The significance of TikTok’s presence in online search is steadily growing, with TikTok videos now appearing in both the Search Generative Experience and featured snippets.
While it’s unclear whether this is a recent development, it’s certainly a new and noteworthy occurrence within the search community.
The key point here is that people are utilizing TikTok as a search tool, irrespective of whether it technically qualifies as a “search engine.” For businesses and brands, this highlights the potential missed opportunities for connecting with their target audience on both TikTok and Google. This is particularly crucial now, as it appears that Google is allocating prominent space in its Search Engine Results Page (SERP) for TikTok videos.
For instance, in a search for [stroking baby’s eyebrows], Louise Parker, the head of PR at Propellernet, shared a screenshot on LinkedIn depicting a featured snippet directly extracted from the caption of a TikTok video.
In addition to being featured in Search Generative Experience (SGE), today, Carrie Rose, CEO, and founder of Rise at Seven, posted a screenshot on LinkedIn illustrating TikTok content being displayed in an SGE result.
Moreover, TikTok videos have not been a novel addition to Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). As far back as 2020, Google had already started featuring TikTok videos within a Short videos carousel and a TikTok video carousel, primarily on mobile devices.
Microsoft Bing Search has also embraced and promoted TikTok video results within its own search platform.
The important takeaway is that TikTok has become a bona fide search destination, especially among younger consumers, including Generation Z. Many individuals are now turning to TikTok as their preferred search tool, sometimes replacing Google. A survey conducted by Adobe recently revealed some noteworthy statistics:
- Two out of every five Americans utilize TikTok as a search engine.
- Nearly one in ten Gen Zers are more inclined to rely on TikTok over Google for their search queries.
Original news from SearchEngineLand