How Twitter’s New Search Filters Could Effect Local SEO

Recently Twitter announced that there will be new search filters implemented on the desktop version of their website. According to Search Engine Journal, users can easily restrict their searches to show only photos, videos or news, just like they can on Google. They can also filter their search to show only results from people they follow or from people near them, which is the most important (in our opinion). This is very good news for businesses! They can put their local SEO strategies to good use on yet another social media platform.

Search Engine Journal made a great suggestion that we think all local businesses should do. For example, an automobile dealership could use Twitter to potentially gain new customers just by using the new search filter. The store could search “cars” (or whichever keyword they deem appropriate for their particular store) to see what people within a 25 mile radius are saying about cars. If they happen to be tweeting about looking for a new car, then that’s the perfect opportunity for the dealership to take action. They can extend their services by telling the customer about the deals they have going on or encourage them to come in for a test drive! It’s a great way for the business to connect and interact with customers.

Using keywords in the new search filter is very helpful in finding people tweeting something that is relevant to your business, but keywords can be quite vague. Not everybody tweeting about “cars” is going to be helpful to your businesses. Sometimes they can be just mindless posts. A way to hone in on your own business is to try searching your business name. You can see how many people are talking about you on twitter! This will give you an opportunity to interact with people who actually use your product/service. You can also respond to good/bad reviews and address any problems your customers may have. It’s an easy way to show your customers you care and that you’re listening to them. Checking the buzz about your business is important, but it’s a good idea to see what others are saying about your competitors as well! The new search filter now makes it easier for you since you can look for competitors near you.

Having the search filter on the desktop version of the website is great for businesses to analyze trends and such, but hopefully Twitter will implement the filter to the mobile version as well. Most consumers are searching for local businesses when they’re out and about, away from their computer. If they can’t use the tool to search for locations near them on their phones then it won’t be very useful and they’ll just revert back to Yelp or Google. Also, it doesn’t allow the users to filter how close the tweets are. Twitter is giving everyone a general 25 miles, but that can be quite far. It’s still a helpful tool though and we’re sure it’ll improve and get better as time goes on!