{"id":23624,"date":"2025-10-17T13:24:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/?p=23624"},"modified":"2025-11-17T13:38:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:38:48","slug":"social-is-a-search-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/social-media\/social-is-a-search-engine\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Is the New Search Engine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Gone are the days when social media was just filled with pictures of your grandparents and controversial opinions that you don\u2019t 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Believe It or Not: Social Search Is Exploding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/amaboston.org\/gen-zs-new-search-engine-tiktok-and-instagram-are-taking-over-google\/#:~:text=A%20Shift%20Toward%20Visual%20Learning,without%20ever%20leaving%20the%20app.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TechCrunch released a survey<\/a> 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/resourcera.com\/data\/artificial-intelligence\/meta-ai-users\/#:~:text=Meta%20AI%20now%20represents%20about,Why%20is%20everyone%20leaving%20Meta?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Over 25%<\/a> of Meta\u2019s 1 billion active users interact with Meta AI\u2019s search tool to find resources and products. This proves that AI on social media channels has a strong pull for consumer interactions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People are frequently searching on their phones and have a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/how-search-behaviors-are-changing#how-consumer-search-behaviors-are-changing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mobile-first mentality<\/a>. 80% of Gen Z use their phones while searching, 62% of Millennials follow suit, and 66% of Gen X is not far off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This blog post breaks down the growing role of social media in SEO, without losing sight of Google\u2019s continued dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Consumers Choose Social Media for Search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/02-why-choose-social-1024x700.jpg\" alt=\"Why consumers choose social for search\" class=\"wp-image-23623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/02-why-choose-social-1024x700.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/02-why-choose-social-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/02-why-choose-social-768x525.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/02-why-choose-social-350x239.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/02-why-choose-social.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we have seen the data behind different generations using social for search, let\u2019s understand why the pivot is being made so that we can better understand our audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Humans want to buy from humans. Even though we live on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/seo\/how-seo-and-ai-works-together\/\">digital forefront of AI<\/a> 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/strategy\/social-media-in-inbound-marketing-strategy\/\">Social gets to the point<\/a>. Have you ever searched for a recipe online and had to scroll through the author&#8217;s entire backstory before getting to the list of ingredients? It\u2019s annoying! Social media users don\u2019t have the patience to read through everything. They already have a 1-3 second attention span when they\u2019re scrolling on social media, so when they\u2019re searching for a product, they\u2019d rather watch a quick 10-second video instead of digging through a list of articles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The algorithms understand your audience better than you. It\u2019s 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&#8217;s needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Change Your Business Model or Stay Stuck In the Past<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/03-change-your-business-model-1024x700.jpg\" alt=\"Change your business or stay stuck\" class=\"wp-image-23622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/03-change-your-business-model-1024x700.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/03-change-your-business-model-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/03-change-your-business-model-768x525.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/03-change-your-business-model-350x239.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/03-change-your-business-model.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>No one knew that a little app launched in 2004 called Facebook would change the consumer landscape as much as it has in today\u2019s 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\u2019s take a look at how you can practically combine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/seo\/digital-marketing-starts-with-seo\/\">SEO practices<\/a> with your current social media channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your social media content should be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/social-media\/social-media-and-seo\/\">optimized for discovery.<\/a> 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We know that businesses have 1-3 seconds to capture someone\u2019s attention. That\u2019s not a lot of time. Instead of leading with why your business is so great, start by addressing <strong><em>their<\/em><\/strong> problem right up front. Use storytelling, stats, or a controversial statement to gain their attention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consistency is key. Regular posting increases search visibility. Remember that algorithm I discussed earlier? A great way to be in this algorithm is by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/content\/attract-new-customers\/\">creating relevant content<\/a> for your audience on a very consistent basis. This, of course, will vary by each channel, and you can learn more about that on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/?s=social+media\">our website<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cIf your audience can\u2019t find you on social media, they\u2019ve ruled you out as an option.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t Be Left Behind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve 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\u2019ll be ahead of the game. However, if you use social media like it\u2019s still 2004\u2026your audience has already noticed and has followed your competitors instead. Don\u2019t let that be your business. Learn how to understand your audience on social media, and you will have customers for life!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gone are the days when social media was just filled with pictures of your grandparents and controversial opinions that you don\u2019t 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., [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":23621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"type-category":[288],"class_list":["post-23624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media","type-category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Social Media Is the New Search Engine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn why more consumers now search on TikTok and Instagram for recommendations, products, and what it means for your business.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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