Facebook Hashtags Aren't Very Effective, Study Says

On Google+, hashtags help surface related content. On Twitter, hashtags enable news to spread fast. On Facebook, hashtags turn your posts into garbage.

Sound harsh? According to a study by EdgeRank, a Facebook analytics provider, when businesses post statuses on Facebook using a hashtag both engagement and virality drop significantly.

EdgeRank analyzed 35,000 posts from 500 business pages over the month of July this year. They were shocked by the results. At best, the hashtags had no impact, and at worst, the presence of a hashtag reduced the reach of the posts.