by By: Daria Morris
Gen Z has slowly but surely started replacing traditional search habits with internal search bars for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc. SEO (search engine optimization), “the process of getting traffic from free, organic, editorial, or natural search results in search engines,” has turned into a much more social approach.
Social SEO is the practice of optimizing your social media profiles, videos, text, and captions so they rank high in internal search bars, specifically for social media platforms.
So why is this shift increasing, besides just the typical “rise in social media” theory? Social SEO shows that one in three consumers tend to skip traditional search engines for tailored, possibly more authentic results based on the reviewer, as well as AI and algorithm scanning. Viewers aren’t retrieving content simply based on hashtags, but rather for more in-depth reasons: scanned spoken audio, on-screen text, video transcripts, captions, and profile bios.
Younger audiences and consumers desire authenticity and content like user-generated content (UGC) at the touch of their fingers, instead of having to look up alternative SEO-generated searches to scan for authenticity. TikTok/YouTube offer honest reviews, especially in terms of e-commerce, tutorials, and visuals from actual users in short video form.
Social media platforms, whether for e-commerce or traditional content, give exclusive access to unique tastes and interests through fashion, content creators, reviews, trends, and ways of gathering information that are more relatable and realistic for Gen Z. They make it easy to find what you’re looking for, such as quick links to TikTok Shop, or AI scanning to find what specifically you’re looking to buy, like on Pinterest.
While SEO is still a primary route, many companies and organizations are transitioning to new methods to retrieve user attention besides traditional search engines. Especially since a large portion of social media users aren’t only Gen z.
According to Megan Poinski, staff writer for Forbes, “Social app Snapchat is getting into e-commerce as well. Amazon and Snapchat entered an agreement in which Snapchat users can buy products directly from the app. The news initially boosted Snapchat’s stock price 9%…Amazon partnerships and TikTok also has its TikTok Shop e-commerce platform.”
What are some alternative benefits of social SEO? Many companies see this as a way to transition to more modern search habits, or to dominate SERPs (search engine result pages), increase web traffic with optimized bios, post descriptions, and easy links for viewers while directing them straight to the website. It increases brand awareness and potentially builds credibility.
Companies and organizations cannot just ignore the stats and trends of what younger generations are interested in, or they’ll slowly die out. It’s not SEO vs. Social SEO, rather optimization of SEO through social and more relevant means.
Photo Credit: Sanket Mishra, Pexels.
Infograph Credit: postano.com.
Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daria-morris-223198303/
