Beginning in May of 2015, Google and Twitter agreed to a deal that would establish Tweets to show up in mobile Google searches. Makes sense, as Twitter is mostly a mobile platform. But recently you may have noticed that tweets have now begun to pop up in your desktop Google searches as well.
This begs the questions: Why are tweets showing up in my SERP? Do I care? Why are you even telling me about this? Who are you?
Well you should care! (And please don’t be mean to me.) On top of tweets being an excellent vehicle to deliver up-to-date news, having your tweets show up in Google search result pages can be extremely beneficial for a client.
WHY ARE TWEETS IN MY GOOGLE RESULTS
The deal between Twitter and Google is simply a win-win situation for both organizations.
There may be 304 million active users on Twitter, but it’s clear that new account sign-ups have been slowing down for the popular platform. Now with tweets showing up in Google searches, this opens the door to an entirely new audience of non-users that would have never before thought to look to Twitter for news and updates.
On top of accruing new users, Tweets showing up in Google allow for more impressions and traffic, ultimately leading to an increase in ad revenue on their site.
As for Google, tweets help to improve their search engine in ways that are both entertaining and informative. According to Google, “It’s a great way to get real-time info when something is happening. And it’s another way for organizations and people on Twitter to reach a global audience at the most relevant moments.”
It’s true – often times our generation first hears of news through Twitter. This could sometimes cause inaccurate information to spread like wild fire, but it’s also an excellent source of keeping us in the know.
As of this writing, the much anticipated MLB NL Wild Card Game was played tonight. A simple Google search of “NL Wild Card Game” brings you a clickable carousal of tweets covering the game while giving you a sneak peak of what everyone is saying about this event.
If you were to go on to include a hashtag in your search such as “#CubsvsPirates”, you’ll receive an even more specific carousal of tweets, giving you a better idea of what the public is saying. As you click through, you’ll notice tweets from both the media and the general public.
If politics are more your speed, you can Google even the modest and often tight-lipped Donald Trump to see all the happenings and tweets associated with him. All of this appearing high on the first Google results page.
Look at that! In one search you can find out both why Donald Trump is “undateable” and learn of his newest Supreme Courte updates! It’s a shame, had I written this blog a little earlier we would be looking at his photoshopped (and trending) man bun. Oh well.
I’m kidding! Of course we can look at his man bun.
Image via eonline.com
Lookin’ good Don!
Either way, it goes to show you that tweets showing up in Google results pages cover many different topics, which means it can attract many different audiences. This is an excellent way for Twitter to recruit users and increase impressions/ad revenue.
As for Google, including tweets in their results allows them to inform their audience of public opinion on all different topics, which results in Google being an even more comprehensive search engine.
HOW CAN THIS HELP A CLIENT
Obviously one of the most important aspects of dominating the Internet is increasing SEO and Google rankings (which you could read more about here). Now that tweets are showing up in both mobile and desktop Google searches, this puts an even heavier influence on having a strong Twitter presence.
By showing up early on Google result pages with your tweets, you can increase your visibility and help to edge your competition. So up your client’s Twitter game and you might find that it will have a significant impact on their online presence.
CONCLUSION
Tweets appearing on Google might not seem like big news, but it has already had a huge impact on the digital world! From keeping users up-to-date with the latest news to increasing your client’s potential online presence, Twitter and Google are a match made in Search Engine heaven.