Twitter + Google = Good for Brands?

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)(Nasdaq: GOOGL) are in cahoots for Google to list relevant Twitter posts at the top of search results, which we might say is better for Twitter than Google at this point. But, GlobalWebIndex has another beneficiary from the initiative: brands.

GWI notes that this is good for brands due to most Internet users relying on search as their main research tool versus something like a price comparison site or social network. Notably, search engine usage drops with youth; about 40 percent of users aged 16 to 24 rely on search engines for brand information, while 56 percent of users age 55 to 64 rely on search.

It seems like two conclusions can be drawn from GWI's brief post. Since only 28 percent of users use social media sites to research brands, having a company's Twitter post at the top of search results will get users more comfortable with using social media for such a purpose and allow the brand to expand in that segment.

Alternatively, younger users are already migrating away from search as a primary research tool and are familiar with social media, consumer reviews, and price comparison sites, which may make the initiative have less of an impact than expected.

Brands are more likely to appreciate the increased exposure, regardless of near- or long-term benefit.

Overall, we still see the move as a positive for Twitter and potential negative for Google given that most Google users are probably used to seeing a company's website or Wikipedia entry at the top of search results by now.

Below is the GWI Brand flagship report summary:

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