Google reviews in Maps and Google My Business can now include hashtags, making them even more searchable.
This addition was rolled out without announcement, but TechCrunch reports that Google confirmed the hashtags were rolled out over a week ago.
Currently they can only be added when writing reviews on Android devices.
Up to five hashtags can be added to reviews, and Google suggests appending them to the end of reviews rather than incorporating them into the main text.
Google also suggests using them in a way that makes them useful to searchers.
For example, hashtags like #vegan, #locallyowned, #hiddengem, and #ketofriendly might help people find specific things they’re looking for in a restaurant.
On the other hand, writing a review about a place you visited a year ago and adding #throwbackthursday probably wouldn’t be useful to anyone.
Hashtags can be edited into old reviews, as well as included in new ones.
The ability to search for keywords in Google reviews was introduced this past May.
Now reviews are even more searchable with the inclusion of hashtags, which can either be clicked on or searched for manually.