JackD, I have also heard that and it is the reason why I tried likes for likes. However, I'm not sure if the statement is actual true or not.I have done some of that. You (individual) like my business page and I (individual) like your business page. I was told that the more likes you have the better your page will do in search engines.
Oh wow! All this time I've been having a giggle when older bloggers would post pictures and messages on facebook and include hashtags. I figured they were either just trying to be trendy or didn't understand that #facebook wasn't the same as #twitter. Needless to say I'm embarrassed, so let's keep this just between us.