SEO on Twitter in 2023: 6 tips not to be missed
When you started working on social media, who knew that SEO on Twitter would be something special? Well, as social networks have evolved, their capabilities have also adapted. Social SEO is currently an important factor to consider for any platform.
Improving your brand SEO on Twitter is essential to increase the visibility of your tweets on the platform. It can even boost your search rankings outside of the platform (looking at you, Google).
Whether you’re a marketer in charge of improving your brand’s Twitter presence or a creator looking to reach more people, using Twitter for SEO is something you’ll want to incorporate into your social strategy.
What is SEO on Twitter?
Twitter SEO is the process of optimizing your tweets and profile so that they rank higher in the search results.
You probably know that you can target certain keywords on your website to improve its ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). But SEO on Twitter increases the visibility and reach of your tweets, both on and off the platform.
That’s right — Twitter SEO is good for your search rankings on the platform itself, and it can also help your brand’s tweets show up in Google search results.
Why Does Twitter SEO Matter?
Social media platforms are a valuable dating channel for brands. Most platforms have created advanced search capabilities that make social SEO essential for all platforms, including Twitter.
Twitter SEO helps build brand awareness by increasing the visibility and reach of your tweets and profile.
When your brand’s tweets rank higher in search results for relevant keywords and phrases, they’re more likely to be seen by a wider audience. This helps build brand awareness and get your content to the right people.
Optimizing your Twitter presence can also help your brand reach beyond the platform. Public tweets and profiles can be found on Google. Even people not on Twitter can find your brand profile or tweets by searching for your brand name.
This is the Twitter carousel that appears in Google search results if you search for Hootsuite:
SEO Ranking Factors on Twitter
If you want to optimize your tweets for search, you need to understand how the Twitter algorithm ranks search results.
Let’s look at each of these Twitter SEO ranking factors in more detail.
Relevance
The most important factor that Twitter takes into account when ranking your tweets is search relevancy. Does your tweet match what someone was looking for?
If someone searches for “Emily in Paris”they expect to see tweets about the show. If your tweets or profile don’t match this intent, Twitter won’t show your brand in search results.
Using hashtags
Twitter uses hashtags to categorize content and help people find topics and brands they might be interested in. For brands, popular hashtags are still a great way to reach an engaged audience.
When brands use relevant hashtags to engage in popular conversations on the platform, they see an increase in brand awareness, message associations, and even purchase intent, according to Twitter.
People can also search for hashtags on topics of interest to them, whether they’re recommended in the Explore tab or the user searches for the hashtag directly in the search bar.
Engagement metrics
If a popular tweet gets a lot of attention and sparks conversations, Twitter wants to highlight it. Engagement metrics like retweets, tweet quotes, likes, and replies are all visibility factors.
That’s why it’s important to use relevant keywords and hashtags in your tweets. Including these elements in your tweets will help you reach people who are more likely to interact with your content. The more organic engagement you earn, the more love you will get from the algorithm.
Authority and reputation
Another key factor that Twitter takes into account is the credibility and reputation of the account. Optimizing your tweets helps establish your brand as a thought leader or authority in your industry.
Relevant, quality content allows your brand to establish itself as a reliable source of information.
Ultimately, this helps increase brand awareness and trust. A good reputation is key, especially if you want to stand out from similar brands on the platform.
Google SEO Ranking Factors
If your profile is public, your tweets can be found on Google.
Google indexes Twitter profiles and public tweets. This means that everything you say on Twitter is related to your brand and your tweets can also contribute to your overall Google rankings.
In addition to Twitter’s SEO factors, let’s take a look at some of the factors that affect Google search rankings.
Purpose of search
The user’s search intent is a top priority for Google. The search engine tries to match the search query with what the searcher actually wants to see.
Google has basically perfected its system over the years, so it usually knows what someone is trying to find. That’s why Google results seem so smart even if your search contains a typo or a synonym.
For example, check this search for “small space sofas”. Google knows that the words “sofa”and “sofa”are interchangeable. That’s why it showed this page from Wayfair in the results:
Quality
Another factor that Google takes into account is the quality of the content.
According to Google, the quality of content is determined by three factors:
- Power,
- Expertise and
- Reliability.
Google wants to make sure that if it recommends a page or product to a searcher, it will be valuable and able to satisfy their search intent.
Ease of use
Google also tests the usability of content in search results. The search engine loves content that is mobile-friendly and accessible. This is logical – mobile devices account for 63% of regular visits to search engines.
The search engine prefers content that is easy to navigate and digest, loads quickly, and is accessible to all users.
6 Twitter SEO Tactics to Help You Grow Your Reach
With Twitter and Google search ranking factors in mind, let’s take a look at these Twitter SEO tips that you can use to increase your brand awareness both on and off the platform.
1. Use keywords in your profile and tweets
What Twitter search terms do you want your brand to appear in the results for?
If you maintain social media accounts for a local restaurant, you’ll probably want to appear in search results for “restaurants in [your city]”. Or perhaps you have a DTC organic skincare brand and want to pop up when people search for any of these terms.
Similar to how you do keyword research for Google rankings, there are certain keywords you should be targeting on Twitter in order to increase your brand awareness.
To do this, create a list of keywords related to your brand, industry, or product. Use these keywords throughout the copy of your page—everything from your Twitter bio to your display name, and even your tweets when appropriate.
Let’s take a look at Hootsuite’s Twitter profile for an example of this tactic in action.
Source
The first words in Hootsuite’s biography are “social media”, followed by “tools”, “advice”and “news”. By including these keywords in their bio, Hootsuite has established itself as an authority and resource on social media topics. This also ensures that his tweets and profile show up when searched on social media.
And it clearly works. Hootsuite ranks #1 in search results for “social media tips”.
2. Take advantage of Twitter threads
Twitter loves topics. Even before Twitter officially encouraged threading, people used this format to share a line of thought that required more than 280 characters.
If you haven’t seen a thread before, a Twitter thread is a series of tweets posted by a single Twitter account. There are several tweets in the thread, and they are all linked into one long tweet.
Topics are essentially like mini blog posts. They are usually used to share long content. Think of step-by-step instructions, a compelling story, or an overview of resources.
Now you’re probably wondering how themes help Twitter SEO?
Well, first of all, threads consist of several tweets. This creates a lot of possibilities for viewing and interacting with your tweets.
In addition, Twitter marks topics as such and allows you to see the entire topic by clicking “Show this topic”. It also helps threads get better visibility.
Imagine how much space a thread of 10 tweets would take compared to a single tweet that can be easily scrolled.
Topics also provide an opportunity to discuss one topic in detail. Taking a closer look at a particular topic helps test many Twitter search ranking factors, from authority to relevance to engagement.
3. Talk about trending topics
Another tactic you can use to boost your brand’s SEO on Twitter is topics. Twitter sorts tweets by topic to make it easier for people to find content and profiles that match their interests.
Users can explore trending topics in the Overview tab or follow topics that interest them. If a user chooses to follow a particular topic — say, recipe ideas — then the relevant tweets from people they may or may not follow will be in their feed.
If you want to increase your reach and get your tweets to your target audience, then using themes is a must. Create tweets about topics related to your brand and tweet about them often.
One way to categorize topics on Twitter is to look at people who frequently discuss or interact with certain topics. This tells Twitter that you are knowledgeable about the topic and other people may find your tweets valuable.
As long as the context is clear, your tweets will be categorized by topic and shown to people who are interested in that topic.
4. Use hashtags effectively
Hashtags are one of the main factors that Twitter uses to classify tweets. Twitter recommends using only one or two hashtags per tweet to keep your message concise. And since you are character limited, you will have to use hashtags strategically.
Include hashtags that not only support your tweet but are also relevant to what people are searching for. For example, to promote their limited edition Valentine’s Day box, Krispy Kreme used the hashtag #ValentinesDay in any tweet about the campaign.
How sweet is our limited edition valentine? ??? Available with every dozen #ValentinesDays. To whom will you send love? pic.twitter.com/9aJKZW0yFD
— Crispy Kreme (@krispykreme) February 1, 2023
This works for several reasons. The hashtag is wide enough for people to search for, especially in the month leading up to the holiday. And by bringing its own special donut to the conversation, Krispy Kreme can reach anyone who interacts with the hashtag.
5. Interact with other users on the platform
Interacting with other users is a great way to build awareness and reach on Twitter. By interacting with similar brands, you can reach that brand’s audience and reach new people who may also be interested in your brand.
Check out food brands if you need some inspiration in this category. Food and drink brands have created a formula for interacting with other brands on the platform. These brands take every opportunity to join relevant conversations and even toast each other from time to time.
There is also a lot of camaraderie between these fun brands, as shown in this lighthearted interaction between Cinnabon and Skittles (with a special nod to Slim Jim):
This works because these brands know they have similar audiences and can expand their reach with new followers by engaging in relevant conversations. As long as the answers are sincere and relevant, humanizing your brand on Twitter is always a good idea.
6. Don’t Forget Alt Text
Adding alt text or alt text to all your images is a social media best practice, especially if you want your content to be accessible to all users. These captions are used to describe your images to visually impaired people who use screen readers to access image content.
Alternative text can also help describe your content to search engines. If you include an image in your Tweet, be sure to include alt text so that Twitter can understand and index your content and help it show up in relevant search results.
Forget the groundhog, we use a 14,400 foot active stratovolcano for weather forecasting.
Mountain? Good weather. Is there no mountain? Bad weather. Is the mountain actively erupting? Lahar weather. pic.twitter.com/alHNKfFnmc
— Washington State Department of Natural Resources (@waDNR) February 2, 2023
The alt text of this tweet from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources reads: “Mount Rainier, a snow-covered and ice-covered volcano, stands tall, majestic and unproblematic. .. yet.”
Frequently Asked Questions About SEO on Twitter
What does Twitter SEO mean?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. On Twitter, SEO can be used to increase your tweet’s visibility and reach with targeted keywords and phrases.
Does Twitter Help SEO?
Optimizing your Twitter can help with Google SEO. Twitter profiles and public tweets can be seen and ranked in Google search results.
Do Twitter links count for SEO?
You can use Twitter links to drive traffic to your site. Link exchanges on Twitter can increase your traffic and help improve your site’s SEO.
How to optimize SEO on Twitter?
To optimize SEO on Twitter, you must include relevant keywords in your Twitter bio, use hashtags, and post tweets about topics your target audience is searching for.
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