Google adds hashtags to search results

Google+ continues to grow its influence as a major social network for with the addition of hashtags to search results. Now, when you search for a hashtag on Google, results from Google+ will appear next to popular hashtags.

In general hashtags have been growing in popularity across all major social networks. In May, Google added related hashtags to Google+ streams with Facebook rolling out their own Hashtags in June.

Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr are all finding increasing more use from connected conversations, paid media to amplify conversations, and hashtags in Google+ and Google search are one way to further bring relevance to content across all Google platforms.

Google Senior Software Engineer Zaheed Sabur posted on Google+ about the new updates last week, explaining:

• When you search on Google for a hashtag, say [#AmericasCup] or [#WaterfallWednesday], a set of relevant Google+ posts may appear to the right of regular results.
• You’ll only be able to see posts that have been shared publicly or shared with you.
• If you click on any of these posts you’ll go to Google+, where you’ll see the full set of relevant posts.
• You’ll also see links to search for these hashtags on other social sites.Today’s update will be available (initially) to English language users in the US and Canada on google.com and google.ca.

As you can see below, a search of #throughglass on Google pulls up a number of different options, including the new hashtag results on the right hand sidebar. You have the option to scroll up and down through the different pieces of content.

This section rotates through content tagged with that hashtag. Also, you can notice the personalized results present as well. My friend Josh Murdock (who is in my circles) has been exploring the use of Google Glass, and his posts are showing up near the top as well.

For marketers, this new update means that Google+ is increasingly a more important part of your search profile. Content posted on Google+ is clearing getting a valuable piece of real estate inside of search.

With Google’s cleaner redesign this hashtag content takes the space of what could be sponsored links, so this could be an incentive for more users to share content on Google+ when hashtags heat up across multiple platforms.