Last Thursday – in a move that could seriously affect businesses using Twitter as a Google search strategy – tweet carousels were dropped from Google Search following a cryptocurrency hack on the social media site, which targeted many prominent brands and personalities.
High-profile accounts affected by the hack include those of Apple, Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos. The hacking saw users prompting their followers to send Bitcoin to a wallet with the promise of receiving a doubled return. Twitter released a statement following the incident via its @TwitterSupport account, addressing the issue and promising to provide updates. It said:
“We are aware of a security incident impacting accounts on Twitter. We are investigating and taking steps to fix it. We will update everyone shortly.”
Tweets have been a permanent fixture on Google search results since 2015. However, following this incident, which had the potential to scam users out of thousands of dollars, Google has removed the feature. The carousel has not just been removed for the accounts affected by the hacking either, but for all accounts, regardless of their prominence. As of yet, Google has not come forward to address whether or not this will be a permanent change or whether it is just in the wake of the hack.
What is the impact of the tweet carousel’s disappearance?
Many businesses utilize tweets and the carousel feature to drive traffic towards their business, with the carousel standing out among a sea of search results. While the move by Google is likely not a permanent one, in the meantime, it may be useful for businesses to look towards other search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies to help promote the exposure of their brand to a wider audience.
If you are interested in implementing SEO and in discovering the benefits it can bring to your business, get in touch with the team at Engage Web today and discover how we can help.
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