Twitter Adds Relevance to Search Results, Debuts Firefox Search Add-on

Twitter has unveiled an updated search engine which is not only faster than its previous iterations, but also operates differently serving, by default, the most relevant results rather than the most recent. It now also shows image and video results, fitting with the company's increasing focus on media.

"Today we're starting to roll out a completely new version of Twitter search. Not only will it deliver more relevant Tweets when you search for something or click on a trending topic, but it will also show you related photos and videos, right there on the results page," Twitter's Jack Dorsey announced.

"It's never been easier to get a sense of what's happening right now, wherever your curiosity takes you," he added.

It's a big departure for Twitter. The site's search engine has always been a weak point, even as it saw increasing usage. It's natural to search for things on the site, given the real-time nature of it.

But the search infrastructure couldn't handle all of the traffic at first, not to mention provide more relevant results. Thankfully, Twitter was able to upgrade its search engine and is now debuting the new paradigm which is based on relevance.

By default, search results will display tweets that are deemed more important, while still being relatively fresh, rather than whatever came in last.

For hot topics in particular, this change means that there's now a chance of uncovering tweets that actually add something to the discussion rather than just rehash the same info over and over again.

Twitter is also debuting an official Firefox add-on which adds search capabilities to the AwesomeBar, enabling users to search for Twitter accounts and hashtags directly from the box.

"If you use this new version of Firefox with Twitter, you can type a #hashtag or @username directly into the address bar to go right to a search results page (try #idol) or someone's profile page (like @nba). Simple," Dorsey added.