In the digital age, the way we seek and consume information is constantly evolving.  

Traditional search engines like Google have long dominated the online landscape, but a new trend is emerging – the rise of social media platforms as search engines. 

With millions of posts uploaded daily to platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, social media has evolved into a powerful and immersive search tool. 

Social search is picking up rapidly, but will it ever pose a legitimate challenge to Google’s search monopoly? And what can brands and social media agencies do to optimise for social search? 

The rise of social media search engines

Social media has come a long way from the early days of Facebook and Myspace, evolving into much more than just a space to connect with friends. 

Through the years, the biggest platforms have experimented with new features in an effort to attract new users and keep existing ones engaged – to varying degrees of success. 

As TikTok has shown, what really keeps users coming back is discovery. 

So while forays into live shopping or podcasts haven’t always worked out, new features focused on discovery – YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Snapchat Spotlight – have stuck. 

You only need to search for a simple topic on one of these platforms and the algorithms will do the rest, serving you with a seemingly endless stream of highly personalised, user-generated content. 

Even Google has begun to incorporate elements of social search, adding a new Short Video Result Type which pulls short-form video content directly from platforms like TikTok and Instagram.



The bank of searchable, user-generated content hosted on social media continues to grow, now rivalling Google not only in terms of sheer volume but also in relevance. 

For certain search queries – particularly ones that call for a visual response – it’s now much easier to use a platform like TikTok rather than a traditional search engine like Google. 

And the stats back this up, too, with social search markedly on the rise.

• Nearly 40% of Gen Z now prefer searching on TikTok and Instagram over Google Search and Maps – Google 
• 83% of Instagram users say they use the platform to discover new products or services – Facebook 
• 82% of all generations prefer to search on social media rather than a search engine – Frontier 
• 76% of consumers have used social media to search for or discover new products and brands – Tint 

Why social media search engines make sense

Social media platforms provide a different kind of search experience to traditional search engines, and for certain search queries are better placed to provide relevant content.

One of their main strengths is that they offer updates in real-time, being the go-to place for people to post about breaking news, live events and current trends.

And because it’s everyday people posting on social media, search results tend to have more of a personal touch than traditional search engines. 

Let’s take a look at an example. 

If you were to search for ‘things to do in Birmingham’ on Google, you’ll be served with suggestions for many of the city’s big-ticket attractions – and that’s after scrolling several paid placements!



Alternatively, on TikTok, there is more of a focus on activities that are fun, unique and ‘off-the-beaten-track’.



Platforms like TikTok, then, probably do a better job of responding to searches in which users are looking for immersive, personal experiences rather than the majority opinion. 

Of course, in some cases, a Google search would still yield better results, but social media platforms certainly have a place in search, particularly with users prioritising authentic, user-generated content. 

Potential drawbacks with social media search engines

The phenomenon of social search is still fairly new, and there remains a lot of work for social media platforms to do to provide a better search experience for users. 

Almost anyone can appear in social search results, and while this does spotlight some unique perspectives, it also allows for misinformation. 

For searches requiring a certain level of expertise or authority, it’s still better to use a platform like Google, which has spent years fine-tuning its ranking algorithms to promote authoritative content from trusted websites. 

That’s not to say that social media platforms won’t make changes of their own, but for now, Google is much further down the line in its attempts to combat misinformation in search results. 

Another thing to consider is the fact that social media users vary considerably – both in terms of their characteristics and behaviours – from platform to platform. 

Content posted on TikTok, for example, will generally be made with a different audience in mind than content posted on Facebook. 

Subtle biases like these are not particularly conducive to providing a varied selection of results from a plurality of perspectives. 

For brands and social media marketing agencies looking to make the most of social search, it’s vital to keep these factors in mind.

How brands can optimise for social media search engines

The sheer number of people searching for things on social media means there’s plenty of opportunity for savvy brands to expand their reach via social search. 

Below, we share some top tips for appearing in social media search engines.

Optimise profile pages

In the same way that brands and digital marketing agencies conduct SEO to improve Google search rankings, it’s important to optimise your social media profiles for each platform. 

This generally means adding keywords to your captions and bio, including links to your website and using relevant hashtags where appropriate. 

There are, however, subtle differences between each platform, the most important of which we list below.

Facebook

• Use keywords from your Business Category and Business Description in your profile 
• Add keywords to captions 
• Prioritise video content 
• Note that hashtags do not influence rankings 

Instagram

• Add keywords to your bio, captions, hashtags and alt-text 
• Add up to 30 hashtags (but only if relevant) 
• Focus on Reels and carousel content 

TikTok

• Add keywords to your bio, captions, hashtags and within the video content itself 
• Add between three and five relevant hashtags 
• Use trending sounds and tags 

YouTube

• Add keywords to video titles, descriptions and audio 
• Use the keyword as close to the beginning of the video title as possible 
• Use the same name for your video file and video title 
• Enable closed captioning on videos 
• Include a video category

Use social listening tools

SEO tools like Semrush and Google Trends are used to track changes in search volumes on Google, and social listening tools like Hootsuite can do the same job on social media. 

Specially made for social media platforms, social listening tools can be used to track trending topics as well as particular search terms that are relevant to your brand. 

The insights gleaned from tools like Hootsuite can provide inspiration for new posts, allowing you to get ahead of the curve and appear for trending searches that are increasing in volume.

Invest in good imagery

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are visual by design, making good imagery an essential asset for brands looking to rank in social search results. 

Typically, when landing on a social media results page, the decision of which result to pick will be swayed by the thumbnail. 

High-quality, eye-catching imagery will, therefore, help to dramatically increase clickthrough and engagement rates.

Repurpose content

As we’ve already discussed, different social media platforms serve different groups. As such, it’s key to adapt your content to suit the unique audiences you’ve built on each platform. 

This may involve adapting your tone of voice, changing the length of your captions or posting entirely different content from platform to platform.

Engage with followers

Interacting with followers by responding to comments, messages and mentions can be a great way to boost engagement and improve your visibility. 

In many cases, posts with lots of comments will be promoted in search results, helping you reach new users.

Use paid search

Just like traditional search engines, some social media platforms are now offering ad space to businesses to appear for specific search terms. 

Paid search can be used to supplement organic efforts to appear in results and also allows you to target users based on interests and demographics.

Get set for social search

The new frontier in search engine marketing, social search signals a major shift in the way we discover and engage with content. 

If you’re looking to optimise your social media profiles for social search, we’re an experienced and forward-thinking Birmingham social media agency that can help.  

Get in touch today.