The Rise of Searchless Discovery: SEO Meets TikTok
TikTok has transformed how we discover, explore, and shop for products. It has become a big player in the last few years, becoming one of the most popular social media platforms. As a result, it's become a contender for search engine space, especially with younger audiences.
In 2025, we are seeing the lines blur between search and social media. Businesses should be adapting to this shift in user behaviour before being left behind.
For close to thirty years, Google has been the leader in search engines. It is the largest search engine, helping us find everything and anything. Well that was until recently. In the pat few years there is a new challenger – TikTok.
TikTok has been associated with dance trends and viral memes, but it is quickly taking up its space as a search engine, especially among the Gen Z generation. It is because it's a personal discovery platform with For You Pages, tailoring its feed based on interests, habits, and mood. It can be used for recommendations, travel tips, how to guides, and so much more.
It has grown so quickly that even Google has acknowledged TikTok as a competitor, as the younger generation sees TikTok as more personalised and engaging.
TikTok has changed how audiences discover and engage with content. It's success is the personalised algorithm used tailoring user experience with complete precision. It provides an intuitive and effortless discovery process.
TikTok provides snappy, visual content in seconds, making it ideal for today's “on the go” audience. What really sets it apart is the user-generated content it displays, resonating with audiences, due to its authenticity.
Search and social media are not seen as distinct channels any more, they are intertwined, offering valuable insights into your audience. TikTok is a discovery engine and hub for content consumption, which is why businesses today should be optimising their content for this evolving platform.
TikToks rapid growth as a search platform comes with its share of challenges. The biggest challenge is trustworthiness. Yes, it is excellent for providing engaging and viral content, but it doesn't fact check or moderate content, which raises misinformation concerns.
Content that rises to the top of TikTok is driven by popularity, not accuracy. This is where Google remains a dominant force, offering trusted, accurate, and credible results, focusing on reliability over popularity.
TikTok as a new search engine isn't a trend, it's a transformation on how consumers are discovering, evaluating, and engaging with content, driving purchasing decisions in today's evolving digital world. If you need help optimising content for TikTok, or you need a proven and tailored SEO strategy, contact Genie Crawl now for assistance.
Complete the form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly to discuss your enquiry.