Survey: 51% of Gen Z women prefer TikTok, not Google, for search

New survey finds Gen Z prefers TikTok due to the video format of the results and more relatable and personalized answers.

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TikTok is the search engine of choice for more than half of Gen Z and influences their purchase decisions more than any other platform. That’s according to a new survey from Her Campus Media, a Gen Z media and college marketing company.

Why we care. Although Google dominates search in the U.S. (77.5%) and globally (83.5%), Google has acknowledged TikTok search as a growing threat. Look no further than TikTok introducing search ads. Although TikTok isn’t a web search engine like Google, you need to be visible whenever and whenever users search for relevant topics, your brand/business or your products.

TikTok is the #1 search engine for more than half of Gen Z. Overall, 74% of Gen Z uses TikTok search. And 51% of survey respondents chose TikTok over Google as their search engine. The three biggest reasons:

  • The video format of the results (69%) 
  • More relatable answers (65%) 
  • Personalized answers (47%) 

TikTok makes people buy. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is real – and huge. TikTok reported it got 12.4 billion video views. Nearly 3 out of 4 Gen Zers bought something after seeing it on TikTok:

  • 72% purchased a product after seeing it on TikTok.

TikTok also influences purchase decisions for 62% of Gen Z, more than any other platform. This is an increase of 15% compared to Her Campus Media’s 2022 version of this survey.

Product discovery. Gen Z relies heavily on social media for shopping ideas and discovering new brands and products, with 61% of survey respondents saying they trust influencers and brands more than family or friends for recommendations.

  • 70.34% look to influencers.
  • 62.31% look to brands.
  • 61.17% “somone I trust.”

TikTok vs. Instagram. TikTok wins with Gen Z when it comes to watching video content, but Instagram wins on daily usage:

  • 76% prefer to watch videos on TikTok (compared to 16% on Instagram, an 18% increase from 2022. 
  • 95% use Instagram daily (up 10% versus 2022), while 80% use TikTok every day (up 14% versus 2022). 

About the data. The online survey, promoted through Her Campus Media newsletters and social accounts, was conducted in August. It received 1,821 responses – 100% of respondents were from the U.S., 97% were female and 71% were college students (undergrad).


About the author

Danny Goodwin
Staff
Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo - SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. In addition to reporting on the latest search marketing news, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps program U.S. SMX events.

Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.

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