Why TikTok is rivalling Google Search

For over two decades, Google has dominated consumer search behaviour. But recently, Google's Senior Vice President, Prabhakar Raghavan, revealed “almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, don't go to Google Maps or Search — they go to TikTok or Instagram.” This new generation of web users are favouring social media sites like TikTok as their go-to search engine. So, what exactly is causing users to take to social media for their answers instead of the world’s top search engine?

For years, marketers have named Google’s SEO as one of the most important facets in the industry. But recently, some marketers have blamed SEO for the search engine’s downfall. Users have called Google “impossible to use” saying it’s less reliable than its social media competitors. For example, when you search for the best local restaurants on Google, you’re often shown long blogs, featuring a huge amount of keywords and images recycled from the restaurant’s website. And that’s only after you scroll past the ads! But if you take the same search term and apply it on TikTok, you’re shown popular videos from real people sharing their experiences. This type of content will then be included in a users “for you” page in future.

Raghavan says younger internet users are looking for new information in a more “visually rich” format — like TikTok videos. To cater to this need Google is now listing TikTok and Instagram short form video within its SERPS — some even showing above YouTube recommendations for informational searches.

It’s no secret that people prefer to watch quick and authentic content, but it’s not just authenticity that users are looking for. The growing use of TikTok as a search engine has been related to several factors including short attention spans and visual learning styles.

As we said, TikTok’s power isn’t limited to search — it’s taking the place of Google’s other core services too, including maps. This might mean that Google’s work to organise, curate and recommend websites and locations is pointless to new users. Considering it was back in 2021 that TikTok overtook Google as the #1 most popular domain in the world, it’s no surprise that the social media platform is now catering towards Google’s audience in a superior way. 

So what does this mean for marketers?

This shift in behaviour represents a large change happening across the internet. As marketers, it’s our job to respond to this change and provide content that appeals to users. Google has already started to leverage AI to analyse video content and direct users to these sites in hopes of providing richer search results. So, if you haven’t already, you’ll probably want to consider adding short-form video to your content strategy. But, that doesn’t mean you need to ditch the content you’re currently making. Instead, think about how you can make that content more authentic, visually appealing and engaging. For example, you could repurpose your blogs as short form videos to be shared across multiple channels.

The sites where users are searching for content on a regular basis will always be subject to updates and changes depending on user demands and changing demographics. So, marketers should be paying close attention to stay ahead of trends and maintain a competitive edge. 

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