Twitter’s Google Rankings Plummet Following Actions By Elon Musk [UPDATED]

Latest News - July 5, 2023 As of today, we have some exciting new information to share with you.

Twitter is beginning to recover.

Based on the information provided by Sistrix, Twitter's discoverability on Google search outcomes surged by 18% in the past 24 hours. This surge in visibility occurred immediately after Twitter discontinued the requirement of logging in to access tweets.

According to TechCrunch, Twitter has recently eliminated the need for users to log in. Consequently, individuals can now conveniently access Twitter links through their web browsers even if they do not possess an account. Moreover, tweet previews have made a comeback in popular applications such as Slack, WhatsApp, and iMessage.

The chief executive officer, Elon Musk, temporarily introduced the login regulation to prevent the unauthorized extraction of data. Nevertheless, this policy inadvertently obstructed the search indexing robots of Google, and Twitter's discoverability in searches drastically plummeted.

Although the circumstances may alter, the recent actions taken by Twitter suggest that it is progressing towards improvement.

The subsequent part of the article follows.

Multiple data analysis companies have reported a noticeable decrease in Twitter's visibility on Google search results.

According to data provided by Sistrix, Twitter experienced a significant 32% decline in its search visibility in the United States in just twenty-four hours.

According to Newzdash, Twitter experienced a decline of approximately 12-14% in terms of being easily found on Google's search results for various news-related queries in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

The decline came after Twitter's fresh proprietor and Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, implemented measures to restrict the quantity of tweets that individuals could access as an effort to tackle concerns related to data scraping.

The circumstances are still developing, and Twitter has a chance to bounce back if it promptly takes necessary steps to address the present challenges.

Numerous specialists deem this as one of the most notable blunders in search engine optimization that individuals bring upon themselves in recent years.

In an effort to combat data scraping, Musk revealed a temporary restriction on the amount of tweets individuals can access on a daily basis.

At first, the restrictions were imposed on verified accounts with a capacity of up to 6,000 posts, unverified accounts were allowed only 600 posts, and new unverified accounts were further limited to 300 posts.

Nevertheless, these restrictions were quickly lifted on two separate occasions, ultimately culminating in 10,000, 1,000, and 500 entries.

According to Musk's statement, our aim is to tackle the problem of data scraping that has been impacting the genuine user experience. Musk mentioned that numerous organizations have been obtaining Twitter's data, and we consider these actions essential.

Even though Musk had good intentions to enhance the user experience on Twitter, his actions ended up impacting the functionality of Google's search crawlers.

Collecting and gathering data are essential to the process by which Google assesses search rankings.

Google collects information from numerous web addresses on a daily basis in order to maintain its search index current. The constraints set by Musk hinder Google's capacity to retrieve data from Twitter, resulting in a decrease in the prominence of search results.

Consequently, Twitter's content is now less prone to being displayed in Google Search results for numerous keywords.

Keyword Rankings Receive A Knockout Punch

Continuing examination demonstrates that Twitter has witnessed a significant decline in approximately 60,000 placements for keywords, as per initial data obtained from Google’s search results in the United States.

According to Sistrix's findings, Twitter has experienced a significant decline in important search terms such as "ralphs," "metropcs," "roblox," "reddit," "indeed," "white house," "britney spears," "steak n shake," "kanye west," "gm," "lakers," "pink," "krispy kreme," "colts," "gmc," "tennis," "compass," "lady," "patriots," and "transformers."

Twitter has dropped from being ranked third in the search results for the term "yankees," which receives around 1.8 million clicks per month in the United States. The keyword, valued at about 168k clicks per month, has now been claimed by espn.com.

After experiencing a decline in its search visibility, Twitter has witnessed its rivals making progress.

Websites such as theguardian.com, cbssports.com, usnews.com, instagram.com, facebook.com, rottentomatoes.com, linkedin.com, spotify.com, and espn.com have enhanced their positions in search results.

In an update published on July 4th, Sistrix reported that Twitter's decline in rankings persists, as recent data reveals that the keyword "trump" no longer appears in the top 10 results.

In the realm of social media, specifically Twitter, where instant news and conversations take place, its position on Google search results plays a critical role in enticing new users and retaining occasional visitors.

Failure to address the current situation in a timely manner could potentially have a lasting impact on Twitter's growth and the level of user interaction.

Despite the ability of users to directly access Twitter, the decrease in search visibility can impact the discovery of fresh content.

Users who heavily depend on Google to search for tweets on specific subjects, particularly those related to keywords that cannot be found easily, might choose to explore other alternatives.

Potential users who come across Twitter content through search engines occasionally sign up for the platform. The decreased level of exposure could lead to Twitter appearing less significant, potentially affecting its expansion.

The full impact of this abrupt drop in search visibility is still unknown. We anticipate that additional information will provide more insight into this occurrence in the upcoming days and weeks.

Currently, it acts as a strong testament to the connection between search engines and social media networks and how swiftly situations can take a turn for the worse.

The way in which Twitter and Google handle this situation will be the deciding factor in the social media platform's recovery.

Google utilizes sophisticated algorithms that take into account a website's past performance. Consequently, if Twitter experiences a prolonged decline in its visibility, it may encounter difficulties in reclaiming its previously lost rankings, even once the problems have been rectified.

Nevertheless, the online environment is ever-changing and adaptable. In the event that Twitter rectifies the problems affecting Google's search bots, it may gradually regain its previous position.

The significant decrease in Twitter's visibility on Google search indicates the strong reliance major technology platforms have on each other, and how unintended consequences can arise swiftly from alterations made by any company.

Please note that the situation is still developing and unpredictable. If Twitter and Google can promptly resolve the fundamental problems, Twitter might recover a significant amount of its lost search visibility and minimize the negative effects on its business and users.

However, extended periods of limited visibility may present bigger obstacles.