A New Era: Social Search and the Young Generation

While brands were busy chasing Google rankings and throwing money at SEO agencies, social platforms have revolutionised how we discover products – and it’s happening right under our noses on TikTok and Instagram.

Our tech guru and Business Development Manager, Jabez Weale, rolled up his sleeves to decode this seismic shift in search behaviour and what it means for brands scrambling to stay relevant.

Read on to see what he uncovered. 

GEN Z DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR GOOGLE RANKINGS

For years, organic reach felt similar to throwing darts blindfolded. Throw on some trending hashtags, pick a viral sound, and cross your fingers. But the way your brand achieves organic discoverability is changing. 

With more than 40% of Gen Z using TikTok and Instagram for search before traditional search engines, the process of brand discoverability is rapidly evolving. For these young consumers, TikTok and Instagram serve as a more reliable source of information than search engine giants like Google. 

@spearmanlauren

A dump of my Notes app after @building.brand.advocacy summit; including this session with @Verityhurd in conversation with @BethEleanor: * 23% of users search within 30 seconds on TikTok. Intent-led discovery is rising fast.
* Content has two speeds: fast (48h viral spikes) and slow (long-tail discovery via search).
* Evergreen content like “best foundations” or “beer gardens in the sun” thrives via search.
* Social + SEO teams rarely work together, but should. SEO holds data that social can repurpose.
* Third-party tools miss social search metrics. You need to dig into platform backends.
* Optimise every post with captions, location tags, hooks, and clear descriptions.
* Add search intent into creator briefs and campaign planning.
* Partner with your SEO team- align KPIs and share insights.
* Start tracking search-driven content performance manually. #socialmedia #socialsearch #socialmediamarketing #influencermarketing

♬ original sound – Lauren | Marketing Careers

Why would they wade through a page of boosted search results that scream “paid placement” when they can scroll down an engaging search page filled with trusted recommendations and easily enjoyable videos?

With social being the new search engine, the question has become not “how can we be at the top of Google’s search results,” but “how can we be the first video on TikTok’s search page?” Which brings us to the importance of optimising content for social search. 

When done correctly, optimising your branded content for social search signals to the algorithm to place your content at the top of search results. Meaning higher discoverability at no additional cost. 

@maddybirdcage

Come hang at the Social Search Summit with me and 34 other brilliant marketers kicking off tomorrow! Visit www.socialsearchsummit.com to register for free! #socialsearch #socialsearchsummit #socialmediasearch #socialmediatips

♬ original sound – Maddy | Marketing & Psychology

Broadly, the key to social search optimisation is including carefully chosen keywords, based on how consumers search for your brand, and layering them multiple times throughout your content. 

Here’s some basics:

HOW TO OPTIMISE YOUR CONTENT FOR SOCIAL SEARCH 

The first step to social search optimisation is selecting effective keywords. Ensure that your chosen phrases are simple, appealing to your audience, and indicative of what users will type into the search bar. An easy way to find these on TikTok is to type in your product category and scroll down. You’ll find “what others have searched for”

Once you’ve selected your keywords, follow these quick and easy tips:

Layer your keywords

Keyword layering is essential if you want your content to reach as many people as possible. Ensure that your chosen keyword appears in each layer of the post, not just the caption. i.e., the audio/voiceover, stickers, hashtags, and more. 

@digital.priestess

Double your views & clicks this Summer with social search digital marketing! Join us inside my 3-week sprint SUMMER QUEENS GET SEEN 👀 to discover the secrets of search engine marketing! #searchenginemarketing #searchengineoptimization #socialsearch #tiktokkeywords #biztok #tiktokmarketingtips #digitalmarketingsecrets #contentmarketing

♬ sonido original – Greatcup

Hashtags 

Hashtags are often looked past, but these simple terms are a quick and easy way to bump up your discoverability. Use between 3 and 5, and don’t just slap on a bunch of random terms – ensure they all share the same keyword in different variations, and are already popularly used.

@themelissalaurie

What is social search?🤔 #SocialSearch #SocialMedia #Marketing #OysterlyMedia #MelissaLaurie

♬ original sound – Melissa | Social Media Expert – Melissa | Social Media Expert

A Cheeky Trick

A fantastic way to sneak in a few more keyword mentions is by hiding them within your post. Simply add the word as text, then shrink it down, recolour it, and tuck it away in the corner. This ensures the algorithm sees the keyword, but your audiences aren’t distracted by it. 

@meaganawilliamson

Beyond Google: How Social Search is Changing the Game. Getting discovered by social media users every single day is just smart social media marketing strategy. Welcome to the dawn of Social Search – a realm where social media is fast becoming the go-to for queries, eclipsing traditional search engines like Google (but before you come for me with your pitch forks, OF COURSE SEO is still crucial).  Think about the last time you searched for a product review, how to do something or a recommendation. Did you start with Google, Pinterest or maybe TikTok? If you chose the latter, you’re part of a rapidly growing trend that’s reshaping the marketing landscape: Social Search. Optimizing your short form content for search is helping pair your amazing content with search queries from users with the INTENT to want to find you. This is an incredibly powerful marketing strategy. Are you using search in your social media? #socialsearch #socialmediastrategy #searchmarketing #socialmediatrends #marketing2024 #socialmedia2024 #smallbusinessgrowth #tiktokseo #pinterestkeywords

♬ original sound – Meagan | Pinterest Marketing

Want to boost your discoverability on socials and get more technical? Get in touch with us at Socially Powerful, and learn how we made the #1 spot on TikTok for clients like Amazon using just organic search. 

We don’t just plug content into the algorithm in the hopes it will perform well. We carefully construct keywords within content that caters to audience behaviours, brand identity, and cultural relevancy. 

Let’s build a strategy that moves the needle.

Our influencer marketing agency and social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE, and China.

If you want to find industry insights, visit our influencer marketing and social media blogs.

@sociallypowerful