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    How to optimise Twitter for SEO

    A few years back, the question was whether to go for search marketing or social media marketing. People did not understand how social data could be used for SEO (search engine optimisation) purposes. Nowadays however, social media marketing and search marketing are becoming more and more closely linked. Recently, Google and Twitter signed an agreement that will allow Google to fully access Twitter's stream. As a result, tweets started appearing in Google's search results.
    How to optimise Twitter for SEO
    ©prykhodov via 123RF

    So what does it mean for businesses? The fact that tweets can now appear in one of the world's dominant search engines opens up a whole new world of possibilities for businesses. Search marketers can now optimise their Twitter profiles for SEO. By being a bit more strategic, you can optimise your tweets, drive social engagement, and help improve your business's ranking.

    Here are some simple tips that can help you optimise Twitter for SEO.

    1. Optimise your username

    When it comes to optimising your Twitter account, this is the first thing you need to do. Before all the tweeting and engagement begins, your target audience will decide whether or not to follow you based on your username. An optimised username makes it easy for people to find you and gives your account more credibility. Therefore, the selection of a username should be done with utmost care.


    An important suggestion is to avoid using numbers in your username. Besides looking odd and unprofessional, it also appears spammy. Short and simple names are easier to remember and easier to cite in replies. This makes your tweets more retweetable.

    2. Make the best use of your bio

    Twitter allows you to have up to 160 characters in your bio. This is a slightly longer than the character limit of a regular tweet (140 characters). Therefore, using your bio to describe your business or campaign can give you significant leverage. It would be advisable to include some keywords since Twitter bios are frequently used as meta descriptions in search results. Including hashtags and links in your bio could also be helpful for enhancing your visibility.

    3. Get more followers

    This is one of the best ways of gaining authority and influence on Twitter. Having more followers will enhance the chances of your posts getting retweeted or favourited. You can attract more followers by posting valuable information several times a day. If you decide to share the same link several times a day, be sure to use a different headline each time.

    Keeping up with other influential players in the industry is also a great way of increasing your own following. Follow them and retweet their posts on a regular basis. This will increase the chances of them following you back or retweeting your posts.

    4. Optimise your tweets

    An optimised tweet will be more visible and thus increase your chances of being retweeted. More retweets will result in your increased authority on Twitter. Do your best to keep your posts below the 140 character limit. This will allow your followers to retweet your posts while adding "RT@username". When sharing a link, be sure to use the URL shortener. This will give you more space to write something catchy about that link.

    To get more exposure for your tweets, use hashtags. Including images in your posts is another great way of grabbing the attention of your followers. Always monitor your Twitter stats get more insights on your followers. According to enterprise software reviews, Followerwonk is a great free tool which you can use to check your Twitter analytics. Finally, don't forget to include your location since it is crucial for local SEO.

    5. Link to your website

    Be sure to link to your website or blog from your Twitter account and vice versa. For instance, you can place a Twitter widget at the footer or sidebar of your website. This will attract more visitors to your website and increase your following on Twitter, thus resulting in a higher ranking.

    About Charles Mburugu

    HubSpot-certified content writer/marketer for B2B, B2C and SaaS companies. He has worked with brands such as GetResponse, Neil Patel, Shopify, 99 Designs, Norton, Salesforce and Condor. Portfolio: https://charlesmburugu.contently.com/ LinkedIn: https://ke.linkedin.com/in/charlesmburugu
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