Hashtags and Hyperlinks

At first glance, these two topics may seem totally unrelated, but read further and learn how they complement each other. I’ll give you a clue, it has to do with the topic of Search Engine Optimization.

Let’s start with definitions:

A Hashtag is used with Twitter. It’s a #(number sign) followed by a group of letters or words that makes the topic searchable in the Twitter universe.

A Hyperlink (sometimes referred to as a Hotlink or simply a Link) is a group of letters or words that, when you hoover your curser over it, is clickable and opens a new window on the Internet. The first paragraph of this post has a Hyperlink, Search Engine Optimization.

Still curious how these two are linked? Here’s another clue, it has to do with the research you need to do to use each effectively.

Hashtags

It’s important to use hashtags when you tweet—but even more important to use them correctly. It’s important to avoid using more than two or three hashtags per tweet. Otherwise you run the risk of being mistaken for a sales person or a spammer. Because of this, you need to do your research and make certain you’re getting the most out of every one.

When I look for relevant hashtags, I start with the obvious and then do a little fact checking. For instance, when I started targeting military families with tweets I assumed #military would be the hashtag to use.  Fortunately I dug a little deeper. When I checked what tweets that hashtag normally brought up I found it was geared more toward those looking to date a soldier. Definitely NOT the audience I was looking for. It turned out the hashtag I needed was #militaryfamily.

Here are some of the places I research hashtags:

Hashtags.org.

WhatTheTrend.com.

Trendsmap.com

Hyperlinks

Here are some things you need to know about Hyperlinks.

• Including them will raise the search engine ranking of your post and subsequently, your site.
• It’s a way to build credibility by linking to other sites you’ve written for.
• It’s a way to utilize previous posts and get more traffic on your own blog.
• They can give your readers more value by linking to valuable site that your readers may not have visited. 

I want to zero in on how hyperlinks can raise our search engine ranking.

Most people don’t know that the words hyperlinked in your post are also searchable by search engines. This means you need to choose the words you link carefully because you don’t want to waste them.

Do you see the link between Hyperlinks and Hashtags now? As I said, it’s in the research. Both involve topics trending on the web. If you find a popular Hashtag, make a note of it. Then, when you have a related post, use that topic as a part of your hyperlink.

Here’s an Example:

Look again at the hyperlink in the first paragraph. I could have made the word Topic the link. It would have made sense, after all I was referring to a topic. But how often do people do a Google search for the word topic? Not very often. So I linked to a much more interesting set of words, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.

Also, this topic, #SEO is trending on Twitter, telling me I’ll attract new followers by using this hashtag when I tweet about my post.

This type of multitasking will help you get more mileage out of your research time and give you the added benefit of tying your blog posts directly to your Twitter updates.

Now it’s your turn, be sure to post your questions in the comment section and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie