TikTok is a search engine?! 🔍

Hang on, I thought that was obvious?

Everyone is talking about TikTok. Particulary searching on TikTok.

The co-founder of Rise at Seven, Carrie Rose, ran a LinkedIn poll asking her audience if they searched on TikTok. It was a close call with 47% using the platform for search and 53% not. This followed a series of posts by Carrie comparing the app to Google and providing TikTok SEO tips.

TikTok is the platform used by Gen Zs the most, aligning with their desire for authenticity and preferences for short-video formats. It makes sense that 40% of them use TikTok (or Instagram) for search.

When looking for restaurants in Ibiza, my first port of call was TikTok. Videos, like the one below, came up and I could simply scroll through all the videos in a matter of seconds. I saw the restaurant decor, the food and the kind of outfits people had worn there.

TikTok is certainly giving TripAdvisor a run for their money! As a Gen Z, I perceive TripAdvisor as something that my parents would use. TikTok shows me trendy, 'Instagramable' places that people my age are visiting.

I have recently collected data from other Gen Zs on this subject:

TikTok is more authentic than Instagram, more time-efficient than YouTube and more visual than Google. Which, if you know anything about Gen Z, makes it the perfect search engine.

Do I think it will take over Google as a search platform for Gen Z? Yes. Millennials? Yes. Everyone else? No.