HOW TIKTOK IS BECOMING A KEY SEARCH PLATFORM FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF OPTIMISING THIS
Have you ever opened up TikTok to search the best restaurants in your city?
Maybe you’ve explored the platform for reviews about a brand-new movie? Perhaps, to search up a celebrity cheating scandal that you’ve noticed is trending? If the answer is yes, TikTok may have just become your new Google!
Over the past few weeks, TikTok has become a prime search engine for younger audiences, paving its way as a competitor in the web search and discovery space in 2022. Google’s Senior Vice President noted that TikTok’s search engine poses a threat to Google, explaining, “In our research, one thing like virtually 40% of younger folks, after they’re searching for a spot for lunch or a new pair of jeans, they don’t go to Google Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.”
TikTok has been able to successfully function as a search engine because it can quickly surface relevant and short videos based on what users are looking for in that moment. For instance, if a user is searching for a banana bread recipe, they may be able to find a better one on TikTok, as opposed to Google Search. When searching for the recipe on Google, users will likely be presented with search results that prioritise lengthy websites that users must scroll, before getting to the recipe. On the other hand, TikTok will present users with quick recipe videos that are to the point and short.
TikTok’s performance as a search engine has mainly increased through its newest linked words feature. The linked words feature highlights keywords in comments and video description, linking the user to search results for that particular word. For example, take the term ‘oversized blazers.’ If a TikTok video features an oversized blazer, TikTok will identify the term ‘oversized blazer’ as a key word in the comments and will link the word to key search results on the app. The linked words feature aims to guide the user’s discovery on the app through connecting them with broader trends. For businesses, this creates a significant opportunity for brands who look to raise awareness or even guide users to specific products in the app.
Linked words can be optimised in the influencer marketing space. With TikTok influencers being heavily popular amongst the TikTok, we can direct them straight to the product link, eliminating external search engines such as Google in the process. A popular influencer might post about their new oversized blazer and instead of going to Google to find out where to buy one, users can simply click on the linked ‘oversized blazer’ term in the comments or video description. TikTok will direct them to a search page full of content and shopping links for that particular term.
Customers are gravitating towards the quickest and most efficient methods of shopping and searching and TikTok is nailing it. If a brand is looking to pivot and elevate its optimisation strategy, now is the time to get in and establish a presence on TikTok ahead of competitors.
SOURCES:
Social Media Today, TikTok is Fast Becoming a Key Search and Discovery Platform for Younger Audiences accessed 10/09/2022 [via https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-is-fast-becoming-a-key-search-and-discovery-platform-for-younger-aud/629718/]
Mashable, For Gen Z TikTok is more than entertainment. It's a search engine, Accessed 10/09/2022, [via https://mashable.com/article/gen-z-tiktok-search-engine-google