Google should focus less on complaining that it’s losing Gen Z to TikTok and Instagram, and focus more on improving Search and Maps.

Google complained last week that nearly 40% of Gen Z prefers social apps like TikTok and Instagram for online searches rather than Google Search and Maps. Instead of complaining, perhaps Google should take the necessary steps to improve its services in order to attract its dwindling customer base.

If you’ve been reading my articles, you’ll notice that I rarely include my personal opinion, and I try to be as objective as possible. But I was really excited to give my opinion during last week’s podcast episode because I actually fall into the category of people who use TikTok and Instagram as search tools more than Google.

I’ll be clear about one thing: Google Search and Maps are extremely useful tools, and I’m not going to stop using them. I used to look in Maps for “nail salons near me” when I needed my nails done.

I would then usually go to a restaurant with positive ratings and reviews (which conveniently can be found on Maps.)

So Google got this right, but it missed the mark on what TikTok and Instagram did.

During the pandemic, instead of searching for a recipe on Google, I went to TikTok, because watching someone make Ramen on TikTok sounded far more appealing than reading a blog post on Google. Watching a short two-minute video had appeal and charm, and it was even more convenient that I could get it all in an app.

Google’s senior vice president, Prabhakar Raghavan, stated at a conference that TikTok and Instagram have become the go-to platforms for many younger users when looking for places to eat.

“We keep learning that new internet users don’t have the expectations and mindset that we have become accustomed to,” Raghavan said. He also stated that younger users are conducting searches in a completely different manner.

An entirely different way is the new way, and Google needs to accept it

I believe that many people were perplexed by this story because they did not believe it was possible to overthrow and outperform the world’s largest search engine. Google is likely complaining because it believes it should no longer be targeted by politicians for anti-competitive behavior.

My colleagues were intrigued when I stated during the podcast that I am not surprised at all. On the one hand, I wasn’t surprised by the shift in search habits, but rather by how and why I personally use TikTok and Instagram as the new search.

I explained that what I liked best about TikTok was getting first-hand experience from others. If I wanted to go to a Mexican restaurant in Toronto, I would search TikTok for “best tacos Toronto” and watch about 10-20 videos of different people talking about their experiences, showing off the restaurant ambiance, and what the food looked like.

These reviews serve an important purpose: they give me a taste of what I might encounter, and instead of reading a review on Google, I get a lot more information in a shorter amount of time.

This process I’ve described is simply a new way of doing things; it demonstrates the shift in how people want to consume content and the purpose for which they consume it.

Carmi Levy, a technology analyst, agreed with me that Gen Z has a radically different relationship with — and expectations of — technology than members of older demographic groups.

“Against that backdrop, it’s understandable that Gen Z users prefer social platforms like TikTok and Instagram when searching online.” While web-based paradigms have dominated the online experience for older users, he believes they are less relevant for a generation raised on visually-oriented social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Google has the most to lose if it doesn’t shift its focus

It would be remiss of me not to mention how Google pioneered the way we search for and consume content. When YouTube was introduced, the world’s information was suddenly delivered to us in the form of videos in an easy, digestible, and convenient format.

YouTube has evolved in significant ways over the years to adapt to what consumers want by providing longer-form videos while also catering to ways for creators to earn money.

However, in recent years, we have changed the way we consume content. We prefer watching short and to-the-point videos, which TikTok excels at and which Google is attempting to emulate.

That said, I don’t think Google will suffer any time soon — the company generated more than $75 billion in revenue in its most recent earnings report, with much of that coming from Google’s Search and AdSense businesses.

According to the company’s Q4 2021 earnings report, Search was the largest contributor, accounting for more than $43 billion of the $75 billion. That’s not too bad.

It also stated that YouTube advertisements generated $8.6 billion in revenue. This came shortly after Google announced that its ever-expanding YouTube Shorts had received a staggering five trillion views.

Not to mention, Google has been pouring money into the medium through initiatives such as the Shorts Creator Fund, which assists creators in monetizing their content through compelling Shorts.

But let us not assume that Google’s current trajectory will continue indefinitely.

“TikTok will overtake Facebook in the amount of money advertisers spend on influencer marketing in the US by the end of this year — and it will beat out YouTube by 2024,” social media consultant Matt Navarra tweeted. According to data from The Information.

TikTok will overtake Facebook when it comes to the amount of money advertisers spend on influencer marketing in the U.S. by the end of this year – and will beat out YouTube by 2024

[via @kyurieff / @theinformation] pic.twitter.com/g1qbWZwHRw

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) July 21, 2022

According to Reuters, social media ad sales in the United States will increase 36% to $58 billion in 2021, “as brands increased marketing budgets to recover from the pandemic and reach customers online.”

However, social media companies have recently warned investors that spending will fall as inflation persists, citing a shift in the environment.

According to a Barclays analyst note, TikTok is poised to grow more than 200 percent to become a $12 billion business. TikTok “remains important for many clients’ advertising strategies,” according to Yvonne Williams, vice president of media at ad agency Code3, which has worked with brands such as Gap and Dior.

All of this comes just days before Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reports its Q2 2022 earnings on Tuesday.

So what should Google be doing?

This year at Google I/O, the company released major Maps updates that allow users to see not only where a restaurant or scenic landmark is on the map, but also to view the location in full 3D right on some of the best Android phones.

Google Maps Live View is also being added, which will make it easier to find seats at a stadium or a restaurant in a store.

To be honest, when I heard this announcement, I thought, “Who cares?” These features sound tedious and, to be honest, out of date.

Google, in my opinion, should either create a standalone YouTube Shorts app or incorporate Shorts videos into Maps. This way, whenever I search for something in Maps, I’ll see videos of people creating mini-reviews.

According to Anshel Sag, a senior analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, Google should prioritize improving search on YouTube and YouTube Shorts because “people’s queries on TikTok and Instagram are based on content that makes them curious to learn more about that company or product.”

“However, business behavior is also a factor. For example, when a restaurant posts photos of its food on Instagram, but also posts an image of its menu there first before it even has a website is a factor.” “Many new restaurants create Instagram accounts before they create Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok accounts,” he says.

According to Sag, if Google were to compete with TikTok or Instagram, it would have to be a multi-pronged effort “that attacks all the different ways that people search for things and how content is served to them.”

“Google should improve things like Shorts and YouTube videos, but also make Podcasts more searchable, and possibly make it easier to find products mentioned during podcasts,” he says.

Is it too late for Google?

I don’t think so, and neither does Levy, who stated that Google will notice and complain, but will usually adapt quickly.

“We’ve seen this game before, where younger people use technology differently than their parents. Smart businesses have always rolled with the punches, and Google has been evolving its offerings since the launch of its first search tools.”

“Indeed, because Google was a driving force behind much of the transition from the early static Web 1.0 to the application-driven Web 2.0, and from mobile web to apps, it’s ideally positioned to shift its offerings yet again and position them within the tools that users of tomorrow end up using,” he said.

This is a generational shift, but it does not preclude Google from catching up. In fact, I believe that if Google improved its YouTube Shorts interface and integrated it into Maps, it would drive more users away from TikTok.