What is TikTok Search and how does it affect Google?

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“TikTok Search” refers to the search feature enabled within the TikTok app, which allows users to search for specific videos or content of interest on the platform. Users can access the search feature by tapping the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the home screen. From there, they can enter keywords, hashtags, or usernames to find relevant and popular videos on the platform. TikTok Search uses its algorithm to provide users with relevant and personalized search results based on their interests and behaviors on the app.

This feature has become the star and the numbers confirm it. Users of the Android app of the short video platform spent an average of almost 23.5 hours per month using the TikTok app, according to the Global Digital Panorama 2023 report , produced by We Are Social and Meltwater.

It is precisely the amount of time users spend on each platform that puts Google and TikTok in competition . If users spend more time on TikTok, they may spend less time on Google, which could affect the amount of search traffic Google receives.

Social networks as search engines
We can agree that this trend, i.e. moving from Google to social media, is not a big surprise. Text is no more, instead we consume videos. What used to be illustrated with photos or communicated through images is now done in video format . Instead of reading and watching, people want to be told how something works or what the solution is in the most direct and simple way possible. It is no wonder that YouTube has long been the second most popular search engine on the Internet.

Kolsquare Insight : At first glance, it may seem surprising that Google is so casually sharing a figure that is rather negative for the company. This is because the company is certainly interested in apparently reducing its monopoly position (it should be noted that both Google and YouTube are owned by Alphabet).

Verge writer David Pierce put the “TikTok search engine” through its paces in a self-test. He first searched for restaurants on the Chinese app because that’s what TikTok would be particularly good at. Some creators marketed th cmo email lists emselves as local influencers, others simply showed where they last feasted. Pierce wrote: “I don’t know if I trust every single one of them, and the information density here is pretty low. To get a sense of a specific place, I would have had to search a lot and watch more videos.”

When it came to searching for recipes, things looked much better. Typing in, for example, “chocolate chip cookies” brought up all possible recipe types and variations. Here, one of the main advantages of the app was highlighted: short videos allow users to leave annoying notes aside and replay the explanation as many times as they want.

Read also: Understanding the YouTube algorithm in 2023

The situation became more complicated with “meaty” content. That is, when users ask for medical advice and historical data, this is where the problem of misinformation arises . The Wall Street Journal journalist gave the example of an avocado in a glass of water. For a period, the trend on TikTok was videos in which users claimed the following: if you put half an avocado in a glass of water in the refrigerator, the fruit will stay fresh longer. Experts disagreed, stating that this could lead to the formation of dangerous and harmful bacteria.

Also, it should be noted that the most popular search queries on Google are keywords like “ Facebook ” and “ Amazon ”; which suggests a further problem with using TikTok as a search engine. The app does not give quick access to other social networks , of course, results with Amazon will appear but they will surely be “an endless series of videos showing oddities that people buy on Amazon.”