Why does my Twitter come up in Google search results?
by Corrie Davidson, (@corrietweets)
If you Google "corrie davidson", the first result is my Twitter account. It shows my "real name", my username, my photo, and a recent tweet. The rest of the results on the page are for articles I've written, my website, and profiles on other sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. Since Google's algorithm changes and websites move up and down the search result listings, Twitter may not be the #1 result every time, but it always appears on the first page and usually near the top.
Now this is not a blog on backlinks or search engine algorithms or how to improve your ranking, but Twitter scores very highly in Google's search algorithm as an authoritative site. This means that depending on your profile settings you may show up on a Google search as well. While this is a bonus for companies and professionals who want to be found, if you are concerned about your privacy and don't want to be found there are a few things you may want to address.
What's in a name?
Filling out your "real name" on your Twitter profile as your real name (in my case "corrie davidson") will help people find you and learn who you are. This also means that Google will index your twitter profile as a result for those search terms. If you prefer a bit more anonymity, change it to something else - perhaps just use your username.
Changing your username (in my case @corrietweets) will also affect your likelihood to turn up in a search.
Privacy Settings
Ultimately if you are really worried about privacy, you can set your account to "Private". This will ensure that no one can see your tweets unless they send you a request which you will have to personally and individually approve before the requestor can follow you and read your tweets.
Keep in mind that all of the tweets you sent out while your account was/is "Public" will still be indexed and may still show up in search results. Only future tweets will be hidden.
While many people will welcome the additional exposure of their Twitter account through search engines, others may not realize how public this information now is. Twitter gives you the option to "hide" your content if you feel the need, or to optimize it better if you want to show up for specific results.
Related Twitter Articles:
» 5 Things No One Told You About Twitter
» Post Positively & Resourcefully
» HOW TO: Get Booted from Twitter
» Using Social Media to Get a Response
