned-hashtags/) and it’s at my price point which is FREE.

MetaHashtags has a banned hashtag checker tool so that you can simply paste your hashtags and check. They also have a hashtag generator that will alert you when it finds banned hashtags.

They also maintain a complete list of banned hashtags that is updated daily automatically.

What to Do If You've Used a Banned Hashtag

No need to stress if you find out you've been shadowbanned – it's just a temporary thing that might last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. First off, take a look at your posts and see if you've used any banned hashtags. If you have, either archive (NEVER delete!) those specific posts or just get rid of the banned hashtags from them.

Even if you're dealing with a shadowban, don't hit pause on your posts. Keep sharing content because your followers will probably still see what you post. Plus, Instagram's algorithm doesn't really favor it when you stop posting altogether. So, stay consistent and clean up those banned hashtags for a smoother Instagram journey.

Hope this helps!

Darlene