Is TikTok taking Over From Google

A recent study showed that 40% of Gen Z users prefer using TikTok and Instagram for search over Google. This can be anything from makeup choices to where to eat out. It seems that younger adults especially want to see authentic short-form video from customers or users over and above text.

TikTok is a discovery platform which means when you post content it doesn’t just go to your friends and connections it goes further afield, so it’s a fantastic way to get your message out to people that TikTok decides are going to like your message. This is all based on very complex algorithms. The algorithms are so good that TikTok may even know more about what you like than you do!

Younger users are searching for products on TikTok perhaps because they like the bite-size approach to the content and the fact that it’s produced by humans instead of being written for search engines so rich in keywords but not so interesting for a person to read. This type of content is traditionally placed higher up on Google.

Recently, however Google has changed the algorithms, so posts written using AI or with heavy use of keywords to game the algorithms are penalised rather than rewarded. This is great news for us humans who like content targeted to us as opposed to search engines. So, a big thumbs up to Google from me for that decision.

The move to using video platforms like TikTok may have been a result of more people looking for more straightforward answers to their questions rather than having to read through this keyword rich but unhelpful text or just that people love short authentic videos

This is certainly an interesting time for content and short snappy videos seem to be winning out over more lengthy content. Perhaps it’s time for brands to embrace the short form video revolution to communicate with their audiences and get themselves noticed. Especially when people are using social platforms as a search engine and looking for social proof over and above glossy brand messages.