[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/08\/29\/tiktok-search-tops-google-for-gen-z\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/08\/29\/tiktok-search-tops-google-for-gen-z\/","headline":"TikTok search tops Google for Generation Z","name":"TikTok search tops Google for Generation Z","description":"TikTok is replacing Google as the preferred search engine for Generation Z. How can brands get in on this hot organic search trend?","datePublished":"2022-08-29","dateModified":"2025-03-07","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/tracey-wallace\/#Person","name":"Tracey Wallace","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/tracey-wallace\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/21377d3250d3cee37a219265f855ca86717424033839661349c4b6845d2250cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/21377d3250d3cee37a219265f855ca86717424033839661349c4b6845d2250cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/TikTok-Search-FTR.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/TikTok-Search-FTR.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/08\/29\/tiktok-search-tops-google-for-gen-z\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/content-marketing\/","name":"Content Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Content_marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q558685"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/customer-engagement-marketing\/","name":"Customer Engagement","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_engagement","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q5196451"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/marketing-general\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/seo\/","name":"SEO","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Search_engine_optimization","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q180711"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/social-media\/","name":"Social Media","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Social_media","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q202833"]}],"wordCount":883,"keywords":["Generation Z","Google","Search","SEO","Social Media","TikTok"],"articleBody":"Google has achieved something few other brands have: their brand name has also become a verb. People \u201cgoogle\u201d things every day. Folks direct people to \u201cgoogle\u201d something if they aren\u2019t sure of the answer.This verb version of Google\u2019s brand name has even found its way into the Oxford Dictionary: to type words into the search engine Google\u2122 in order to find information about somebody\/something.But for some search categories and even a specific up-and-coming generation, Google isn\u2019t the know-it-all search engine it once was. TikTok search is quickly replacing it as the preferred search engine for Generation Z, especially when they’re looking for product recommendations and lifestyle content.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowGoogle bows to TikTok searchEven Google recognizes this trend, acknowledging that both TikTok and Instagram are eating into their search engine monopoly \u2013 with 40% of Gen Z preferring those platforms over Google when searching for information.\u201cWe keep learning, over and over again, that new internet users don\u2019t have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to,” Prabhakar Raghavan, senior VP of Google\u2019s Knowledge & Information organization, told TechCrunch.One example the Google exec gave is maps. Gen Z didn\u2019t grow up with paper maps, and so the search experience on Google when looking for a place\u2013\u2013which leads you to Google maps and map-like directions older generations, including millennials, are more accustomed to\u2013\u2013aren\u2019t matching the preferred \u201cvisually rich\u201d expectations of younger generations.That will take several algorithm updates and underlying technology updates on Google\u2019s side to address, but in the meantime, with Gen Z flocking to TikTok \u2013 and more and more from other generations doing the same \u2013 search marketers\u2019 interests are piqued.According to a recent Jungle Scout study, 26% of consumers across multiple age groups used social media channels like TikTok and Instagram to start their product search.      Generation Z consumer behavior: What brands need to know                Gen Z consumers are beginning to flex their economic muscles, bringing different perspectives and expectations than previous generations. Brands need to adapt.      Getting results outside of the Google monolithThis isn\u2019t the first time another platform has taken a dig at Google\u2019s search engine monopoly. About 55% of people, according to TechCrunch, go to Amazon first to search for products, bypassing Google entirely. In fact, Amazon has its own search engine algorithm \u2013\u00a0A9 \u2013 and SEO experts on that platform to help folks better rank.It\u2019s likely we\u2019ll soon see the same happening over on TikTok, where TikTok consultants and experts are already selling services to marketing organizations looking to learn the platform, and grow an audience.The organic play here is really important, because so far, brands are seeing a bigger lift from organic on TikTok than paid \u2013 though that might not last.\u201cI know creators with 500 followers who had a TikTok viewed 900,000 times,\u201d Jason Wong, founder of Doe Lashes, told MarketerHire. \u201cThat doesn’t happen on YouTube. Right now, even if [TikTok] ads were free for us, our organic content would still perform better from a marketing standpoint.\u201dHow exactly is Gen Z using this TikTok for search? Well, similar to Pinterest, Mashable explains.“I’ll search ‘thrifting in Paris’ or ‘restaurants in Lisbon’ and save the things that look good to a little folder to refer back to. I also have a little recipe folder. [I am a] big fan of the folder feature,” Amanda Cash, a 22-year-old law school student, told Mashable.      Click into the power of UGC marketing on TikTok                User-generated content can be gold for marketing. Find out how brands can leverage the hot social media platform to engage buyers.      Leaning into TikTok search: tips for brandsFor brands looking to get in on this organic TikTok search action, it doesn\u2019t have to cost you a lot. Brands are experimenting right now, but Wong says that what is working best for them are the following:Behind-the-scene videos of how a product is madeProduct reviewsProduct applications, including unconventional ones \u2013 even if they’re just funny.General hacks \u2013 like beauty hacks for brands in the beauty space.The one potential downside to TikTok that has some brands unsure of how to invest, if at all? Foreign relations.TikTok is a Chinese company, and under the Trump administration, there was talk of banning TikTok entirely in the U.S. In 2020, India followed through on such threats, banning both TikTok and Shein, a popular online shop also out of China.So far, it doesn\u2019t seem like the U.S. will be taking similar measures in the near future, but politicians are looking more and more at social media and digital media companies in general, including Meta, Google, Apple, and Twitter for how they regulate data privacy, use consumer data, and much more.For now, TikTok is the new, beloved social media platform where organic search is growing, and incredibly effective for brands that can crack both the TikTok algorithm and the way to Gen Z\u2019s wallet.  Flexible. Agile. Future-proofed.The power of hybrid, composable commerce is real.Discover real-life examples of success HERE.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"29","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/08\/\/29\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"TikTok search tops Google for Generation Z","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/08\/29\/tiktok-search-tops-google-for-gen-z\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]