Searches on TikTok and Instagram have been gaining ground little by little. You can’t beat the Google behemoth in the short term, but No Brainer’s Alexandra Whiteside says the power is slowly shifting.
Could this be the year the OG search engines become the second best? Could Google and Bing soon be a thing of the past as more Gen Zs and millennials turn to social platforms to get the latest news, check out events and answer everyday questions?
And with a quarter aged 18 to 54 preferring to search social networks, social search continues to evolve as a trend. Popular search engines are starting to feel the heat.
The evolution of social research
The range of social search is also expanding, becoming a “quick fix” solution for finding not only content and influencers, but also local restaurant hotspots and product reviews and recommendations. According to some sources, social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok trail only Google in customer search preferences.
From the TikTok store to sponsored content on our Instagram feeds, we’re surrounded by signals that trigger action: search for related content. In short, internet searching and social media browsing are the reasons most of us use our phones.
Social search will be the most popular trend in 2024
Here’s some more evidence: Recent research from Hubspot proves it one in three of us turn to social media to find answers to our questions; 15% prefer social networks to search engines. Gen Z and millennials lead the pack, with a combined total of 59% favoring social apps over Internet browsers.
Arguably, this is largely because social search is better optimized for trends, speed, and user-generated content. And with new features and updates released monthly, social platforms know exactly how to engage their audience.
“Social SEO” strategies will set marketers apart
Social platforms rely heavily on AI tools, especially when it comes to their algorithms, to understand user behavior and needs and then show them the content they will engage with.
This is especially crucial on TikTok; its algorithm uses user data and insights to determine which videos should be shown in your “For You” feed; let’s face it, if TikTok kept showing you irrelevant content you weren’t remotely interested in, it wouldn’t be long before that. You have closed your account.
This is where social SEO comes into play. SEO strategies are rising on marketers’ priority lists by 2024. The idea of achieving “virality” for customers, whatever that looks like, has never been more dependent on this type of optimization.
SEO marketers will need to work closely together with social media experts to create foolproof plans to reach this growing audience. This goes beyond the usual search engine results pages to social channels, both in captions and in the text of videos to highlight.
The evolution of research
The way we search for information has always evolved over time, from newspapers to computers, and now to our phones. This is where the threat to online browsers comes in. If most users choose to browse with their phones, the temptation to turn away from Internet search engines and open a social app is much more accessible.
The data here is compelling: 94% of 18- to 29-year-olds own a smartphoneand as these generations grow up in a world dominated by these devices, we can expect to see a continued trend towards a preference for social searches.
Gen Z and Millennials are also the audiences that connect the most with influencers and content creators through social media, following trends on these platforms. This shows a new power in search: influencing users’ searches, including tracking what they’re talking about, promoting and more.
So social search isn’t necessarily just about the user choosing to search for, say, TikTok on Google; it is also about the journey of how they are persuaded by other content to continue their research (and where).
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So could this be the end of Google?
In short, no. At least, not yet. Using the web as a search engine still trumps other avenues as the preferred search option, but if social search numbers continue to rise, we can expect the playing field to begin to level.
As Gen Z and Millennials come of age, this trend will only deepen. Web-based search engines will monitor this usage shift closely, not only in the consumer space, but also as marketers, businesses, and agencies begin to invest more in social media and optimize search results. on these platforms.
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