Search habits are changing. 👀
While Google still has a huge monopoly when it comes to online search, it’s worth paying attention to other platforms like TikTok which are gaining popularity for searching, especially with Gen Z.
According to Adobe Analytics, while Google still retains the number one spot as the ‘platform consumers find most helpful when searching for information’, TikTok has quietly gone into the top 5 and is also ranked as number 4 favoured search platform.
We found this information quite interesting and wanted to share it so here are the results.
The top 10 search platforms in 2024:
- YouTube
- Bing
- TikTok
- DuckDuckGo
- ChatGPT
- Yahoo
[2024 Adobe Survey on consumers search platform preferences] https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/using-tiktok-as-a-search-engine
What has changed in terms of search preferences?
TikTok is quickly climbing the ranks when it comes to user preferences. 2 out of 5 Americans have used TikTok as a search engine.
1 in 10 Gen Z said they were more likely to rely on TikTok rather than Google as a search engine which is worth noting.
Recently Google has been paying attention to Gen Z’s search preferences and is now incorporating TikTok into featured snippets section and search Generative experience (SGE) they will be doing this so they don’t lose out on GenZ’s search traffic.
But why? 🤔
We already know and understand that people like to consume short-form video content.
But Adobe’s survey reveals some other interesting reasons why TikTok is so attractive as a search engine.
Some of the top reasons are:
- Users enjoy TikTok’s storytelling format
- TikTok content is more personalised. TikTok have been working really hard on that algorithm
- The information is more current and up-to-date.
The last reason is telling. While we relied on Google News and X for breaking stories in the past, more people now prefer to search for news and trends on TikTok.
Finally
- Gen Z is actively using TikTok as a search engine and looking for trends and breaking news. If it goes big, TikTok users may go onto Google afterwards to find out more about that content
- For e-commerce brands, if you are selling a product that could benefit from a video demo, you should also be sharing that content via TikTok to maximize your online visibility.
As search habits become more fragmented, brands will need to invest in their Google SEO but go further and invest in social SEO, for example TikTok SEO as well.
Also, the advice from us here at The Digital Studios is not to put all your eggs in one social channel basket. For example, Tiktok may disappear with the law passing in America which could ban it. Creating a bigger SEO strategy is the best way to gain more visibility as search preferences continue to diversify.
Read more about the TikTok ban and how to survive it here
