Google Enabling Hashtag Use in Google Search, Exclusive to Google+ Content

Google unveiled this afternoon that it’s officially added hashtag support to Google Search, a trend that’s become increasingly common on social networking giants the Internet over. But though Google is including it in its framework, it’ll only work for Google+ content.

The update is rolling out over the course of the day for English-speaking users of Google (google.com and google.ca). As with most of Google’s modern announcements, the inclusion of this feature is to tighten the tie between Google’s popular search engine and Google+, the company’s not-as-popular social network.

Here’s how it’ll work:

• When you search on Google for a hashtag, say [#AmericasCup] or [#WaterfallWednesday], a set of relevant Google+ posts may appear to the right of regular results.
• You’ll only be able to see posts that have been shared publicly or shared with you.
• If you click on any of these posts you’ll go to Google+, where you’ll see the full set of relevant posts.
• You’ll also see links to search for these hashtags on other social sites.

Not counting hashtags, the latest tie to Google+ around the Google network is YouTube, which will soon be used to tighten the reins on troll comments on YouTube videos.