In this article you’ll discover how to improve the visibility of your Twitter account with SEO.
Start With Relevant Keywords
Keywords that you’re already using in the metadata of your website are a good place to start. Your website keywords might not translate perfectly to Twitter, but if you combine them with popular hashtags and topics that work well in your content, you’ll have a good group to test.
You’ll know which keywords are working best by monitoring your engagement, link clicks and reach. Any spikes in those metrics will show you which tweets have effective keywords in them. Then you can use those keywords more in your tweets and profile.
#1: Optimize Your Account for Twitter Search
Tweets get the main stage on Google right now, but optimizing your account for search on Twitter will allow you to have long-term searchability.
Make sure your handle and username match your website and brand name. Consistent branding across all of your channels is your best bet for being found by the audience you want. Your handle and username don’t have to match each other, but they should be related.
Your handle is also included in your unique Twitter URL (for example, https://twitter.com/seo). Your username shows up next to your profile photo for all of your tweets.
You can change your username easily. But changing your handle is trickier, and you’ll lose your verification badge if you have one. Changing your username or handle may also confuse your followers and cause people to unfollow you. If you’re going to change either one, try to do it only once.
Don’t use a lot of numbers in your username either because Google may flag it as spam.
#2: Add Google’s Markup Code to Your Website
Google lets you embed code in your website to specify your preferred social accounts, like Twitter, to include in search results. For example, Microsoft’s social profiles are displayed in the Google knowledge panel on the right in these search results.
In addition to your Twitter profile, you can specify your profiles for Facebook, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, SoundCloud and Tumblr. All you have to do is grab some code from the Google Developers site and drop it onto your website.
#3: Use Keywords in Your Tweets
Every time you tweet, you have the opportunity to show up in Google search results for a topic that your customers and prospects care about. While your tweets may not last as long at the top of search results as a website would, you get more chances to be relevant through your tweets.
Make sure you’re constantly testing and varying your content to see what works. You can use Twitter analytics to review your tweets and find out what’s working best. When you find something that sticks, make sure to expand your content plan to give you more ways to tweet about that particular topic.
tweet shown in search results:
Every tweet is an opportunity for you to show up in Google Search.
Put yourself in the shoes of people searching and think about why they search. Whether people are researching an event or trying to find out about the inspiration for the latest Taylor Swift song, they’re usually looking for more in-depth information than 140 characters can provide. That’s why rich media works best for Twitter search.
tweet shown in top news results:
Top new stories on Twitter usually have photos and links in them.
The words in your tweet will show up on Google, but the images and links in your tweet will show up at the top of the search results on Twitter. Make sure to give your readers everything you can in each tweet. When it comes to Twitter, the more effort you put in, the better your results will be.
#4: Encourage Retweets
Other than Google and Twitter search, the most effective way to expand the reach of your tweets is with retweets. Unlike Facebook, there’s no penalty for asking people to share your content. Some of the most effective organic tweets end with a clear call to action.
retweet example
Include a call to action in your tweet.
Make sure your tweets are short enough to retweet. The optimum tweet length for retweetability is fewer than 120 characters. This leaves room for other Twitter users’ handles in their retweets. Some handles are longer than others, but 120-character tweets should provide enough space to accommodate even the longer ones.
