As a generalist marketer, you’re likely spinning multiple plates—campaign strategy, content creation, social media, reporting, and everything in between. Whether you’re working in-house or running your own consultancy, knowing how and where to use tools like hashtags can make a real difference in your results.
One question that often pops up is:
“Should I use hashtags in my website blog posts?”
The short answer? No, not in the same way you would on social media.
But let’s break that down properly.
What Are Hashtags and What Are They For?
Hashtags (like #MarketingTips or #SmallBizLife) are used primarily on social media platforms to group content, increase visibility, and help users discover posts related to specific topics. When someone clicks on a hashtag or searches for one, they’re shown a feed of posts that include that hashtag.
In essence, hashtags act as a discovery and categorisation tool on platforms like:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- TikTok
- Facebook (to a lesser extent)
So when you’re writing a LinkedIn post or sharing a photo on Instagram, hashtags can give your content an extra push and help it show up in niche feeds.
But when it comes to your website blog posts, the story is a bit different.
Do Hashtags Work on Website Blogs?
In technical terms—not really.
Websites and blogs are not hashtag-driven ecosystems. Unlike social media platforms, people don’t search your site using hashtags, and Google doesn’t index content based on hashtags in the same way it does for structured keywords and metadata.
Adding a hashtag like #leadgeneration in a blog post doesn’t give that word any extra power in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). In fact, it can come across as unnatural and cluttered if overused.
What Should You Focus on Instead for Blogs?
For your blog to perform well in search engines like Google or Bing, you need to focus on keywords, search intent, and user-friendly structure.
Here are five core SEO elements to think about:
- Keyword Optimisation
Use relevant, specific keywords in your:- Blog title (H1)
- Subheadings (H2s)
- Meta description
- URL slug
- Throughout the body content (in a natural way)
- Internal Linking
Link to other pages or blog posts on your website to keep readers engaged and improve site navigation (e.g. “Check out our blog on content strategy for small businesses”). - Alt Text for Images
Add descriptive alt text to all images—this helps with accessibility and SEO. - Meta Tags
Write a compelling meta title and meta description. These show up in search engine results and can boost click-through rates. - Readable Formatting
Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and headings to make your content easy to digest. Google rewards blogs that provide a good user experience.
Where Should You Use Hashtags Instead?
Just because hashtags don’t help your blog post directly on your website doesn’t mean they’re useless.
The perfect place to use hashtags is when you promote your blog post across your social channels. This is where hashtags can boost visibility and engagement.
Here’s how:
- On LinkedIn: Use 3–5 relevant hashtags when sharing your blog link. For example: “New blog: How to Generate Quality Leads Without Paid Ads
#ContentMarketing #LeadGen #SmallBusinessTips” - On Instagram: Hashtags help people discover your content based on interest areas. Use a mix of niche and broad ones (up to 30 allowed, but 5–10 high-quality ones often work best).
- On X (Twitter): Hashtags can help you join conversations and get featured in trending topics.
- On Facebook: Hashtags are searchable but don’t carry as much weight—use sparingly.
So while hashtags aren’t a feature of SEO or on-site blog success, they’re a smart distribution tactic when driving traffic to your blog from your social platforms.
When Might You Use Hashtags on a Website?
There are a couple of niche cases where hashtags could be useful on a website:
- If you’re embedding social content:
Let’s say you’ve embedded an Instagram feed or Twitter timeline in your blog—hashtags in that embedded content will behave as they would on those platforms. - If your website has a community or forum section:
Some membership or social-based platforms built into websites allow hashtags for categorising user content (think forums, blogs with commenting communities, or internal tagging systems).
But in standard blog posts or articles, these are the exceptions, not the rule.
What to Do Instead of Hashtags on Your Blog
If you’re keen to boost visibility and engagement for your blog posts (which, let’s be honest, we all are), here’s what to do instead:
- Write for humans first, algorithms second. Use natural language that speaks to your ideal reader’s needs and challenges.
- Use strategic keywords. Think like your audience—what would they type into Google if they were searching for the topic you’re writing about?
- Add a call to action. Invite readers to comment, share, or check out a service you offer.
- Promote consistently on social media, and that’s where your hashtags come in. Don’t just post once—repurpose the blog with quotes, carousels, or infographics over time.
- Build backlinks. Share your blog in newsletters, collaborate with other businesses, or guest post to drive more links and authority.
In Summary:
No, hashtags aren’t needed in your website blog posts.
They don’t boost your SEO, and readers don’t search for them there.
Instead, focus on SEO best practices, clear content structure, and keyword research. Then, when sharing the blog on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram, add relevant hashtags to boost discoverability and traffic.
So your blog strategy becomes:
- Write high-value, keyword-rich content
- Promote across socials with hashtags
- Track what performs and tweak accordingly
It’s a system that works—without the hashtag clutter.
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