Can hashtags increase your online ranking?
Most business owners who have a website know the importance of online ranking and SEO. If your website does not appear in the first page of search results, you’re losing potential customers. An effective and well thought out website design with integrated SEO can help your website reach the first page of Google and other important search engines. Publishing relevant, high quality content will help you rank higher in search results; integrating social media and social discovery tools like hashtags can boost your rankings even higher.
A hashtag (the little pound sign #) marks a topic or keyword and helps social media sites and search engines identify and correctly index the topic. In essence hashtags are keywords, and Google’s search algorithms love keywords. They also categorize posts and help others with similar interests quickly and easily find them. Proper hashtag use is important in order for it to be effective in marketing. It’s important that you choose them wisely, for instance, attach hashtags to words and phrases that are most likely to be searched, such as #LAGalaxy, instead of generic terms such as #TheBestSoccerTeam. Don’t use a trending hashtag just for the sake of using one. Choose one that is relevant to the topic to avoid looking as though you’re simply trying to jump onto the latest trend. Start by writing down a list of general terms that your target customers might search for on Twitter or Google. Work those search terms into hashtags occasionally to increase the odds that you’ll be found by someone searching for all tweets falling under that hashtag. If you’re offering a special or coupon, use a hashtag like #coupon or #deal. Consumers use these hashtags to find specials on products, so this can help you reach people who might not have otherwise found you.
Using hashtags and keywords relevant to your brand is an easy way for people to quickly find your photos on social media and for you to increase engagement with the photos you share. When it comes to hashtags, the basics are important. Creating a custom hashtag is also a great way to track, organize and promote contests when using Instagram. Be aware of popular and trending hashtags and keywords and the likes and comments they have generated on social media. These directly influence search ranking. Once a new hashtag has proven itself to be effective, you should start using it across multiple social media channels. This is an excellent way to increase exposure and the sharing of posts, while also capitalizing on SEO in an effort to rank higher on Google.
Remember to follow hashtag etiquette, for instance more than one or two hashtags in a post is excessive and likely to turn off potential followers and might dilute your brand and message. Start by incorporating a single hashtag in each of your social media posts and focus attention on keywords. Then you should gauge the reaction of your followers and see what changes in your search engine results rankings.
The Proper use of hashtags will improve your ranking and ultimately connect your band to the right audience.
