From Google to Social: A Shift in Search Habits Among Gen Z

Since 2000, Google has been the king of search and currently claims 89.08% of the search engine market share in North America and 91.54% globally.

Among Gen Z, however, Google’s dominance is not as strong. During the 2022 Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, Google’s senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan admitted that a good percentage of “young people” don’t go to Google for lunch place recommendations. He said, “Almost 40% of young people when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search, they go to TikTok or Instagram.”

Let’s take a look at how social media became Google search’s strongest competitor among Gen Z and what this means for marketers.

Google to Social Media Search in Numbers

Nearly half of Gen Zers (46%) say they prefer social media over traditional search engines. Forbes reported that 64% of Gen Z use search engines to look up brand names, 30% less than baby boomers (94%), 25% less than Gen X (89%), and 20% less than the general population.

The top three social platforms where Gen Zs are most likely to be (YouTube 89.3%, Instagram 72.5%, and TikTok 71.2%) are the same top three platforms where they are most likely to search for information. With its video-centric and interactive nature, TikTok is a more favored platform over Instagram when searching for a business, even for fashion brands, which is the most searched topic on Instagram.

YouTube remains way ahead of both platforms, though, with more than half of Gen Zers (60%) admitting to using YouTube to look up specific information in the past month. Unlike other video platforms, YouTube is popular not only for brand discovery but for educational purposes as well.

This shift in search habits is mostly because Gen Z is a generation that responds well to visual storytelling. A 2020 study discovered that 70% of Gen Z find photos and videos to be a good aid for purchasing decisions. These days, Gen Zers say that they like searching on social media because it helps get them information quickly (60.1%), and results are relevant (36.7%), visual (26.5%), and fun (21.4%).

What This Shift Means for Marketers

A strong social media presence is always one of the top goals of marketers, and this shift in search behavior makes it more important than ever. This is especially true for brands whose target audience includes Generation Z.

Here are a few tips on how brands can optimize their social media pages for social search:

• Understand your audience. While there seems to be a preferred platform for social search, this is still highly dependent on which product and service you offer. Even with the existing stats, audience preferences may differ for your brand, or audiences in general may shift behavior. Leverage your social media analytics to identify where most of your audiences are and where they are most engaged. Take time to understand how the algorithm works for the platform your audience prefers and focus more efforts on that platform. Create more content and use keywords relevant to you in post copy so when people discover your brand through social search, they find ample information on your profile.

• Have a strong video content strategy. Since the trend points to Gen Zer’s preference for fun, interactive content such as videos, make sure your content strategy incorporates video. Create TikTok content that encourages the audience to engage (through stitches, polls, or challenges that you initiate). Try different video capabilities, such as Stories and Reels.

• Keep up to date on social media trends. TikTok boosts videos that use trending music and stickers on covers. Instagram expands reach through popular keywords and hashtags. These trends change from time to time. Make sure you do your research and adjust your content strategy accordingly. You may also want to do a few A/B tests by creating content that uses the different content creation capabilities on various platforms and checking which ones resonate with your audience. Generative AI is starting to be integrated into Meta platforms, and it’s worth experimenting with, given the young, tech-savvy target audience. As Gen Z is more tolerant of generative AI, they are also more likely to engage with AI-generated content.

• Boost brand awareness and discovery through paid social. Take advantage of the fact that the rise in social search popularity is because of convenience. Make sure you’re able to reach those who are not actively searching for your brand name by launching paid ads geared toward brand awareness. If they don’t immediately click on the ads, this at least puts your brand name at the top of their minds the next time they do a social search.

Embracing the Shift in Search Habits

The evolving search behaviors of Gen Z mark a significant shift in the digital landscape. While Google remains a dominant force in search engines, the preference of younger generations for social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube cannot be ignored.

Marketers must adapt to these changes by enhancing their social media presence, leveraging video content, and staying abreast of trends to effectively reach and engage with this audience. By doing so, brands can ensure they remain visible and relevant in a world where social media increasingly serves as a primary tool for discovery and information.

It’s Time to Shift Your Strategy for Success

Schedule a call to speak with a digital marketing expert to learn how you can capture your target audience on platforms Gen Z is searching on.

Schedule a Call