Hashtag Popularity Search for Effective Optimization

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Carolyn Howell

Last Updated: Nov 07, 2024

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Users often conduct a hashtag popularity search to discover trending content or find content inspiration. It’s also common practice for creators to produce content without the influence of a specific keyword. Whatever your content creation process, remember that performing hashtag research plays a crucial role in optimizing your post. 

Here’s a simple guide on how to identify the best hashtags to use for your social media content! 

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Hashtag Checker

It’s a good idea to check social media and use available tools and resources to find out what hashtags are currently trending. Especially for content creators and brands, keeping up with trends is crucial to staying relevant and maximizing visibility on feeds. 

The most effective hashtags are straightforward and catchy! They can help a post go viral, boost product/brand top-of-mind awareness, deliver tons of engagement, and deliver new followers

And then there are hashtags that are not helpful at all. This is especially true when someone clutters their post with too many tagged keywords, most of which are repetitive or too similar. Sometimes, #PeopleAlsoTurnAnEntireSentenceIntoAHashtag (see what I did there?), which does not serve any purpose (except annoy others).

Content creators and brands have to be mindful of the types of hashtags they use. Performing hashtag research should be SOP for every post to make sure the keywords you use can help deliver your desired results. 

If you need help narrowing down the best hashtags to use for your TikTok post, hashtag generators are pretty helpful! TikTok’s search tool and Creative Center are also great resource tools for hashtag discovery. 

A yellow sticky note with the hashtag symbol printed on it.

How To Use Hashtag Ranking for Optimization

Using hashtags with the highest use volumes may seem like the obvious choice if you want the widest possible distribution. Creating content around top-ranking hashtags helps sustain your relevance and also lets your followers know that you’re always up-to-date. 

However, relying solely on popular keywords does not guarantee maximum discoverability and reach. The more people use a certain hashtag, the fiercer the competition for a space on For You feeds. The same applies to search results for the hashtag. You’ll be competing with tons of videos also using the same keyword. 

Niche and more specific hashtags, on the other hand, help you target specific users interested in your content. These keywords typically have a lower distribution/use volume. They may not seem the ideal choice in terms of maximizing reach. 

However, they actually offer the advantage of more defined content categorization and precise audience targeting. 

The best hashtag strategy, therefore, combines both popular and niche keywords. Here are some tips to help you identify the best hashtag combination for your hashtag campaign:

  1. Make a list of keywords that best describe your content. Your list should include both generic and specific keywords relevant to your target audience. 
  2. Perform hashtag research to identify popular variations of your desired hashtags. Use a hashtag generator to help you discover the best keyword combinations. 
  3. Narrow down your list to include both top- and low-ranking keywords based on use volume. 
  4. Select the most relevant hashtags that are closely related but not too similar to each other. They should not contain too many of the same words. 
  5. As much as possible, limit your hashtags to three or five. Too many hashtags, especially if they’re repetitive, will make your post look like spam. It will also confuse ranking algorithms. 

Letter tiles spell the word “#Hashtag.”

Do a Hashtag Popularity Search To Boost Post Visibility and Reach

Hashtags have a number of critical uses on social media. A hashtag is clickable and redirects to more posts that use the exact hashtag. It’s often used to categorize or describe a post. It also helps optimize content for targeted reach and ranking high in search results. 

For optimization, the most common tip you’ll find is to use the best hashtag combination for your post. You’re supposed to combine generic/popular hashtags with niche or more specific ones — all of which must be relevant to your content. A hashtag popularity search helps you identify keywords with a high search volume and which will deliver maximum reach. 

Sign up for a High Social plan if you need a more finely-tuned targeting capability! High Social uses a proprietary, advanced AI targeting technology that perfectly compliments TikTok’s own recommendation algorithm. This means you’ll get double the audience-targeting power! 

Start growing your TikTok today!

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How Can I Find TikTok Hashtags That Are Popular Right Now? Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find popular hashtags on TikTok? Here are a few FAQ to help you navigate the ever-changing hashtag landscape. 

What hashtags are popular right now?

If you’re using the mobile app, the easiest way to find trending hashtags at any given time is via the search tool. Just enter # in the search box to discover the most popular hashtags on the platform. Take note that you’ll always get random results across industries/categories when you use this option.

If you want to be able to filter your hashtag results, use a browser to access TikTok Creative Center. Go to the Trends tab and select Hashtags. Your location would be the default country for your results. But you can still filter results by industry, time frame, and popularity ranking or New to top 100

How do I find popular hashtags in my area?

TikTok Creative Center’s Hashtag Trends section automatically shows what’s popular in your area. You can access the page via a browser on your phone or computer. 

How many hashtags should I use?

Three to five hashtags should help the algorithm categorize your content and identify suitable viewers for it. Too many keywords will look like spam, distract viewers, and confuse the algorithm. 

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