Twitter, also known as “X”, was once a microblogging service owned by Twitter Inc. until Elon Musk acquired the company in 2022 for an impressive 44 billion dollars and subsequently renamed it “X”. This renaming led to the media frequently referring to X (formerly Twitter) from then on. Since its foundation in 2006, X has recorded a steadily growing user base and now has more than 245 million active users every day.
This guide informs you about:
- Basic information about Twitter (X)
- Functions and benefits of Twitter (X)
- How to create the right tweet
- How users can use Twitter for SEO and marketing purposes
Definition and functions
X is classified in many ways as a communication platform, social network or public online diary. Private individuals as well as organizations, companies and the media use this platform to quickly disseminate short messages or comments on the Internet with a maximum limit of 280 characters, formerly 140 characters.
Millions of people around the world actively use Twitter (X) as a platform for sharing information, opinions and trends. Twitter’s global reach extends across different countries and continents, making it a versatile communication platform. With over 245 million daily active users, the platform has established itself as a major social force. The variety of users ranges from private individuals and organizations to celebrities from various fields such as music, film and television. This wide range of users helps make Twitter a dynamic place where current events unfold and global conversations develop. The worldwide user engagement on Twitter reflects the relevance and influence of this platform on modern communication, playing a crucial role in the dissemination of information and the exchange of ideas on a global scale.
When was Twitter founded? Origins of Twitter (X)
Twitter was launched in 2006 by founders Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. It was originally conceived as a research and development project for the internal communication of the podcasting company Odeo in San Francisco. The term “Twitter” was chosen to convey the idea that the posts on Twitter spread over long distances like the twittering of birds and are intended to be noticed by a broad mass of people.
Features of Twitter (X)
In contrast to platforms such as Facebook, which are aimed at communicating with friends and sharing content, Twitter, now known as X, is primarily used for the rapid dissemination of information. The focus here is on your own post, also known as a “tweet”, which is intended to be read by a large number of people in a short space of time. As tweets mainly focus on the person posting them, the platform is also referred to as a public online diary or microblogging service, which allows tweets to achieve a global reach.
What are tweets: A guide
Communication takes place via tweets, which can contain not only text, but also images and videos. The maximum character length was increased to 280 Unicode characters in November 2017. Tweets are generally visible to the public, but users also have the option of restricting visibility to approved followers, which is referred to as “protected tweets”.
In addition to text, a tweet can also contain hashtags (with #), links, references to other user profiles (with @), images (as URL or inserted directly) and locations. Hashtags in particular define different categories and make it easier to search for posts on a specific topic. Users can reach a wider audience via hashtags, links and retweets. A retweet makes it possible to share another user’s tweet with your own followers, whereby the author of the original post remains visible. Users can also add comments when retweeting.
Twitter as a marketing tool and benefits for SEO
Companies can benefit from Twitter (X) with a well thought-out social media marketing strategy. Since public tweets are read and indexed by Google, Twitter advertising proves to be an effective means of increasing visibility, reach and lead generation. Companies can address their target group in a targeted manner and thus optimize their presence. X (formerly Twitter) is thus becoming a relevant platform in online marketing. Social signals, such as mentions of your own website in tweets, are taken into account by Google as a ranking factor.
X (formerly Twitter) is an effective addition to other marketing measures to improve organic search engine results pages (SERPs). This helps to increase the findability of your own website and its content. Tweets also have the potential to spread virally and can therefore generate traffic that can be used for specific marketing objectives.
