There are lots of articles about Twitter and its benefits for SEO. I recommend reading econsultancy.com, mashable.com and sitepoint.com.
But in all those articles, I didn’t see the key element that makes Twitter updates even more valuable from a SEO perspective: The DoFollow link.
Twitter NoFollow policy
As most of you must know, all the links posted in your twitter updates have a NoFollow attribute. (see example on the left)
The guys at Twitter aren’t stupid, they knew everyone would have abused the status updates for their SEO needs.
As a result, Search Engine do read and index your status updates but don’t bother following and indexing the links in it, making them less useful for SEO.
That’s where Black Hat SEO enter the game!
How to use DoFollow links in Twitter
There’s only one link you can use in Twitter that does not have the NoFollow attribute.
It’s the link to the website of the Twitter client you used to post your Status update.
Most of the time it reads Tweetdeck, Seesmic, Tweetie, web or one of the hundred of Twitter client out there.
As you can see in the picture at the end of this post, I changed mine to link to my Blog and so can you!
If you are using WordPress, just install Tweetable and follow the configuration steps (you need php 5).
If you are not using WordPress and want to advertise your website or blog follow the instructions below:
1. Download the Twitter Seo Tool script (created by www.seoblackout.com) and unzip it on your server (you need php 5)
2. Log in your Twitter account and go to http://twitter.com/oauth_clients/new
3. Fill in the form:
– Application name: Enter the link anchor you want
– Description: Enter whatever you want
– Application Website: This is the URL you want to optimize. It can be your domain name or a deeplink to a content page
– Organization: Enter whatever you want
– Website: Enter whatever you want
– Application Type: Check Browser
– Callback URL: Enter the Twitter SEO Tool script URL. For Example: http://www.mydomain.com/twitterseotool_EN/index.php
– Default Access type: Check Read & Write
– Use Twitter for login: Check Yes, use Twitter for login
4. Click Save
5. Click Edit Application Settings and check “Yes, use Twitter for login” since it has probably not been taken into account due to a technical issue from Twitter
6. Copy and paste your Consumerkey and Consumersecret to a text file
7. On your server, open the index.php file in the twitterseotool_EN folder with a text editor and enter the required information: Twitter username, script URL, Application name, consumerkey and consumersecret
8. Save the file on your server
9. Enter the script URL in your browser, open it and follow the last steps.
That’s it! As you can see in the example below, there is no Nofollow attribute in the link to my blog
Now you can update your status and receive link juice to your website from your twitter.com page.
Of course this is kind of a Twitter exploit and I doubt it will work for ages but as long as it works, you should definitely use it.
This is why all of the good SEO black hat tricks don’t work for as long as they should. Somebody thinks it’s better to blog about it rather than to just shut up and use it to their advantage.
You’re right! That’s why I like the SEO Industry, you always need to find something new because most of the short term tactics work … on a short term basis.
Anyway, black hat tricks just give a slight advantage but won’t beat long term strategies like creating compelling content.
BTW, I’m just passing the info. It was available before on the web, just needed to find it.
FYI, Twitter has just rendered this trick ineffective by nofollowing links to client apps.
Thanks for the update. It took them a week and a half to change it. Quite reactive.
Let’s find the next trick now!
I’ve been using fake applications to get followed links for over 12 months, and helping other do the same.
I just didn’t blog about it.
why would i want a link to my site that has tinyurl as the anchor text. very little seo value here.
You could (still can but there’s no more SEO value now) choose the anchor text with that tip.
Where did you read that you had to have “tinyurl” as the anchor text?