Social Media Is the New Search Engine

Gone are the days when social media was just filled with pictures of your grandparents and controversial opinions that you don’t care to read. It has evolved to be much more and is arguably more powerful than ever before. People are now using social media channels as a search engine. Similar to Google, Bing, etc., consumers are searching for products and services in the social media channel search bar more than ever before. What your business does to react to this news will dictate your growth over the next few years. 

Believe It or Not: Social Search Is Exploding

Traditional search engines are still very powerful and should be respected. However, social media has been underutilized in terms of its search engine optimization (SEO) resources. The newer generations are opening up social media apps before they go to Google to search for answers.

• TechCrunch released a survey stating that 40% of Gen Z prefer using TikTok and Instagram over Google when searching for products and services. They estimate that this stat will only increase in the future.
• Over 25% of Meta’s 1 billion active users interact with Meta AI’s search tool to find resources and products. This proves that AI on social media channels has a strong pull for consumer interactions.
• People are frequently searching on their phones and have a mobile-first mentality. 80% of Gen Z use their phones while searching, 62% of Millennials follow suit, and 66% of Gen X is not far off.

This blog post breaks down the growing role of social media in SEO, without losing sight of Google’s continued dominance.

Why Consumers Choose Social Media for Search

Now that we have seen the data behind different generations using social for search, let’s understand why the pivot is being made so that we can better understand our audience.

• Humans want to buy from humans. Even though we live on the digital forefront of AI chatbots, people still have an ingrained desire for human connection and understanding. They want to see someone in a similar situation review and recommend a product or service so that they can know how it works and see it for themselves. Authenticity will always win on social media and user-generated content has become the new social proof.
• Social gets to the point. Have you ever searched for a recipe online and had to scroll through the author’s entire backstory before getting to the list of ingredients? It’s annoying! Social media users don’t have the patience to read through everything. They already have a 1-3 second attention span when they’re scrolling on social media, so when they’re searching for a product, they’d rather watch a quick 10-second video instead of digging through a list of articles.
• The algorithms understand your audience better than you. It’s just the harsh truth of doing business with social media. People are getting tailored feeds that are already curated with their interests, demographic information, and so much more. Using SEO terms on social media only enhances this algorithm to help match your business to your audience’s needs.
• Unlike most search engines, social media has built-in communities. Niche interests get immediate responses and recommendations through Facebook Pages, Reddit threads, X groups, etc. Knowing that people want to buy from people only makes these communities even more important. These are gold mines for your business if you can tap into them in the right way.

Change Your Business Model or Stay Stuck In the Past

No one knew that a little app launched in 2004 called Facebook would change the consumer landscape as much as it has in today’s society. The businesses that adapted it early and learned how their customers were using the app found great success and generated millions in revenue as a result. Now that social media has changed again, the opportunity lies at your door. Let’s take a look at how you can practically combine SEO practices with your current social media channels.

• Your social media content should be optimized for discovery. This includes, but is not limited to: keywords, captions, hashtags, bios, and about sections. Think of your social media as your Google Business Profile listing and all of your social content as your opportunities to get people to find your listing. Draw people in by developing creative content strategies that include the best SEO terms that relate to your business.
• We know that businesses have 1-3 seconds to capture someone’s attention. That’s not a lot of time. Instead of leading with why your business is so great, start by addressing their problem right up front. Use storytelling, stats, or a controversial statement to gain their attention.
• Consistency is key. Regular posting increases search visibility. Remember that algorithm I discussed earlier? A great way to be in this algorithm is by creating relevant content for your audience on a very consistent basis. This, of course, will vary by each channel, and you can learn more about that on our website.

“If your audience can’t find you on social media, they’ve ruled you out as an option.”

Don’t Be Left Behind

We’ve seen how social media has disrupted the current search engine landscape. All of the experts are expecting that to continue as generations grow older and social media channels adapt new AI tools and possibilities. By updating your social media channels to be more SEO friendly, you’ll be ahead of the game. However, if you use social media like it’s still 2004…your audience has already noticed and has followed your competitors instead. Don’t let that be your business. Learn how to understand your audience on social media, and you will have customers for life!