Does X (Twitter) have an impact on SEO?
You might be curious about this question that everyone has wondered about at least once.
There are various speculations about the relationship between SNS (Social Networking Services) and SEO, including Twitter. But does it actually have an impact?
This article explains the SEO effects of Twitter.
If you are considering focusing on both SEO and Twitter, please take a look.
Table of contents
No SEO Effect from Links on Twitter
In conclusion, there is no direct SEO effect from Twitter.
In fact, Google explicitly states that there is no direct impact of SNS on SEO.
During a live broadcast on Google’s official YouTube channel “Google Search Central” on August 14, 2015, there was a question from a viewer: “Does social signals have an effect on SEO?”
And Google’s John Mueller responded as follows:
There is no direct impact.
Social networks often add nofollow to the links they provide when posting content, so it does not affect rankings.
Source:English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout
※Translation by our company.
From this comment, it is clear that links from SNS do not affect rankings.
However, it is not stated that all user behaviors on SNS have no effect on SEO.
Citations from Twitter Have SEO Effects
It has been confirmed that there is no effect from links on Twitter, as stated by Google.
However, it is believed that citations from SNS can have an effect.
Citations refer to posts without links and are a concept similar to external measures.
When posts related to specific products or companies are born on SNS, they qualify as citations and can influence the external evaluation (objective evaluation) of the company.
It is not explicitly stated how influential citations are on SEO.
However, it is certain that they have an impact on SEO.
Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines explicitly state the following regarding page quality and reputation:
The highest quality pages are created to be helpful for a beneficial purpose and achieve their purpose very well. The distinction between High and Highest is based on the quality and quantity of the main content (MC) and the level of reputation and EAT.
Source:Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (General Guidelines)
※Translation of Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
The elements that distinguish High (high-quality page) and Highest (highest-quality page) include “reputation.”
Furthermore, Google explicitly states that “visibility” also affects the ranking of local search results.
Visibility indicates how widely a business is known.
Reference:Google Business Profile Help – How to Improve the Ranking of Google’s Local Search Results
From this information, it is understood that citations have an impact on SEO, and measures need to be taken accordingly.
Therefore, it is necessary to actively implement strategies to acquire citations on Twitter as well.
In the next chapter, we will introduce how to utilize Twitter to acquire citations and have a positive impact on SEO.
Effective Ways to Use Twitter for SEO
There are various effective ways to use Twitter for SEO, but by focusing on the following initiatives, you can more easily acquire citations:
- Conduct promotions using Twitter ads
- Select your Twitter audience
- Use keywords you want to hit in SEO on Twitter
- Maintain consistency in your content
- Post images and videos
- Engage with other users
- Conduct giveaways and surveys
- Share useful pages
Let’s explain each of them.
Conduct Promotions Using Twitter Ads
While regular Twitter operations are important, if you want to quickly acquire as many citations as possible, consider using Twitter ads.
Depending on your advertising budget, it is not impossible to dramatically increase impressions and engagement.
Twitter ads have three placement options, and by effectively utilizing each, you can maximize their effectiveness:
- Promoted Tweets
- Promoted Trends
- Promoted Accounts
While managing your account is important, if your budget allows, consider using Twitter ads.
Selecting Your Twitter Audience
Twitter ads allow for detailed audience customization.
Therefore, when promoting, choose your audience with consideration for which users would be best to show your ads to.
By displaying ads to the appropriate audience, you not only enhance the effectiveness of the ads but also make it easier to acquire citations.
Using Keywords You Want to Hit in SEO on Twitter
Keywords you want to rank high for in SEO should be actively used on Twitter as well.
By using keywords on Twitter, Google is more likely to recognize the relevance between your account and the keywords, increasing visibility.
- Tweets
- Profile
- Image captions
- Hashtags
There are various places and timings where you can include keywords.
Let’s actively use keywords to aim for acquiring citations.
Maintain Consistency in Your Content
From the perspective of operating a Twitter account, maintaining consistency in your content is crucial.
By unifying your content, you can appeal to users interested in that specific topic, resulting in higher engagement.
For example, if your account represents a company strong in SEO, your content should focus on topics like SEO and listing advertisements.
It’s not limited to Twitter, capturing trends and sharing content is crucial in general.
By capturing the trend of a topic, you can efficiently provide information that is in demand at that moment.
Post Images and Videos
In addition to text tweets, it’s important to attach images and videos when tweeting.
Adding images and videos increases the amount of information, leading to higher engagement.
As of January 2022, Twitter values posts that focus on creative elements like images and videos, not just text tweets.
While it may require a bit more effort, visualizing concepts or actions and creating videos to convey high-quality information more clearly to users is necessary.
Engage with Other Users
Engaging with other users on Twitter is crucial.
Some consider engaging with users to be the most important aspect.
Replying to users, liking and retweeting, and creating a friendly account to encourage interaction with users are all important.
To engage with users, you must not only broadcast information but also understand the issues and desires of users.
Conduct Giveaways and Surveys
A method relatively easy to enhance engagement compared to images and videos is conducting giveaways and surveys.
Recently, even corporate accounts use retweets, replies, and follow functions to conduct giveaway campaigns.
Especially for BtoC products, which are well-suited for SNS, conducting giveaway campaigns is easy.
Twitter’s survey feature and utilizing images for user surveys to be used in business are also commonly seen.
Considering plans that make users want to participate voluntarily is an effective means to ultimately increase citations.
Share Useful Pages
If you find it challenging to come up with your own posts or plans, sharing links to pages with valuable information is one way to go.
Operating a Twitter account often faces challenges like running out of content or having too frequent updates that deplete resources.
In such cases, instead of sharing original information, share valuable information already available in the world.
It’s even better to tweet this information along with your thoughts or opinions.
However, if you only share pages, your account may become just a summary account, and you can’t expect an improvement in interaction and engagement with users.
If that happens, it becomes difficult to acquire citations, so balance the sharing of original information and pages and operate your account accordingly.
Summary: Aim for Indirect SEO Effects on Twitter
We’ve explained the relationship between Twitter and SEO.
The relationship between SNS, including Twitter, and SEO is surrounded by various rumors.
In conclusion, as Google explicitly states, there is no SEO effect from links on SNS.
However, the effect of citations can be expected.
To enhance citations, try implementing the Twitter strategies introduced here.
Both SNS and SEO are strategies that can be implemented for free, making them easy for companies to tackle on their own.
First, try doing it yourself, and if it doesn’t work well, consider outsourcing to an agency.
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Since our founding in 2013, we have worked with over 2000 clients, allowing us to propose the most suitable strategies tailored to your needs.
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