Twitter And Google Deal Now Shows Tweets In Mobile Searches

Earlier this year, Google and Twitter entered into a deal to bring more Tweets into Google’s search results. Now, the first tangible sign of this relationship has come to fruition, with Tweets showing up in mobile searches. Google explains that Tweets in desktop results will be coming soon.

Although Google was already showing some Tweets and Twitter accounts in its search results, it was previously only able to do so by “scraping” the Twitter website. With the new deal between the two companies, Google can now integrate specific relevant Tweets in its search results.

This marks the first time since 2011 that comprehensive results from Twitter have been available in Google. It’s thought that the relationship between the two companies ended at that time for several reasons. Firstly, Twitter asked Google to pay for access to its firehose. Additionally, the search giant may have seen Twitter as a potential competitor, especially if it focused on search. From Twitter’s perspective, it may have seemed that Google search results weren’t going to be a significant source of user growth or revenue, and the company might have also had concerns that Google would use the firehose data to help grow its own Google+ social platform.

Regardless of why the relationship ended in 2011, the new deal is part of an initiative by Twitter to increase its exposure, by driving more traffic and more interest in its service, thereby prompting more people to join. It’s no secret that Twitter’s user base growth has been stagnant in recent times, and the company has been making moves to attract new users to join its platform.

“We’re excited to team up with Google to bring Twitter’s unique, real-time content to Google’s search results,” wrote Twitter’s Jana Messerschmidt, VP, Global Business Development & Platform. “Starting today, U.S. users searching in English will see relevant Tweets in their search results within the Google app (iOS and Android) and mobile Web. The desktop Web version is coming shortly, and we have plans to bring this feature to more countries in the coming months.”

What does this deal represent for Google?

Certainly, Google+ never achieved the level of popularity of Twitter or Facebook, and as a result, Google has become increasingly disconnected from the “real time” social Web that these social media platforms represent. Inking this search-integration deal with Twitter will help to fill that gap for the search giant. Additionally, according to some reports, Google is not paying Twitter for Tweets that are clicked on in search results. It is possible that Google is paying a standard licensing fee, in a similar way to other firehose subscribers, although the specifics of the arrangement have not been confirmed.

“Whether you’re interested in the latest from Taylor Swift, news about the #MadMenFinale, or updates on the NBA playoffs, you’ll have access to it directly from Google,” wrote Ardan Arac, senior product manager at Google, in a blog post. “Let’s use NASA as an example – just ask the Google app about ‘NASA Twitter,’ and in the search results, you’ll see Tweets from @NASA. It’s a great way to get real-time info when something is happening. And it’s another way for organizations and people on Twitter to reach a global audience at the most relevant moments.”

Certainly, this deal could be a positive move for both companies, and it will also be beneficial to marketers who will see a broader reach for their Twitter campaigns. We’ll be watching the effect as it rolls out to other languages and to desktop in the coming period.