Goodbye Google? The Rise of Social Search Engines - Midweek Media Breakdown with The Graygency
Goodbye Google? The Rise of Social Search Engines ??
As the world’s biggest search engine, Google has long held a monopoly on gatekeeping and jumpstarting the pathways we take online. However, there’s been a lot of talk as of late that Google might be losing its touch…?
Statistics show that ‘new internet users’ (those under 25) are now looking to social media to search the web, bypassing Google altogether. A Google senior VP of Search Prabhakar Raghavan said, “In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search… they go to TikTok or Instagram.”
Youtube has held second place for a long time as the next biggest search engine following Google (sorry Bing). But now other social platforms are now slowly creeping up to challenge Google’s long-held pole position.?
TikTok Takeover
TikTok is fast becoming the go-to search engine for young people. Currently, the hashtag #LearnOnTikTok has over 350 billion views and counting.?
As TikTok’s popularity continues to soar, it comes as no surprise that users are turning to TikTok rather than Google when searching for a quick mid-week recipe, or the best spots to visit in Italy. They want to see it, experience it, feel it.?
Users want a more customisable experience online, along with more visually engaging and relatable content. Three of the biggest categories for TikTok searches are recipes, restaurants and travel.?
The Power Of Paid Search
These emerging user trends mean paid search holds immense potential for generating traffic and gaining qualified leads. When it comes to digital strategy, brands need to be taking advantage of any paid search opportunities available. It’s not hard to imagine that social platforms will soon be increasing their paid search offerings.
TikTok began beta testing paid search ads just earlier this year. The initial results were promising, with sponsored content being pushed to those with questions or specific search terms.
If marketers focus on creating ads that solve specific problems, taking advantage of paid search could prove incredibly powerful. This begs the question, are we ushering in an entirely new era of #sponcon? ??
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