Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine which officially launched on June 3, is making headlines yet again as the company “dips its toes into a hot new area of real-time search.” The company revealed on July 1 it will include the latest Twitter updates from popular users such as actor Ashton Kutcher, technology journalist Kara Swisher, search analyst Danny Sullivan and popular news services on Twitter.
The Twitter accounts that will be featured in searches were chosen based on the number of followers and the volume of tweets they produce. Bing plans to update Twitter results approximately every 60 seconds.
Although all major search engines including Google and Yahoo currently catalog Twitter profiles and file older tweets, Bing is the first major search engine to leverage Twitter in this way, according to The New York Times.
While only a select few Twitter profiles were chosen to participate in this real-time search, it’s only a matter of time before other search engines begin rolling out similar services and the pool of Twitter accounts featured in searches increases.
As Twitter continues to gain momentum, discussions around real-time search and the immediacy of information continues to escalate. Sean Suchter, general manager of Microsoft’s search technology center in Silicon Valley comments, “We’ve been watching this phenomenon with great interest and listening carefully to what consumers really want in this space.”
While securing article placements in prominent publications is often the cornerstone of a successful PR campaign, the rise of social media and now real-time search of social networking platforms, is changing the shelf life of traditional news stories and diversifying the mediums in which news is disseminated. Clearly, Bing’s announcement is going to impact search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for organizations and it’s important for PR professionals to continue to educate their clients on how to strategically leverage social media so they can capitalize on these new SEO opportunities.
Bing’s move to include Twitter updates in search results is further validation that Twitter and similar social mediums like Facebook are here to stay. Organizations need to continue to evaluate and determine how to best leverage these tools in order to drive traffic to their Web sites, increase awareness of important events and ultimately achieve their overall business objectives.
To learn more about the importance of participating in Twitter and its benefits visit our past blog entitled, “Businesses Cannot Afford to Ignore Twitter – Five Steps to Take Now.”