What Are Hashtags?
Hashtag: A word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#), used within a message to identify a keyword or topic of interest and facilitate a search for it.Whenever a user adds a hashtag to their post, it’s able to be indexed by the social network and becomes searchable by other users. Once someone clicks on that hashtag, they’ll be brought to a page that aggregates all of the posts with the same hashtags, in real-time. Once a keyword picks up enough momentum, it becomes “trending.”
Though each network has its own way of displaying posts under a certain hashtag, and their own algorithms for specifying trending content, these rules tend to hold true in general across each social channel.
How to Use Hashtags ?
It’s important to set the record straight regarding how to use hashtags properly, respective of the platform in which they’re used.Hashtags are used to categorize content, making the discovery of new or related articles and insights easy to do.
Using a hashtag on a social Media post is really as simple as adding the # sign before a single word or phrase, without spaces or punctuation. You can also include numbers in your hashtags as well. Typing out a hashtag is simple enough, but there are some subtle nuances you should learn to get the most out of them.
Hashtag Basics
Here are a few quick rules for how to use hashtags:- If you are using hashtags for their intended purpose (categorization and discovery), don’t string too many words together with a single hashtag.
- Avoid over-tagging a single post or adding them to every word.
Don’t underestimate the power of understanding how to use hashtags to join in on conversations, such as:
- SEO Company in Lucknow (#SEOCompanyLucknow)
- Holidays or celebrations (#happyRakshabandhan)
- Popular culture topics (#HealthZone)
- Popular hashtags for days of the week (#SocialMediaMarketing)
- General interest topics (#SEOServices)
Where Did Hashtags Come From?
The first use of a hashtag in social media can be traced back to one man. Chris Messina is a former Google employee who worked in developer relations and as a designer on G+.Due to the popularity of hashtags on social media, there are a number of tools you can use to assist in your search for the perfect hashtag:
- Hashtagify.me is a free tool you can use to find hashtags. It also gives numeric data on hashtag use and helps you to map a hashtag in relation to other similar options.
- RiteTag is a powerful hashtag search tool you can use for Facebook and Twitter. It provides up-to-date data as to how your hashtag is performing.
