Want More Visibility on Google? Start Tweeting.

In February, Google and Twitter signed a new deal that allows Google access to all of Twitter's tweets. In an effort to be even more up-to-date and real-time, it has been speculated that Google will start pulling tweets into its results pages for relevant queries. Now, Google has confirmed that it has started experimenting with pulling Twitter data into mobile search results.

So what does this mean for you and your business or organization? What can you do to try and take advantage of this newest development in Google's search results? It's time to create and implement a plan.

Step One: Assess Your Current Twitter Strategy

If you don't have a Twitter account for your company or organization, make one now! Now, assess and spell out your current strategy. Do you tweet at all? Is there rhyme or reason to your tweets, or is it more of a random "hey, let's put this on Twitter" kind of thing? No matter how involved you currently are with Twitter, you'll be able to make improvements in light of the Google + Twitter deal.

Step Two: Identify Your Audience and Your Hashtags

Twitter is a unique social network with a unique set of users. Who are you tweeting to, and what content are they interested in? Hashtags are basically the way Twitter uses keywords, so they are probably going to be an important part of how Google pulls in relevent Twitter data, so you'll want to identify the big ones within your industry. Do this by coming up with some, then search for them on Twitter to find out if they're appropriate. No, you shouldn't make every tweet have the same 6 hashtags every time - make tweets genuine and natural, not over-optimized.

Step Three: Tweet to Your Advantage

Work on engaging the audience you decided on with your tweets. Retweet relevant content from others, reply to other tweets, and converse naturally - every tweet should not be about you. Make Twitter something you do daily, if possible - at least checking in and retweeting something relevant to your industry. Write and share content specifically for your audience (the one you have and/or the one you want) on Twitter, and work on growing your network to see the best results. Follow and interact with the influencers in your industry. Get involved!

Special note:

I've seen a lot of bad Twitter strategies, so I'd like to share this one tidbit. In particular, there are certain contractors (plumbers, roofers, etc.) who always seem have this problem. Every tweet, sent out several times daily, is just a variation of this:

Your roof needs work! We're the best Northern #Columbus #OH #Roofers. Call today! XXX-XXX-XXXX

This is an ad, not a tweet. Yes, you should plug your products or services once in a while - it is your profile, after all! But there are better ways to go about it than this.

Need help navigating Twitter and creating a strategy? Let us know!