Is TikTok after Google’s search crown?

Research carried out by Google in 2022 in the form of internal data indicated that a staggering 40% of those individuals who were born between 1997 and 2002 have a preference for using TikTok for their online search enquiries, rather than Google. It should be noted that Google has chosen not to publish the statistics from their research, choosing instead to make mention of them at tech conferences instead.

Another survey carried out on the same topic in September 2023 found that 74% of Gen-Z (those born between 1997 and 2012 – so a slightly larger age bracket than those indicated by Google) regularly use search functions on TikTok. Moreover, over 50% of women in the Gen-Z bracket prefer to use TikTok as their online search option.

Taking all this into account, it is certainly reasonable to assume that TikTok may well be making a bid to take the search crown away from Google. The big question is do they have the technology to achieve this? Just what are people really searching on TikTok for, and perhaps more importantly, does this interest in TikTok for online search enquiries extend beyond Gen-Z, who are sometimes referred to as “the TikTok generation”?

What is TikTok currently doing?

At the moment, TikTok is carrying out tests on SERP formats that are not dissimilar to Google’s. These formats  are being tested to gauge customer reaction to the different formats and the prioritisation that they give to ecommerce functionality and search engine capability.

There are some big similarities between the new format and that which can be found on Google, and these include:

•  Shopping is shown first – this is of high significance for both B2C and D2C brands
• Paid advertising is shown before any of the organic content
• The addition of “people also ask” – this is used alongside a navigation formation

For those who work in the field of marketing, this poses some very important considerations:

• It is important to ensure that all of your paid advertising is visible in position 1 on the TikTok SERP
• Where it is relevant, TikTok shop will need to be used in order to push any products that you are looking to sell
• It is essential to ensure that you are making good use of the TikTok SEO strategy. This will help you achieve organic rankings.

When combined, all of these can really help a brand to position itself in such a way on TikTok that allows it to be found easily by search engines. For those businesses looking to open themselves up to new opportunities, the wealth of potential customers on TikTok make this a very valuable business chance that really shouldn’t be missed.

There is such a high number of Gen-Z using TikTok on a daily basis, and often choosing it for searches on a range of topics. Withthis appearing to be a trend that shows no signs of slowing down, there is a good chance that for those products that can easily create content that advertises their products, TikTok may well overtake Google when it comes to searches.

Products like clothing, makeup and even cleaning products fare particularly well on a platform when short videos can be used to really showcase their products. This is certainly something that TikTok does particularly well.

Reviews on TikTok

In addition to items like clothing and makeup, TikTok appears to be a great place for a range of eateries and even holiday locations to create content to attract new potential customers. A short video clip of a seaside destination offers a picture that appeals to more of the senses, with sound and motion, over a well composed photograph.

Yet another step that is helping to promote TikTok as a search and discovery platform is that it is now prompting users to submit reviews for any content that includes destinations and location. This feature is available not just on creator accounts but also brand accounts as well, which helps to highlight just how important authentic content and UGC is.

Users are offered prompts to leave reviews for those brands where there are location tags added to content. It should be noted that these reviews are showing on TikTok dating as far back as October. However, this is the first time on the app that they have come to fruition.

There is a good chance that a “reviews” tab may be added to the app at some point in the near future. This will assist brands when it comes to gaining the trust of their audiences and gaining credibility.

It isn’t only reviews that TikTok are looking at rolling out, though. There are also location guides as well. This means that when a user clicks on a location tag on any video, they will be taken to a guide that will offer them content that has ranks for each. In effect, this will help to keep searches on TikTok rather than having users see a video of a location they like the look of and going off to Google for more information.

Final thoughts

At the moment it would appear that Google is only at risk of losing its search engine crown to TikTok when it comes to some types of searches. Furthermore,  these are limited both in terms of the results that they can yield and the categories that they fall into. But with all the new innovations that TikTok are continually introducing Google would be foolish not to be worried about what this might mean for the future.

The short, innovative and entertaining way in which TikTok content is created is attracting significant numbers of individuals for good reason. This is no longer just a Gen-Z thing. Other groups are choosing TikTok as well. All of these factors should serve as a warning to Google that if they want to stay ahead then they need to look for new improvements to the way their searches work if they don’t want to lose out to TikTok. We have no doubt that Google is already working on it.