Jun
14

The SEO benefits of using Twitter

Filed Under (Social Media) by Mani Karthik on 14-06-2008

So, now the Twitter hype is almost over…what are the SEO benefits of Twitter you discovered, if at all any?
One, two months earlier almost everyone including the probloggers and the pro-SEOs flocked to Twitter and almost trashed it with tweets. And just like you, I was one too.

Didn’t someone tell you that getting more followers on twitter was so cool? Yeah, I heard the same thing too. We added friends as much as we can and started…tweeting. Only to find that twitter is nothing but a waste of time.

So what are the benefits of using Twitter?

- More popularity
- More viral stories
- More fun
- More socialization
- Blah blah..BS

To be honest, I’ve not found luck with Twitter from day one and always wondered why everyone flocked to it. And to tell you the least, I found it’s s***t considering the SEO benefits. This is what i found.

- If you want to have a good user name like “Dating Tips”, which might be your primary keyword, it helps in some ways. but the following conditions apply.
-> You must have at least 1000 followers
-> They must all be one sided, that is…you shouldn’t be following them
-> They should be all active guys on Twitter, preferably
-> They should interact with you

Now, that’s an utopian concept isn’t it? How the hell would you be a super star with a username as “Dating Tips” or “Great wraps” ?

- Since all of the links on Twitter are “no followed” there’s basically nothing you get from it as link juice. So forget it!

- Now, it does help in social media. The viral thingy? How and by what scale - is the question.

Assuming I have thousand plus, very active subscribers - I release a viral video on Twitter, or a controversial story, and it becomes a super hit on Twitter!

Wow - that’s great. But hey, I would still stand a chance to make a viral video viral or a controversial article controversial, minus twitter - wouldn’t I ?

So bottom line is - There is no SEO benefits what so ever using Twitter, and if you are trying to get popular on it for the “viral” benefits, then I’d suggest you spent the same time on Digg/SU or Deli, and you’ll get four fold “popularity” of what you would get on Twitter.

Simple stuff.

Related SEO Tips and Articles:

  1. Success4uTeamNo Gravatar

    Wow, I thought I was right on time to join the Twitter craze. I suppose I was a late bloomer.. and I also had no clue that Twitter links used the “no follow” code. Do other social networks like Myspade and Facebook use the “no follow” index code?

    Thanks In Advance.

    Wishing Success 4 U,
    Chris, Top Performer with Mentors 4 U.
    http://myinternetbusinessonline.wordpress.com

    [Reply to this comment]

  2. VinayNo Gravatar

    Mani,

    You are getting the whole concept wrong! Why do you always relate any social networking tool/service directly with SEO? Or why on the earth would someone want to market on every possible social networking application?

    Social Networking applications are here to get people (like-minded) connected. Twitter is a very innovative concept, you have to understand it to master it.

    Its not a SEO Tool!!

    1) Check http://www.vimeo.com/1094070 , Jack Dorsey (founder of Twitter) presents Twitter. Try to view the complete video to under what Twitter is and how its changing the world.

    2) To many twitter seems to a *BS* or waste of time, but I love and I am getting benefited of it. Here is why I like twitter and way its helping me!

    I like to network with like-minded people on similar area of interest, ok we have FaceBook, Orkut and so on. Finally, you add him/her and never actually network or it doesn’t help!

    Twitter comes in place, I search for a blogger, author, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, analyst, or anyone that I am interested to follow. In my case, I wanted to learn a lot in Web & Search Analytics, I visit various blog, learn articles and sometimes post comments. Posting comments doesn’t mean you are gonna get a reply back or you will ever get back to see a reply.

    I found bunch of people on Web Analytics, SEO, SEM. Now I follow them, not everyone I follow .. does the same but it depends on your profile & quality of messages you have. I have had 60-75% success with it. People I follow, do add me back if they see us in similar wave-length, you bio & who you follow matters and your contribution on Twitter which might or might not help.

    Eventually, I started to follow some interesting discussions thats been happening around twitter among these experts. Its truly a learning & mastering experience for me.

    Experts/Bloggers don’t blog everything but few little things are better expressed in Twitter. Having said how good and interesting it is, you always have think liter side of life - Having Fun!

    I have been having a lot of fun with Twitter, and its applications built on its API. I have been learning a lot from the application, it helps understand users behavior, what interests people and what is most discussed.

    Some of the app, have been extremely helpful in measuring metrics and in analysis. (TweetStats, Summize & so on).

    I talk about particular product that I have used or using and post feedback, I see a sudden follower who happens to be a staff/evangelist of the company. Now here comes the serious part… companies/brads have started focusing on Twitter by listening to what people talk about their product/service and I have seen couple of followers recently were based on what I spoke!

    Twitter is more like that of Eureka! You find something and you post, and if it interests certain group of people who follow you, its gonna be a viral content for sure.

    I have also been noticing a stead growth in traffic from my Twitter status messages on my blog. Most of core bloggers feel happy to network with people with Twitter!

    From environmental issues to tech issues, everything and anything is being discussed on Twitter making it more useful for people who love real-time conversation.

    I have had the ability to get in touch with people and get tips/suggestions and feedback about any topic I wanted. Moreover, thinking back couple of years from now this wouldn’t have possible, other than searching for their email and waiting for a reply back!

    Check Alexa rank for Twitter, the traffic is has increased by 135% in last 3 months.

    TechCrunch, Mashable and other blogger crowds seem to very active around Twitter.. reason..? The steady increase of traffic from twitter crowds. iPhone 3G excitements was at the best in Twitter with Stevenote!

    Every application/service on the internet cannot be inter-connected with marketing and seo but it has its own benefit. You haven’t been active or spent a long time analyzing the concept and model of twitter.

    It has greater potential than you think or value. It takes time and some usage to know more and get best out of it!

    SEO part on twitter is certainly working better, searching for someone’s name on Google does integrate the twitter account. Some bloggers like Kiruba (Kiruba.com) have moved to Twitter as they find it productive and easy to update, not to forget when you search for his name on Google, his twitter link tops up.

    You will soon see the value of twitter as SEO/M & Social Media Marketing only when the API’s are better explored by various developers and ability for twitter team to scale up their service.

    I assume I have provided a lot of my experience/comment on the topic whilst some being off-topic. The point I wanted to bring was, don’t compare every single app/service in terms of SEO benefits and if you had taken a closer analysis, twitter is helping people boost their traffic and network with like minded-people.

    I hope you get my point/view from this long-comment. Apologize if it fills more space here.

    Cheers,
    Vinay

    Also check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter#Prominent_users

    [Reply to this comment]

    Mani KarthikNo Gravatar Replied:

    Vinay, I must agree to all your points. And am glad that youre finding it useful. Unfortunately I’m seeing more people jumping out of the bandwagon more than who opts in. Probably because I’m in the marketing/seo space. Your perspective is completely justified. Much appreciated.

    [Reply to this comment]

  3. Binny V ANo Gravatar

    Dosn’t twitter convert the urls into TinyURL format? Won’t that kill the idea?

    [Reply to this comment]

  4. Mani KarthikNo Gravatar

    Yes it does. Also, theres an option to give your blog url on the profile, its no follow.

    [Reply to this comment]

  5. sir jorgeNo Gravatar

    i was beginning to feel that there was no benefits.

    [Reply to this comment]

  6. cel mai misto tip din RomaniaNo Gravatar

    Twiter is good only if you have a lot of followers. ;)

    [Reply to this comment]

  7. Solid BloggerNo Gravatar

    lmao…i laughed for 5 minutes constantly when i saw that pic where the mum is guiding her son to update his status on twitter. Lolz, its so funny :D

    [Reply to this comment]

  8. Peter YoungNo Gravatar

    I dont necessarily agree with that last comment, nor with some of the points you raised above. Twitter direectly has (as you say) no direct SEO benefits, however having recently written ‘10 UK search markeeters you should follow on Twitter‘ I have seen first hand the viral nature of Sphinn, which has been subsequently supported by viral pickup and secondary traffic from those secondary sources - many of which do carry SEO benefit.

    Whilst I do agree - if you get it right on Digg, benefits can be significantly higher, it should be added, it is getting increasingly harder to infilftrate Digg, and I would suggest certain stories are more tailored/suitered to the Digg regulars.

    End of the day, it comes down to personal preference. I personally enjoy Twitter, and dont get involved purely from just an SEO perspective. It personally has given me the opportunity to interact with people I normally would not have had the opportunity to.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Mani KarthikNo Gravatar Replied:

    I agree Peter. Twitter has no or very less SEO value and I believe it’s become an essential tool to network now (contrary to my earlier thoughts). And the “personal” point is very valid. I think it’s the users preference to use it for merketing or just ranting. I dont think it’s a good marketing tool at all, but it’s an awesome networking tool, so it’s like “the other way round”, it may still take to your final destination.

    Be it Digg, SU or Twitter - as long as you are not enjoying it and having lot of fun, I think one has all rights to be a failure. Agree?

    [Reply to this comment]

  9. Using Twitter for SEO Benefits | High Ranking Tips

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