Twitter’s implementation of new rate limits has had a significant effect on the indexing and display of crypto Twitter’s tweets on Google’s search engine, resulting in a reduced reach of information shared on the microblogging site. Recent reports from Search Engine Land, an industry outlet focused on web search, reveal that Google Search has witnessed a sharp decline in the number of indexed URLs from Twitter over the past few days. On July 3, the number of indexed tweets dropped by over 60%, declining from 471 million to 180 million.
Crypto Twitter suffers a 60% drop in indexed tweets
A Google spokesperson, as reported by The Verge on July 4, acknowledged the limitations faced by their crawler in crawling Twitter.com, leading to a decrease in the display of tweets and pages from the site in search results.
Search engine optimization consultant Glen Gabe highlighted a decline in search visibility for crypto Twitter accounts, attributing it to Google’s inability to crawl certain URLs due to Twitter redirecting non-logged-in users. Technologist Barry Schwartz also conducted tests, confirming a similar drop-off in indexed tweets.
Further investigations revealed that a search for “site:twitter.com” returned approximately 665 million results, indicating that the figures are dynamic and reliant on Google’s crawler activities. Twitter’s executive chairman, Elon Musk, announced on July 2 that the company would temporarily enforce limits on the number of daily posts users can read, citing concerns over extensive data scraping and system manipulation.
The crypto community reacts as moves to alternative platforms begin
This move has drawn significant criticism from the crypto Twitter community, which heavily relies on Twitter as a communication and information-sharing platform. The reduced visibility of tweets on Google Search will also result in a decrease in the amount of crypto-related content originating from Twitter.
In response to these changes, the decentralized Twitter alternative Mastodon has witnessed a surge in activity, attracting more active users since Twitter’s read restrictions were imposed. Additionally, Threads, a Twitter competitor developed by Meta-owned Instagram, is set to launch this week, indicating growing competition in the microblogging space.
As Twitter and Google continue to navigate these rate limit adjustments, the impact on the accessibility and reach of Twitter content through Google Search remains a topic of concern. The crypto Twitter community, in particular, will need to adapt to these changes and explore alternative platforms to ensure efficient communication and information sharing. Whether these developments will prompt long-term shifts in the dynamics of the social media landscape, or lead to further innovation in the microblogging sphere, remains to be seen.
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