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Avoid These Banned Instagram Hashtags for 2017

Is Instagram secretly banning your posts? If you’re using any of the “bad” hashtags, Instagram is going to hide your posts from those searches. It’s bad for engagement and for reaching a larger audience.

So, if your growth on Instagram is declining, your posts might be getting shadowbanned. But what is shadowbanning and what are the hashtags you should not be using?

For the full list of banned hashtags, you can scroll directly down to the bottom of this post, or you can continue reading to learn more about Instagram banning, how to avoid being banned, and how to continue growing on the platform.

Why is Instagram Banning Hashtags?

The short answer is, they want Instagram to remain an “authentic and safe place for inspiration and expression,” as written in the Community Guidelines. Although “authentic and safe” is pretty vague, this is probably the best answer you can get as Instagram is not very forthcoming about the hashtag banning happening on the platform.

What is clear, however, is that when you use banned hashtags, your posts — even if they aren’t spam, inappropriate or pornographic — are going to be shadowbanned.

What is Shadowbanning on Instagram?

Being shadowbanned, whether on Instagram or other social media platforms, is your worst nightmare. It is a terrifying experience if you’re a social media addict.

Why? Because when you’re shadowbanned, it means your posts are blocked from appearing in certain places on a platform, and you won’t even know it. Talk about paranoia.

On Instagram, it means your posts are going to be undiscoverable on searches and they won’t appear in the hashtag feeds of people who aren’t following you. You can forget about being discovered by other users or attracting new followers.

If you are running a follower campaign, by the way, consider adding bought followers in your campaign. Buy Instagram Followers to kickstart your growth and encourage others to follow you, because people want to follow those who already have a large following. Being popular makes it easy to become even more popular; it might not be fair, but it’s true.

What Happens When You’re Shadowbanned on Instagram?

When your posts are shadowbanned on Instagram, they won’t appear in searches and you won’t know until you check.

So if you snap a picture of a celebrity, for example, and use a banned hashtag like #popular, your post will appear to your followers but people who don’t follow you won’t see your post if they search for #popular on Instagram.

Surprised that #popular is banned? You’re not the only one and there are many other hashtags banned for reasons that are inexplicable. We can only hope that there is a method to this madness.

Presumably, they don’t want Instagram to turn into a site full of pornography and spam, or used to celebrate hate-speeches, violence, and the like. These are, of course, all valid concerns and we can’t blame Instagram for wanting to clean up the site.

So, as long as they’re banning hashtags, you’ll continue to experience a decline in engagement and follower growth if you use those terms. But how do you know you’re using a banned hashtag?

Like all others who have used banned hashtags on their Instagram posts, the first thing you’ll notice is that you’re getting less than your normal number of likes, comments or reposts. But you should do some investigating to find out if this is really happening to you.

How to Know if a Hashtag is Banned on Instagram

The right hashtags on Instagram can provide huge exposure for your posts. You'll be able to reach more people and attract more comments and reposts, as well as new followers and fans.

Hashtags on Instagram are tolerated well; you can include a ton of them and people won’t mind as long as they’re relevant. Plus, it’s possible to hide hashtags on Instagram and still benefit from the increased interaction because of them. In short, hashtags are a great way to organically grow your presence on the platform.

So, if Instagram shadowbans your posts and they become hidden to most people, your growth on the platform is definitely going to suffer. Avoid being shadowbanned on Instagram by checking your hashtags before using them.

Go to the Explore page and click the magnifying glass icon to start searching.

Type the hashtag in the search bar. If it appears, then the hashtag is not banned. If it doesn’t, then you know it is.

If you search for the hashtag and there are no results found, that term is likely to be banned. If you can’t search for the term using the search bar, you can insert it directly into the URL to force the search. Just insert your search term in this URL:

“https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/typeyourtaghere/”

Sometimes, hashtags with broken links appear in the search results, so you have to click them and make sure they are working and are not actually banned hashtags.

Choosing safe and popular hashtags will be most effective for your growth. Want to employ an additional strategy to expand your reach? You can also buy Instagram Followers to build your reputation and attract new organic followers in a different way.

Popular people on social media tend to get even more well-known because people like to follow those who are already popular. Bought followers have the power to make you appear famous and influential, which will draw people to you and organically grow your audience.

Full List of Restricted and Banned Hashtags

So here is the most up to date list of banned hashtags that will make Instagram shadowban your posts on the platform. According to The Data Pack blog by Nick Drewe, who compiled this list using the Instagram API, hashtags can be either temporarily or permanently blocked.

Be warned that while some will get you shaking your head in puzzlement over why they’re banned, others are very offensive.

Hashtags that are Restricted and may be Temporarily Banned

These hashtags are restricted and may be temporarily or permanently banned. In either case, you should not attach them to your posts.

#adulting

#alone

#americangirl

#ariefmirna201

#armparty

#asia

#asiandick

#attractive

#babyrp

#bacak

#badbitcztwerk

#baddie

#balenciaga

#balls

#bang

#bangbang

#batikate

#beaty

#belfie

#bi

#bigdickboy

#bikinibody

#bombshell

#bootay

#bootybounce

#bra

#brain

#breast

#buns

#butt

#butts

#cam

#carving

#catsau

#cesitone

#cheeky

#citycentre

#commentschivettes

#costumes

#cph

#cpr

#csun

#cumfession

#curvesfordays

#curvy

#damngirl

#datass

#date

#dating

#desk

#direct

#dm

#dominant

#dripping

#dutchgirl

#dxb

#easter

#ebonyandivory

#edm

#edmbabes

#eggplant

#eggplants

#eggporn

#elevator

#escilepernatale

#estellaseraphim

#everybodyisbeautiful

#excitada

#expose

#fapstagram

#feetofatlanta

#fishnets

#foreplay

#freakshow

#freethenipple

#gays

#gilofashion

#girlsonly

#gloves

#goddess

#hamishnadine

#happythanksgiving

#hardsummer

#hijabiba

#hooters

#hornyyyyyyasf

#hotgirls

#hotguy

#hots

#hottie

#humpday

#iamgay

#instagirl

#instamood

#istanbulgay

#italiano

#jugs

#kansas

#kickoff

#kik

#kikgirl

#kikmessenger

#killingit

#kissing

#lesbian

#lesbiansofinstagram

#lilmandingo

#lingerie

#lust

#marcoreus

#master

#mebelim

#medicina

#mexicangirl

#mirrorphoto

#mixedgirls

#models

#mr40club

#mrsandmrsbordeaux

#mrtox

#nacket

#nasty

#newyears

#newyearsday

#ngento

#oovoo

#petite

#piroka

#pixie

#poop

#pornfood

#printic

#publicrelations

#pushups

#rack

#ravebabes

#roleplay

#russiangirl

#russianmilf

#saltwater

#sexlife

#shebad

#shesquats

#shit

#shower

#single

#singlelife

#skype

#slimthick

#snap

#snapback

#snapchat

#snapchatgay

#snapme

#sokus

#sopretty

#spanishgirl

#sparklingnudes

#stopdropandyoga

#stranger

#streetphoto

#stud

#submission

#sultry

#sunbathing

#swole

#tag4like

#takeitoff

#teens

#tgif

#thatasstho

#thick

#thought

#todayimwearing

#treviso

#twerk

#twerker

#undies

#valentinesday

#vatine

#weed

#weedstagram

#weezmoney

#wet

#whitegirl

#woman

#womancrushwednesday

#women

#workflow

Hashtags that are Completely Banned

These hashtags are completely banned, now or at one time, and should not be used on your posts.

#anal

#anon

#arse

#ballsack

#bigboobs

#bigbootyhoe

#bigtits

#bigtitties

#bitches

#blowjob

#bondagesex

#boobies

#boobstagram

#boobz

#booty

#bunda

#clevage

#clit

#cock

#cocks

#cum

#cumshot

#cunt

#daddydirection

#daddydom

#daddylove

#dick

#dicks

#faggot

#fatass

#femdom

#fetish

#footfetish

#freethenips

#frisky

#fucking

#funbags

#girlsgonewild

#girlsofinstagram

#grindin

#gstring

#hardcore

#hmu

#hoes

#horny

#IG

#ilovemyinstagram

#incest

#instababe

#instabody

#instafuck

#instahot

#instasex

#jizz

#kike

#kikmeboys

#kikmenow

#killyourself

#kinky

#kontol

#kyke

#lean

#like

#loseweight

#naughtygirls

#nekkid

#nigger

#nipple

#nipples

#nips

#nobra

#nudepics

#orgasm

#penis

#popular

#popularpage

#porn

#porno

#pornography

#pornstar

#proanorexia

#probulimia

#seksi

#selfharm

#sexiest

#sexual

#sexyaf

#sexybody

#sexygirl

#sexys

#sexyteen

#shirtless

#slut

#sluts

#snowbunnies

#spankme

#spic

#tetas

#thickgirls

#thighs

#thinspiration

#thinspo

#tit

#tits

#titties

#titty

#toket

#twerking

#twerkteam

#twink

#vag

#wank

#whitepower

#whore

#whores

#wtf

#xxx

#おっぱい

Time to Start Re-tagging!

Hashtags are an effective way to grow your following on Instagram and receive higher engagement on your posts. So if you’re experiencing lower than your usual engagement rate, the answer might be lurking in your hashtag use too.

Check your hashtags! Go through the hashtags you typically use and check them all to see if they’re banned. Immediately re-tag any posts that use them.

It’s time to wise up and stop using banned hashtags. It’s the best — if not the only — way to avoid being shadowbanned on the platform for your hashtag use.

Start re-tagging! Claim your high engagement and your moment in the spotlight back!

Date: November 2, 2017 / Categories: Hashtags, Tips, / Author: Omar Samtra

November

2017

Omar Samtra