Google v/s TikTok: Navigating a digital transformation 

Times are changing, and the tides are shifting. One thing is for certain – the world of search and discovery isn’t going to be the same. Google, the undisputed leader in the arena of search marketing, is now facing a formidable younger opponent in the form of TikTok. While initially positioned as a platform for short-form entertainment, TikTok is gradually evolving into a search tool for many young netizens.  

What does this mean for legacy brands and businesses that have built their entire search ecosystem on Google? And is it time for them to rethink their digital marketing strategies? 

Generally speaking, there are no guarantees in the world of digital marketing. What is considered crucial or best practice today, could be decimated tomorrow by a simple update from giants like Google and Meta. The sheer scale and market share that these companies hold allow for them to be confident in ensuring they don’t lose out on ad revenue.  

However, reports per the Wall Street Journal are now suggesting that Google’s search ad market share is expected to drop below 50% next year, the lowest in over a decade. Numbers don’t lie, and for one to examine the cause of Google’s fall, one must shift their attention to TikTok.  

What’s the hype behind TikTok Search? 

Studies have found that 74% of Gen Z internet users use TikTok for search and 51% favour it over Google, primarily due to its short-form video format. The rationale could be they consume media more natively than previous generations, or that they have grown up on video.  

Whatever, the reason, these users are opening Tiktok as a primary search tool for everything from recipe ideas to vacation planning. The platform’s key point of difference is offering a visually engaging search engine that appeals to younger audiences who prefer video, in contrast to Google’s text-based search engine. 

Moreover, Tiktok’s hyper-engineered algorithm is built to display highly personalised content based on user behaviour, making it an increasingly popular choice for product discovery, recommendations, and research. 

For instance, a young lady searching for “best haircare products’ on Tiktok will be flooded with a series of highly engaging short form videos from real users and influencers. These videos will usually encompass reviews, demonstrations, and recommendations too.  

Why Does TikTok Work?  

To our mind, there are three reasons why TikTok’s search function works well –  

1. The searcher is shown user generated content; a content format shown to resonate strongly with. 
2. The experience is more visual and immersive, which contrasts heavily compared to wading through descriptive lists of sponsored ads on Google.  
3. The user feels more informed to make a decision after seeing the product in action.  

As a result, TikTok has become a search engine in its own right, driving consumer behaviour in new ways. TikTok’s rise offers both an opportunity and a challenge for companies who primarily rely on Google’s SEO tactics to increase traffic. 

What Does a Fall for Google Mean for Businesses? 

A decline in Google’s market share could have a deleterious effect on businesses that predominantly depend on SEO and Google Ads for revenue. If new platforms such as TikTok continue gaining momentum and capture a larger market of search, many businesses will face the harsh reality that their conventional SEO and lead generation strategies aren’t as relevant or generating the leads anymore.  

This leads us to a crucial question: How much recalibration do brands need to make to their digital marketing strategies? 

First and foremost:, businesses that have placed all their eggs in Google’s basket to drive traffic should consider realigning their content creation strategies. Budgets that were historically allocated for search engine optimisation will need to include allocations for short-form content marketing. To capture the traffic being generated on TikTok as search, brands will need to engage influencers in some capacity, to help drive brand awareness.  

Secondly, younger demographics that prefer TikTok’s search model might not be swayed by Google Ads, which is a staple for many businesses. With features such as “Sponsored Hashtags” and “In-feed ads”, TikTok continues innovating and posing a threat to Google’s search model. Naturally, a next step for many businesses would be to shift their ads budget towards platforms like TikTok.  

And finally, and perhaps most crucially marketing funnels, especially conversions may be affected. Brands that traditionally looked at Google as a means of customer acquisition will need to start considering the search journeys of their younger users. This will push for a need to capitalize on other platforms and move their prospects through the funnel on relevant touchpoints.   

In a sense, Google might not just be losing out on their search market share, they may also lose out on relevancy. 

The Counterargument: Why is TikTok not suitable for All Businesses?  

No one can deny the fact that TikTok is getting traction. But perhaps not all traction is meaningful traction. Let’s take the B2B business model for example. Companies operating in this space often advertise detailed, text-based results that can’t really be optimised for short form video content. Google still continues holding the advantage in areas where technical information and comparison models are essential. 

Case in point – Our new intern spent 4 days researching a new LinkedIn outreach product that we could purchase and adopt for our agency. They spent the entire time on Google, and nowhere else.  

Moreover, the stream of endless videos on TikTok are entertainment-driven and informal in nature. While this is a great place to be for fashion companies and lifestyle brands, it’s not ideal for sectors where credibility of information is paramount. For eg – Enterprise software, medical research, healthcare, etc.  

As an extension of the point above, businesses that are targeting older demographics might not find TikTok to be the right fit. They might discover that their digital marketing efforts on platforms such as TikTok do not generate the same ROI as they ideally would on Google.  

The Importance of Search and Social Listening 

Let’s come back to the arena of digital marketing, which is ever evolving in nature. Today, social listening and search marketing are more connected than ever before. Businesses will need to keep their ears to the ground and listen to conversations happening online in order to gain authentic customer insights. In doing so, they can make educated decisions to how to spend their budget, and as importantly, when.  Therefore, platforms such as TikTok which optimise for discovery could continue to grow in importance by the day.  

Businesses that can optimise for social listening along with SEO can do better at digital marketing by anticipating what their audience is looking for. The dynamic and highly competitive arena of digital marketing requires brands to integrate search and social listening, or else fade away.  

How businesses can diversity their digital presence: 

1. Diversify Content Creation: Businesses must increase their focus on video, especially short form. In an era where video’s importance is growing, businesses can stay visible by producing content for TikTok, Shorts, and Instagram Reels. But recall, balance is key. 
2. Utilise Both Platforms: Just because Google’s market share is declining, does not imply that they’re irrelevant. Companies should continue spending money on Google SEO and SEM, particularly if their target market depends on in-depth product or service research.
3. Emphasis on Social Listening and Engagement: Businesses must meet their audience where they are by monitoring topics of hot conversations on platforms like TikTok, but also on other platforms so they can understand what their audience like and are looking for. Brand recognition and loyalty can be raised by using social listening and engaging directly with TikTok communities. 

So where does this leave us?   

The atmosphere in the digital marketing arena is definitely shifting with the arrival of younger platforms like TikTok. But we aren’t close to seeing a veteran like Google bow out yet. After all, they have held the title of being the world’s largest search engine for a reason and do have a history of trying and failing quickly. That and they have approximately $50B slated for AI, Google Services and Google Cloud. Something innovative will come from this. 

However, if you are a business owner, a key takeaway from this should ideally be one word – diversification.  

In the age of speed and 2 second attention spans, brands must ensure they are relevant and visible to their target audience. You can take steps towards this by ensuring you are reallocating marketing budgets, and balancing strategies between Google, TikTok and other platforms. Even investing into off-line marketing and driving people to your website can reap rewards if done correctly.   

And while TikTok might not provide a solution to every business’s marketing needs, it’s clear that the platform will influence search in many more ways. 

If you want to discuss strategies that will potentially assist your lead generation and are not sure how TikTok or search in general fit in, let’s have a look at your marketing strategies.   

Give us a call.