Is Social Search Overtaking Search Engines?

Did you know that 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds use social media as their main search tool¹? This shows how much users are choosing social search. It’s not only Gen Z, either. The trends show people of all ages are also searching and researching on social media platforms. They like the authentic content and the feeling of real connection these sites offer.

While Google is still the top search choice, owning about 82% of the market, the trends show that many users are opting to research on social media channels². For Gen Z and Millennials, places like TikTok and Instagram are growing in popularity. Digital Marketers, Content Creators & Businesses should embrace this trend now, and recognize that social search is a trend that users are adopting.

The Rise of Social Search

The online world is changing, becoming more focused on social media for searching³. Gen Z is one of the top reasons for the rise in social search. They have always been surrounded by digital tech³. When they research online, they gravitate to hearing experiences from friends and people they follow on social media channels. This influences what they buy or even content they engage with online³.

Influencer marketing has grown exponentially. User generated content is often viewed as more authentic and honest. User generated content on social media and online review platforms seem more real and authentic to people³.

It’s becoming clear that social search is the way forward as Gen Z and Millennials are already using it aggressively³⁴⁵. For companies continue to get found online, they need to think beyond just Google. They should focus on broadening their SEO strategy & consider social sites as well³. Creating the right content, integrating user generated content and keywords.

Why Social Search is Gaining Popularity

Social search is becoming more popular for several reasons. Authenticity is probably the leading reason. Over 90% of consumers say that authenticity impacts their decision significantly when choosing which brands they like and support. Additionally, 70% of consumers said they use user-generated reviews or ratings before deciding whether to buy (or not). Social media review are perceived as more real than corporate messaging because it’s often shared by real people telling their true stories and opinions. Authenticity is also a concept embraced by most audiences, but it weighs heaviest in decision making by Gen Z and Millennials.

YouTube has been the second search engine for some time now. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are gaining ground and popular for searches⁸. A lot of people find new stuff to buy through social media, and most have bought something they saw there⁸.

Because social media searches are increasing, businesses need to change how they think about marketing. The social media algorithms have unique characteristics, and replicating SEO approaches won’t likely translate perfectly.

How Consumers Use Social Media as a Search Engine

Today, social media is a vital tool for finding and learning about products and brands⁹. One fake review spoils the experience for many. A matter of fact, 75% of shoppers claim that if they notice a fake review for a product on a site, it would impact their trust in reviews for other products on the same site. Let’s break this down further by exploring a couple of the most common social media networks.

• YouTube: Always a Search Engine. For videos on pretty much anything, YouTube is the first stop^11.. It’s a goldmine of how-to guides and reviews to help you pick what to buy¹¹. YouTube’s huge popularity makes it one of the top search engines and therefore a source of social media searches¹¹
• TikTok: The New “Google” for Gen Z. TikTok has changed the game for Gen Z, becoming a preferred source for product information and research.” Its quick videos make finding info, trends, and products a breeze¹⁰. Shockingly, 40% of Gen Zers look for info elsewhere before Googling⁹.
• Instagram: A Visual Search Engine. Instagram is all about the visuals and has won people over for finding products¹¹. Its hashtag and recommendation tools make discovering new things easy¹¹. Seeing real-life photos and videos on Instagram sways people to buy more, with 63% saying it influences them⁹.

Changes in how people browse online, especially among the young, mean big shifts for brands⁹¹⁰¹¹. To keep up, companies have to smartly use social media search to catch people’s eyes. They need to tailor their approach to fit each platform’s unique way of working.

Optimizing for Social Search

As social search becomes more prominent, businesses are changing how they do things. It’s also likely that more tools and resources will become available to enable stronger effectiveness, similar to the proliferation of martech that is available for search engine optimization and website optimization.

Key Strategies for Social Search Optimization

Once you narrow in on a topic, use hashtag, keywords & search analysis to refine the topic and position it around popular long tail keywords. The photo to the right shows related searches and search volume. For reference, I’m actually using the Keywords Everywhere Chrome plug-in which provides the monthly search volume, that isn’t functionality built into the YouTube search bar.

Additionally, Instagram provides post volume by typing searches into the search bar. This is also a great way to get competitive insights and view posts that exist around a specific topic. Knowing what people are searching for on social media is really important for getting it right¹³. This info is gold for adjusting your social search plan and creating content that has a higher chance of being seen.

Other ways include:

• Google Social Searcher provides results from various social channels including Reddit and Vimeo. There is a free tool and also a paid tool.
• Other Social Sites Search Bars, such as YouTube
• Answer the Public is a search listening tool that analyzes search query data and autocomplete searches to provide questions that users are asking online versus just a keyword.

Test and Learn

Up until now, getting the right keywords and terms in social media content has been helpful, but not absolutely critical. That was yesterday, moving forward social media performance will be informed by the same type of advanced analytics that are used for SEO. Companies should look into what their audience is talking about on social media. Adding these words to your content helps more people find it¹³. You can check out what your competition is doing and keep an eye on trends in their industry.

Making the most of social search is a journey that never stops¹³. Content creators, digital marketers and companies that embrace this movement will be early adopters & have a leg up on competitors.

The Future of Social Search & Conclusion

As our online world changes, social search is getting more important. This trend is changing how we find and use info, products, and services. The seamless shopping experience touted by social commerce could be what elevates the playing field, with 46% of buyers indicating that they are interested in buying products from social media with a one-stop shop experience, according to 2023 Comscore data shared with Marketing Dive.

The average person spends significant time daily on social media platforms. The way we search is blending together. Social media and search engines are becoming similar. Businesses need to change their plans to fit this new way of finding things. Doing this will help them connect with the right people. There will be over 5.85 billion social media users by 2027. TikTok and other platforms will keep growing¹⁴.

Social search may eclipse standard search engines sometime in the next 36 months. Companies need to focus on getting new processes in place, create more synergies between SEO and social media functions, and embrace this change in consumer behavior. Being ready for the future of social search and its trends is key.

Source Links

1. https://marketinglabs.co.uk/is-social-search-overtaking-google/ – Is social search overtaking Google?
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4. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-social-search-jake-hay-4cxae – The Rise of Social Search
5. https://tribe.digital/insights/the-rise-of-social-search – The Rise of Social Search | Ecommerce Consultancy | Tribe Digital Agency
6. https://www.wpromote.com/blog/social/social-search – Unlocking the Advantage of Social Media Search
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13. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-101/what-is-seo/ – What is SEO? An Introduction to SEO Basics
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