Here’s why:
TikTok Search Engine
Everyone and their dog is on TikTok, and we live in a world where Google is no longer the most popular domain after 15 years at the top. It’s fair to say we’re past asking whether TikTok can become a competitor to Google Search, since it has more than enough users to do so.
Take this viral tweet from May 2022, in which the author says they think TikTok has already proven itself to be a better search engine than Google. I know, blasphemy to some, but it’s an interesting take on changing search habits that any self-respecting digital marketer should pay attention to.
In terms of functionality, TikTok’s search engine generally seems like a typical search engine. Search queries are met with the most relevant short videos in the results. What’s a simple new feature for users is an entirely new area of search optimization for others.
What’s changed right now?
Well, not all that much—or at least, not much in the SEO landscape. Nobody’s switching to TikTok and abandoning Google, since it’s still a giant presence that can be used pretty widely in most industries.
Users, however, are changing their behavior, and that should get the gears turning. If those users are your target audience or your client’s target audience, it might be worth turning to TikTok Search Engine Optimization. SEO is incredibly important, but the target audience should always be the focus.
Search Traditions and the New Generation
If you opened up your head and saw how often search habits change, your brain would fall right out. But in this fast-moving digital age, the ways people search are constantly changing, and that needs to be taken into account.
Hence the idea of TikTok as a search engine, shorter attention spans, and Google results that aren’t optimized or are misleading. Whether or not you’re an exception, many users across all generations have gotten a lot lazier.
Will TikTok Become Better Than GOOGLE?
Whether TikTok will be better depends on a lot of things. There are too many variables to give a definitive answer, and it depends on the user. You can take your target audience’s age group into account, for example: a huge number of TikTok users are young people.
Is TikTok better for finding recipe videos? Yes, I think so.
Is TikTok better for finding detailed recipe instructions? No, I’d say not.
Generally speaking, users need to watch more than one piece of content before they get what they need. So some people may use TikTok as a springboard to get context for their Google searches.
The Impact of TikTok Search Engine on SEO?
I’d say that moving to TikTok as a search engine ultimately isn’t within SEO’s remit, but it will be important for all social media and content marketers. TikTok is the fastest-growing social media channel of all the social media platforms.
Short-form video content is the future of social media and digital content strategy, and that’s where the threat of TikTok as a search engine lies.
So don’t worry about SEO; the precious craft is here to stay, for now.
Whether you love it or hate it, people—lots of people—use TikTok, and some use it instead of Google. Maybe it’s not a sign of change coming soon, but it’s certainly a flicker on the horizon.
