People who search for something on Google may soon start seeing relevant tweets pop up with their results. According to a report by Bloomberg, the two companies have reached a deal that would lead Twitter to provide Google with the contents of tweets as soon as they’re posted to the social networking site.
That, in turn, will allow Google to rapidly return them in search results, making it possible for people to see Tweet content as it appears on the site. It’s a move that should help expand Twitter’s reach to more people who aren’t signed up for the service. Twitter has similar deals set up with Microsoft and Yahoo, though a deal with Google is particularly important, since it has the largest share of the search market.
Twitter previously had a deal set up with Google from 2009 to 2011, but according to Bloomberg, that was ended at the behest of Ali Rowghani, the company’s former chief operating officer. Rowghani wanted Twitter to maintain tighter control over its data, which is why the agreement lapsed.
It’s a move to increase Twitter’s reach across the web at a time when the company faces increased pressure from investors to grow its business. The company’s user growth has been slowing down over the past year, which has Wall Street worried. Expanding Twitter’s content through this deal should increase traffic to the network, which could help with user acquisition.
Update: Twitter confirmed the deal during its fourth quarter earnings call.
