Do you want to reach more people on Google ? Are you using Google hashtags?
Google hashtags make it easier for people to discover your content,
even if they are outside your circles. That added visibility gives you
greater overall reach.
How Google Hashtags Work
When Google started supporting hashtags, the news met with some
scepticism. People wondered if Google was blindly following Twitter
and Facebook-and whether Google hashtags would be as useless as
Facebook hashtags.
The answer turned out to be no on both counts. Google hashtags are
actually an efficient way to bring more exposure and visibility to
your Google profile and brand, but they work a bit differently than
you're used to.
Other social networks use hashtags to curate content by filtering
updates that include a specific hashtag. If you search for
#easyrecipes, your results only show updates that include that
hashtag.
Google uses hashtags to explore a topic rather than curate it. When
you search for a hashtag within Google , the network auto-selects
related hashtags and trending topics and return those along with the
hashtag you typed.
The additional related results set Google hashtags apart. It is handy
to know the topical relevance of several updates as well as the
connections between topics and objects.
The only downside is that you do not have any control over the
relevance of the search results.
Take advantage of shared interests
Google uses a complex algorithm to identify which updates make it
into your home stream-even if those updates are from people who are
not in your circles. This algorithm appears to include hashtag
relevance.
I am seeing much more interaction from people outside of my network
when I include a couple of hashtags in my Google updates. For
example, sometimes my updates show up as "hot" for users known to have
related interests.
You can take advantage of shared interests by searching for a hashtag
and making note of the results. Find out what related topics people
are talking about and which related hashtags they are using and then
use both in your future updates. You will have a better chance of
appealing to a wider audience and you will be more likely to show up
in their feeds.
Let Google Assign Hashtags
While other social media networks rely on users to tag their own
updates, Google is taking the liberty of doing it for you, which may
not be such a bad thing.
Find your own hashtags
Now that you are on your own for hashtags, the question is how to come
up with the most relevant ones, right? One option is to use the
Explore section and sift though related hashtags-kind of like a mini
keyword search.
As I mentioned, when you search for a hashtag on Google , your results
include a separate box with the most popular and recently used
hashtags. You can look through those and pick the ones that are most
likely to expand your reach.
Quick tip: If you are hosting a Twitter chat, consider cross promoting
your hashtag on Google for more awareness and brand visibility-it
works really well.
Finally, make your hashtags useful. On Twitter, people often use
hashtags as a fun way to express extra emotion or jokes. That kind of
hashtagging does not make much sense when you are trying to extend
reach.
If you want, your hashtagged updates to work, make it easy for Google
to categorise them. Use hashtags that match your content, not your
emotions. Hashtags should make perfect sense, add to the topic and
even provide context. If you follow those guidelines, your updates are
more likely to be seen by a larger audience.
Wrapping Up
Google hashtags are an important tactic for reaching a wider
audience. Of course, choosing the right hashtag can make or break this
social tactic, so take the time to tag your own updates rather than
relying on Google to do it for you.
Use the Explore section to find the hottest related hashtags and learn
about your niche and how to best target it on Google . Just do not get
too carried away. Over-tagging is spammy-especially when the hashtag
is not directly related to your topic.
--socialmediaexaminer.com
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