The Twitter Alphabet: From A Googler To Jay-Z, Recommended Users From A-Z

Twitter is rolling out a directory to share suggestions for new users to follow, but it’s not a traditional A-to-Z directory of user listings. There is, however, a prominent search box atop the who-to-follow directory, and … just our luck … it accepts single-character searches.

An alphabetical user directory wouldn’t really tell us anything, would it? But a search tool tells us who Twitter really considers to be the all-star users for each letter of the alphabet. Because, let’s face it, if you can rank number one for a single-letter search … that’s worth bragging about. So, without further ado, here they are: Twitter’s recommended users for each letter of the alphabet — and numbers, too. (Pay close attention, and I bet you can spot the algorithm pretty quickly.)

@google, 2,500,000+ followers

@dooce, 1,500,000+ followers

@louisck, 248,000+ followers

@DJPaulyD, 528,000 followers

@eonline, 2,400,000+ followers

@liltunechi, 1,000,000+ followers

@GabrielSaporta, 167,000+ followers

@OfficialKimora, 286,000+ followers

@iamwill, 561,000+ followers

@maryjblige, 1,200,000+ followers

@louisck, 248,000+ followers (also ranked number one for “c”)

@tomfriedman, 125,000+ followers

@TEYANATAYLOR, 255,000+ followers

@omnomnome, 52,000+ followers

@ConanOBrien, 1,800,000+ followers

@Pink, 2,500,000+ followers

@nytimesrestateq, 15,000+ followers

@dcabellor, 93,000+ followers

@106andpark, 1,700,000+ followers

@Tip, 529,000+ followers

@ussoccer, 160,000+ followers

@JASMINEVILLEGAS, 336,000+ followers

@wmag, 225,000+ followers

@TheXFactor, 131,000+ followers

@RedeDoCrime, 296 followers

@JayZ, 272,000+ followers

Clearly, if you’re a die-hard SEO and have this strange urge to rank No. 1 for a single letter, “Y” seems to be your best bet. The account there only has 296 followers. Though I confess, I can’t explain why @ycombinator and its 10,000+ followers wouldn’t be listed first.

What About Numbers?

@BBCR1, 72,000+ followers

@kicker_2bl_li, 5,900+ followers

@3OH3, 175,000+ followers

@r4today, 53,000+ followers

@maroon5, 132,000+ followers

@laverneshow, 36,000+ followers

@1027KIISFM, 43,000+ followers

@jenny8lee, 19,000+ followers

@ch9, 20,000+ followers

@0, 24,000+ followers

If you were paying close attention, you’ll notice that the search algorithm keys very heavily off what’s in the NAME field of your Twitter account, not the username. Google’s account is named “A Googler,” and it’s tops for the letter “a.” That trend holds true for almost every user listed above — a single initial in the name field. Lady Gaga, Ashton Kutcher, and other accounts with a gazillion followers? Nowhere to be found. (Take that, Bieber!)

So, with all this knowledge revealed: Get optimizing, SEOs.

Also see: The Twitter Celebrities We Seek The Most, According To Google