I used to add hashtags to my note posts randomly. Changing that doubled my traffic in a week.
When I first started on note, I added hashtags without giving them much thought.
I would quickly pick 10 words that seemed vaguely related to the article's content and post them. I kept doing that for over a month.
But one day, I decided to choose my hashtags seriously, and my weekly traffic doubled. I should have taken hashtags seriously much sooner.
Are hashtags really that important?
Honestly, at first, I thought, 'It's just a hashtag.'
I had heard that note is a platform where articles are read more through followers' timelines than through search, so I underestimated the importance of hashtags.
That's exactly why I was surprised when I looked at the traffic analytics.
When I checked the breakdown of traffic sources, the percentage of traffic 'via hashtags' was larger than I had expected. Alongside timelines and search, there was a solid amount of traffic coming from hashtags.
I thought, 'I had this many people coming in?' Even though I had been adding them randomly, they were actually working. That was the trigger for me to wonder what would happen if I chose them properly.
What happened after a month of adding them randomly?
I looked back at the hashtags of my past posts. The problem was immediately clear.
I was using the same tags over and over. 'Side hustle,' 'note,' 'AI'—almost the same 3-4 tags were included every time, and the rest were just words I thought of on the spot.
The problem with this is that large tags like 'side hustle,' 'note,' and 'AI' have too much competition and are easily buried. They appear on the tag's timeline the moment you post, but they quickly get pushed down.
Smaller tags—that is, tags with fewer posts that are easier to search for—allow you to stay at the top for longer. I hadn't considered that at all.
What was the difference between random tags and carefully chosen tags?
There are three things I changed after I started choosing them consciously.
First, I started mixing 'large, medium, and small tags.' I limited large tags like 'side hustle' to 1-2 and increased the number of medium and small tags like 'note side hustle beginner' and 'AI article generation.'
Second, I started thinking about 'words that the target reader might search for.' I put myself in the shoes of the person reading the article and tried to imagine what someone with this problem would search for.
Third, I started checking the number of posts for each tag. You can see the number of posts when you click on a tag in note. I started actively choosing tags that weren't too popular or too obscure, aiming for those with around 1,000 to 5,000 posts.
Just by being conscious of these three things, the way I choose tags has completely changed.
How long did it take for traffic to double?
Two weeks after changing my hashtags, my weekly traffic doubled.
Of course, I can't say for sure that hashtags were the only factor. The number of posts I made also increased during the same period. But it was clear that 'traffic via hashtags' had increased based on my experience.
I felt the change especially in the traffic 2-3 days after posting. When I used random tags, I only got traffic right after posting, and then it would drop sharply. After using carefully selected tags, I started getting steady traffic even days later.
Small tags have less traffic, but you can stay there longer. I realized this led to the 'sustainability' of traffic.
Tips for 'proper usage' I realized after changing hashtags
After experiencing a doubling in traffic, I researched it a bit more deeply.
I found that it is effective to use different tags depending on the article, such as 'tags to capture traffic' and 'tags to deepen connections with followers'.
For example, tags like SEO, GEO, and note side hustle are 'tags aimed at search traffic.' On the other hand, tags like '#WordOfTheDay' or '#Essay' are tags that readers who happen to see them on their timeline are likely to 'like.' I felt that by including a good balance of these two types, it is easier to increase both traffic and likes.
Instead of making all 10 tags 'traffic-oriented,' I use 7 for traffic and 3 for community-based ones. This ratio works for me so far. I realized that using hashtags strategically changes how articles are 'delivered' significantly.
Something I realized later is that hashtags are not 'unchangeable after posting.' On note, you can edit published articles and change the tags. There were cases where traffic revived just by reviewing and updating the tags of old articles. You can fix past articles that you tagged randomly even now. I make it a point to set aside time once a week to review the tags of old articles with low traffic.
Summary: Hashtags were not an item that could be 'put off'
The hashtags I thought I could just 'add 10 of them randomly' were actually directly linked to traffic.
Mixing large, medium, and small tags. Choosing words that readers are likely to search for. Choosing tags that don't have too many posts. I thought that if just being conscious of these three things changes the numbers, there is no reason not to do it.
I was only concerned about the quality and title of the article, and I put off hashtags. But in reality, they were functioning properly as an entrance to 'deliver' the article.
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Thank you for reading until the end.
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This article was generated by AI (Claude).