Changes to LinkedIn’s Algorithm Make Hashtags Pointless
TL;DR Version
LinkedIn hashtags aren’t relevant anymore. Its evolving algorithm has built in elements that understand and respond to context.
If you are in marketing, you know that social media is an important aspect of a marketing plan, and you know that hashtags could be an important aspect of your social media strategy. But the big question nowadays is, are hashtags really even necessary on a LinkedIn post?

The answer is: No.
Over the years, LinkedIn’s algorithm has evolved, and social platforms have gotten better at including the context of captions, visuals, user history, and keywords into its algorithm, so the need for hashtags has decreased. Because of this, hashtags have become less important on LinkedIn.
A lot of the time relevant mentions and indicators are already included in a post, and that’s enough for social media systems to show your posts to the most relevant audience.
Although hashtags don’t matter on LinkedIn anymore, they can still be helpful for viewers to easily identify what the post is about, but this will only be effective if you use hashtags that are relevant for your specific topic. Even though they aren’t necessary, and they don’t boost visibility or engagement, you can always include hashtags in your comments section or when responding to someone’s comment, to make an emphasis on the point you’re trying to make.
Since LinkedIn is less reliant on hashtags, you should still be mindful of what keywords you’re using in your posts so that you get the most engagement and the correct audience interested in your content.
IMPORTANT: Don’t use hashtags if they’re replicating a term already used in a post.
How does LinkedIn’s algorithm work?
LinkedIn has now built in more elements to understand and respond to search queries, both in relation to the overall query text (including concepts not just keywords) and personalization, based on past engagement. The search algorithm is better, so you don’t need hashtags because they don’t do anything for discovery and they don’t provide any additional reach boost, compared to previous years.
LinkedIn’s system isn’t designed for virality, like other social media platforms may be, so hashtags aren’t necessarily supposed to work the way they do for other platforms.
Need a little more help understanding LinkedIn’s Algorithm?
All this talk about hashtags, and keywords, and algorithms can be confusing, but don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Send us an email or call us at (262) 725-4500 and we can answer questions you may have!
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