Instagram Case Study: How Comment Likes Affect Ranking and Visibility
Instagram comments are a critical component of engagement, but how much do likes on comments influence their visibility and ranking? While likes can signal audience interest, their direct impact on comment performance—especially in relation to factors like post age and existing engagement—remains underexplored.
In this Instagram case study, we examine the relationship between comment likes and their ranking performance across two scenarios: boosting comments on active posts (less than 24 hours old) and engaging with comments on older posts (more than 24 hours old). By testing how additional likes impact comment rankings and organic engagement, we aim to identify strategies for improving visibility and interaction on both new and older posts.
The findings from this study will help clarify how comment likes influence ranking dynamics, offering practical insights to enhance your Instagram engagement approach and boost post performance.
Instagram Comment Likes: Case Study #1
In this scenario, we tested whether boosting likes on Instagram comments improves their ranking and natural growth. The goal was to determine if comments with additional likes could climb higher in the rankings and attract more natural interaction, even on highly active posts.
Objectives
- Do post engagement levels affect comment rankings?
- Do our comment likes promote natural engagement?
Definitions
- Our Comment: The comment posted by us on that specific post.
- Existing Comment #1: The first comment picked by us that was already present on the post.
- Existing Comment #2: The second comment picked by us that was already present on the post.
The Process
- We chose 3 recent posts (posted within the last 24 hours)
- We posted a comment on each of the posts.
- We picked 2 existing comments that were close to our comment’s initial ranking.
- We sent each of the comments 50 Instagram likes
- We monitored their positions over the next 24 hours.
Results
Our Comment saw the highest natural engagement, gaining 362 additional likes (a 724% increase) beyond the 50 likes sent. This suggests that newer comments can attract significant organic interaction when boosted initially.
Despite having 4.9x more likes than Existing Comment #1 (412 vs. 124), our comment did not outrank it, suggesting that Instagram’s ranking algorithm considers factors beyond like count, such as profile authority or comment age.
Existing Comment #2 saw the largest ranking improvement, rising 170 positions (an 86.73% increase), followed closely by Our Comment with an 82.65% improvement and Existing Comment #1 with an 81.63% jump.
The ranking volatility in this post (with all comments moving up by 160+ positions) suggests that high-engagement posts experience more dynamic ranking shifts.
- Natural engagement was significantly lower in this post compared to Post #1. Our Comment gained 14 additional likes (a 28% increase), while the existing comments gained 6 (+12%) and 4 (+8%) likes, respectively.
- Surprisingly, despite having the highest like increase, Our Comment ranked the lowest (position 36), indicating that slightly older comments may hold stronger ranking weight, possibly due to their established engagement history.
- Existing Comment #1 saw the largest ranking improvement, rising 101 positions (from 119 to 18), while Existing Comment #2 rose 95 positions (from 120 to 25). This indicates that older comments can still benefit significantly from engagement boosts, even on posts with lower overall activity.
- The ranking shifts were just as impressive as in Post #1, with comments moving up by 85–101 positions starting from the bottom of the comment section before receiving engagement.
Our Comment again saw the highest natural engagement, gaining 12 additional likes (a 24% increase) beyond the 50 likes sent. This shows that newer comments can still attract organic interaction, even on posts with very low engagement.
Despite having more likes (62) than Existing Comment #1 (52), Our Comment ranked lower (position 17 vs. 8). This further emphasizes that like count is not the primary ranking factor, and other elements like comment age or engagement quality likely play a stronger role.
Existing Comment #2 saw the largest ranking improvement, rising 24 positions (from 30 to 6), while Existing Comment #1 rose 20 positions (from 28 to 8).
The ranking shifts were more stable compared to Post #1 and Post #2, with comments moving up by 20–24 positions. This aligns with the trend that posts with low engagement experience less volatile ranking changes, likely due to fewer competing engagement signals.
Instagram Case Study Collective Insights
Newer Comments Attract More Natural Engagement
Our comments consistently gained the highest natural engagement across all posts, with increases of 724% (Post #1), 28% (Post #2), and 24% (Post #3).
This suggests that newer comments, when boosted initially, can attract more organic interaction due to their visibility at the time of posting.
Higher Engagement Posts Show Volatile Rankings
In Post #1, where the top comment had 1,884 likes, comment rankings fluctuated dramatically (160+ position changes). In contrast, Post #3, with significantly lower engagement, saw more stable ranking shifts (20–24 position changes), suggesting that highly engaged posts experience more unpredictable ranking behavior, possibly due to higher competition.
The Like Count Is Not the Only Ranking Factor
In every case, at least one Existing Comment with fewer total likes ranked higher than ours.
This indicates that Instagram’s ranking algorithm likely considers additional factors such as replies, content quality, comment age, or account authority.
Conclusion
This Instagram case study suggests that:
Boosting comment likes significantly improves rankings and visibility on Instagram.
Comments with additional likes consistently achieved higher organic engagement and climbed into the top 25, even on highly active posts.
While Instagram’s algorithm considers factors like comment age and profile authority, increasing likes drives meaningful ranking improvements, particularly on high-engagement posts.
These findings highlight the value of leveraging comment likes to enhance engagement and ranking performance.
Graphs
Comment Ranking Improvement
Key Takeaways
Instagram Comment Likes: Case Study #2
In this scenario, we tested how boosting likes on comments from older posts (more than 24 hours old) affects their ranking and organic engagement. The goal was to determine if additional likes could revive older comments, improve their visibility, and compete with newer or more established comments.
Objectives
- Determine how comment age affects it’s performance.
- Determine how post engagement level affects the ranking of older and newer comments.
Definitions
- Old Comment: The existing comment that was posted when the Instagram post was new.
- New Comment: The comment we posted at the start of the Instagram case study testing phase.
The Process
- We chose 3 older posts (posted over 48 hours ago)
- We posted a comment on each of the posts.
- We picked 1 existing comment that was of similar ranking to our new comment.
- We sent each of the comments 50 Instagram likes.
- We monitored their position shifts over the next 24 hours.
Results
Old Comment Improvement
The Old Comment saw a significant ranking improvement, rising 78 positions (81.25%) and climbing into the top 20. Despite gaining little natural engagement, the boost in likes helped it achieve higher visibility.
New Comment Improvement
The New Comment also performed well, rising 99 positions (79.20%) and gaining 12 natural likes. The increase in likes helped our comment achieve a competitive ranking, though it did not surpass the existing comment despite having more total likes.
Old Comment Improvement
The Old Comment rose 122 positions (91.73%), climbing into the top 15. This suggests that comment likes still contribute to ranking boosts, even when engagement is lower compared to more active posts.
New Comment Improvement
The New Comment saw a similar improvement, rising 133 positions (93.01%). Unlike Post #1, the New Comment ranked higher than the Old Comment, indicating that newer comments can still achieve strong visibility in moderately competitive posts.
Old Comment Improvement
The Old Comment jumped 132 positions (92.31%), climbing into position 11. Even though the overall post engagement was moderately high on Post #3, it still managed to make it into the top 15 with a fraction of the likes of the top comment.
New Comment Improvement
The New Comment also saw a significant improvement, rising 129 positions (83.23%). However, it ranked lower (position 26) compared to the Old Comment, suggesting that comment age or engagement history may play a role in ranking.
Instagram Case Study Collective Insights
Boosting Likes Revives Older Comments
Across all posts, older comments with additional likes saw significant ranking improvements, with some climbing into the top 15. This demonstrates that boosting likes can effectively revive older comments and improve their visibility.
Post Engagement Levels Influence Rankings
On Post #2 and Post #3 ranking improvements were stronger (averaging 90.07%) compared to Post #1 (averaging 80.23%). This is likely due to higher competition and more established rankings on highly engaged posts.
Comments Saw Lower Natural Engagement
While boosting likes improved rankings, the natural engagement gained relatively small. This indicates that while Instagram comment likes can improve visibility, they may not always drive significant organic interaction on older posts due to lower activity levels.
Conclusion
The results of our Instagram case study indicate that:
Boosting likes on older comments can significantly improve their rankings, with some climbing into the top 15.
Comment age and engagement history likely play a role in ranking, as comments with the same number of likes often ranked differently.
Moderately engaged posts see the strongest ranking improvements, while highly engaged posts may require more effort due to established competition.
These results show that boosting comment likes can effectively revive older comments, enhancing their visibility and engagement even on posts that are no longer actively gaining traction.
Graphs
Comment Recency Performance
Overall Ranking Improvement
Key Takeaways
Performed
Saw