🔎 why I’m bullish on TikTok search in 2024

What's up fellow kids?

For better or for worse, it is the job of an SEO to keep up with the ever-changing culture. We track user behaviors and adjust our marketing strategies accordingly.

It is literally our job to be the Steve Buscumi meme.

Why I'm excited about TikTok Search

In my attempt to see what’s hip with the kids these days, I found TikTok.

It’s not exactly a secret. TikTok is one of the fast growing social media platforms with over 100 million users in the US alone…me being one of the most recent additions to that big total.

Anecdotally, I have been shocked how much I've been using TikTok lately to find content.

A couple of days ago, I was wondering why we're supposed to use olive oil as opposed to alternatives like vegetable oil. Why was there a war on seed oils?

Normally, this would have been something for a Google search. But again, I've been using TikTok a lot lately. I decided to search ‘why are seed oils bad’ on TikTok instead of Google.

What I found was a 2-min video. It gave me the answer I was looking for quicker than YouTube (which promotes long-form content) and faster than if I were to scan through the top search results on Google…all of which seem to have been generated with AI.

We want answers quick these days and TikTok has an entire platform built around the “quick-bites” concept (I would say most everything I see in my TikTok feed is in that 30-second to 3-minute range). 

Now whether that’s good or bad for society is up for debate.

But you cannot deny the passion of the TikTok content creators.

They aren't trying to deluge you with too much information. They aren’t making money from ads (yet)…so they are trying to amass views and likes. This means making digestible and catchy content.

TikTok makes it easier for the “content creators” too…because they don’t have to spend days editing a 12-minute long video.

Instead, TikTok and their app CapCut make editing user-friendly. Within the TikTok app, you can create your video, add captions, and music all in a matter of minutes…all without the help from a professional.

This ease of use gives TikTok a very interesting userbase…it’s full of (seemingly) real people providing (seemingly) authentic content.

It brings me back to the days of niche blogging.

People are super passionate about creating content around one hyper specific subject.

I follow people who live full time in RVs and also follow runners who give me tips on the best stretches and exercises to improve my 10K time.

It’s dare I say it…addicting.

✅Good content

All the good content makes for an enjoyable place to waste time. Instead of doom scrolling, I’m learning things on TikTok. I’m even getting inspiration from TikTok (that DIY coffee bar will be built any day now). 

But it’s one simple feature (and its surprising effectiveness) for why I'm bullish on TikTok search in 2024.

Let's be clear, TikTok is not a search engine (yet). It's a social media platform that just happens to do search really well.

But that’s exactly it…it does search really well.

When compared with Instagram Reels, I’m more often able to find the exact video I was looking for. Naturally, with confidence in their search bar, I then started to broaden my search queries.

Instead of looking for exact videos, I started researching entire subjects.

TikTok once again came through…giving me quality content on everything from ice baths to the Dax Shepard vs. Jonathan Van Ness beef.

As more youths flock to TikTok, I’d imagine only more quality content gets added to their platform. From there, it’s just a matter if TikTok’s search algorithm gets more sophisticated over time.

That makes me excited. It means that developing a good content strategy for TikTok right now has the potential to pay off BIG time down the road.

Optimizing videos to appear in the first 4 of a TikTok search query has the potential to bring millions of impressions to your business in the long-term.

All for a video that might have taken you a few minutes to make…

✅Search capability

Why I'm concerned about TikTok Search

It’s fair to say that TikTok search might not pan out.

They don’t seem to be as focused on it as SEOs might like.

In fact, they are pushing TikTok Shopping a lot more recently.

That is concerning because it shifts the intent of users on their platform. Instead of being an educational platform, TikTok could end up being yet another e-commerce one.

If they keep on this road, they are positioning TikTok to be an Amazon competitor…and not a Google one.

I think this is a mistake. Google has been taking some L's lately and people are looking for alternatives. TikTok offers a legitimate search alternative where authenticity and real people dominate the algorithm.

And that is a good thing.

Amazon, on the other hand, is as dominant as ever. TikTok might be able to steal a little bit of market share, but ultimately they will never dethrone Amazon as currently constituted. They don’t have the infrastructure.

❌ Vision

TikTok is well-positioned (as the premier short-form video content platform) to dethrone YouTube and therefore Google…that’s my gut feeling. I know many will push back on this idea, but I see the seeds of the diehard communities and creators forming on the platform.

Ultimately, that’s all they need…a strong, dedicated userbase…to become the next tech giant.

What do you think about TikTok search? Am I being too dramatic here? I would love to know your thoughts, so please reply or leave a comment!

(Leave the privacy and political concerns out of it though please).