Get Found by People in Your City: Local Keywords on Instagram and TikTok

Many people today don't type your shop's name. They type what they need: "quiet café in Riyadh" or "everyday abayas Jeddah". If your account doesn't contain words like these, you're missing from search even if your content looks great. This article walks you through choosing your local keywords and putting them where the platforms actually read them.

1. List your keywords the way your customers say them

Start with pen and paper. Write down what a customer says when asking a friend about you, not what you'd write in an ad.

• Product type in everyday language: "specialty coffee", "oud oil", "flared abaya", "desert camping trip".
• Place: the city and district, such as "Khobar" or "Al Narjis".
• Occasion: "for studying", "bridal gift", "family seating".

Try typing each word into the Instagram and TikTok search bar and look at the suggestions that appear below it. They often show you phrasings you hadn't thought of.

2. Display name: the field most shops forget

On Instagram, the name field (separate from your username) counts in search. Instead of just your shop's name, briefly add what you sell and your city.

Example: "Reem Flowers | Flower Arrangements Riyadh" instead of just "Reem Flowers".

Don't stuff the field with five keywords. One word for your business and one for your location is usually enough.

3. Bio: a clear sentence, not a slogan

Write one line in your bio that covers what you do, where, and what makes you different, for example: "Ladies' salon in Al Malqa: cuts, colour and occasion styling." Generic slogans like "Your beauty starts here" sound nice but don't help anyone who's searching.

4. Captions: put the keyword in the first two lines

Platforms read the caption text, and people read the beginning. Place your main keyword naturally at the start:

• Restaurant: "Our best order for gatherings in Dammam: a mandi tray for ten..."
• Online perfume store: "Cambodian oud oil with delivery across Jeddah..."

Write the way you talk, and don't repeat the same word in every sentence. Forced repetition puts readers off before it does you any good.

5. On-screen text and spoken words

On TikTok and Reels, add a short on-screen title in the first two seconds that includes your keyword: "Outdoor seating in Riyadh". If you speak in the video, say the same word out loud, since auto-captions turn your speech into text. Also pick a clear title for your cover instead of a random frame.

6. Location and alt text

• Tag your shop's location on every post tied to a branch, especially content filmed at the place.
• On Instagram you can edit a photo's alt text from the advanced settings. Describe the image in a simple sentence that includes your keyword: "Black abaya with wide sleeves from our store in Jeddah."

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing only in formal Arabic while your customers search in dialect.
• Putting all your keywords in hashtags and leaving the caption empty.
• Changing your display name every week. Consistency helps people remember you.
• Targeting a city you don't serve, then getting requests you can't fulfil.

For hashtags themselves and how many to use, see our 2026 hashtag guide.

The bottom line

Start today with three steps: update your display name, rewrite your bio, and put your local keyword in the first line of your next post. After a few weeks of consistency, you'll start getting questions from people who found you on their own. If you'd like help writing captions and hashtags quickly, try the AI Studio by Zyadat to draft and adjust them to match the way your customers speak.