How To Get Google To Index Your Tweets (Hint: Hashtags Help)

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Earlier this month, it was announced that Google would start indexing tweets again. As a result of this, people searching on Google will start seeing tweets as part of their search results. Immediately, an important question for brands became: how do I get Google to index my tweets?

Which tweets are most likely to get indexed by Google?

Stone Temple Consulting studied what types of tweets are most likely to get indexed by Google, and found that using hashtags one of the best methods.

Hashtags to Get Indexed by Google

As the table above shows, 11% of tweets with hashtags were indexed, compared to 7.4% overall. Another method that worked well was including an image in tweets. It has long been known that including an image in tweets increases engagement since it draws a user’s attention. Not surprisingly, this increased engagement also is a good signal for Google that the tweet may have high relevance. Also notably, it looks like @mentions had a negative effect on getting indexed, perhaps because Google considered those posts conversational rather informational. Only 5% of tweets with @mentions were indexed compared to 7.4% overall. Finally, the best way to get your tweet indexed is with backlinks to your tweets from other websites. Google’s famous PageRank algorithm has always valued websites with a high number of backlinks since it signals that these websites include good content. Google seems to be starting with a similar methodology for tweet indexing.

In summary, the DOs and DON’Ts

So in summary, what should (and shouldn’t) you do to maximize your chances of getting your tweet indexed by Google?
  1. DO include a hashtag
  2. DO include an image
  3. DO link to your tweets from external websites
  4. DON’T include @mentions in your tweets
Keyhole is a real-time conversation tracker that provides keyword and hashtag analytics for Twitter and Instagram. Get started for free and search your brand.
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