When you are choosing a Twitter username, or handle, it is important to think strategically about the impacts this will have for your branding long-term. You will undoubtedly have many followers and tweets over the course of time. The username you use will be important for a variety of reasons.
Changing Your Twitter Username
When you set up your account, you can pick your handle and if it is taken, you will be presented with other suggestions. If you have already set up your account, you can edit your username in your Settings menu:
They will provide feedback whether the username is available or taken.
If Your Twitter Username Is Taken…
If your username is taken, but is inactive, then you can read Twitter’s Inactive Account Policy by clicking here. If an account has been inactive for a period of six months, they will release this in bulk. If this is the case, you can reclaim this as well when it is released.
There are also guidelines if your username has a trademark which you can use to appeal for consideration of transfer.
If you want to track the usage of a username, TwitterCounter has a tool to track availability here. Simply enter your name and email address to be notified if it becomes available.
Twitter Usernames For SEO
There are a few important guidelines and strategies when picking your handle for your branding and marketing strategies:
- Use keywords. These can be industry keywords which help you get found on Google search.
- Use your name. You want to own your name. When someone searches for you, your Tweets will be indexed under your name.
- Use your company name. Your company name may be a distinct account. Be sure the bio contains information also of who is doing the Tweeting on your team. It brands your company and indexes with Google.
- Use a derivative of your name. If your name is taken, then use an underscore or adjective to augment your name like @therealdondalrymple to help your followers see your url with the respective name of your company or yourself.
As with all of your social media and online marketing strategies, using strong keywords will have an impact ongoing as you create authority on your handle as well as on your inbound marketing landing sites and blogs.
Are you happy with your username?