.jpg)
Over the last 30 years, Google has updated its search algorithm many times, typically in an attempt to provide consumers with the best results and assist businesses to receive traffic.
The majority of these updates create competitive advantages for companies willing to play the search engine optimisation game, they benefit through traffic. Google benefits through monetary incentives such as when companies pay to be shown at the top of the search results.
However, recently Google has seen a loss in traffic to unforeseen competitors in the social media space such as TikTok.
In fact, nearly 40% of Generation Z prefers to use TikTok and Instagram for searches instead of Google, according to Google's own internal data.
This is most prominent with reviews, searches for eateries, activities, and even brands.
These findings have caused Google to update their search algorithm in what they are calling the “helpful content update”.
The issue at play is consumers (mostly within Gen Z) are regularly being shown opinions about brands on their social media feeds, so why not use the same apps when searching?
When consumers search on TikTok, for example, “Asian Fusion Wellington”, they will see an arrangement of videos taken by real people, going to Asian fusion restaurants. These reviews are visual (videography), include a real person's identity, and give the impression that they are created for the benefit of the audience, not the brand.
When consumers use Google, they are initially shown a list of results from companies that have paid to be shown (the first three underlined results), followed by review articles, journalist opinions, and ratings such as trip advisor.
The main difference between the content being shown on social media in comparison to a google search is that Google web pages are catered towards a search engine, whilst social media is catered towards the end user.
Content creators on TikTok have amassed followers by being authentic, relatable, likeable, and giving their specific audience what they want.
Google, on the other hand, will show their audience content on the basis of being paid to do so, or due to specified code, message, and link strategies.
Google's current search algorithm is more beneficial to Google and to companies than to consumers, and now with more competitors in the market, consumers can see this too.
According to Google, the new update will promote user-first content and create web pages for consumers over the search engine.
The guidelines stated by Google for brands when considering this new update include:
It feels very similar to previous update guidelines, advising companies to avoid search engine optimisation and black hat tactics.
The update promotes authenticity, honesty, and education for consumers. In order to adhere to these guidelines, companies should invest in promoting:
The update seeks to remove unhelpful content. Including companies that have optimised their content purely for search engines, with little consideration for the end user.
We will see if Google’s update allows them to retain the customers they are losing to TikTok, and what the search engine pages will show, as the update rolls out over the next week.
Search engine optimisation occurs in most companies that have invested in their digital marketing, many brands optimise their content for search engines out of fear that not doing so, will result in losing online visibility to competitors.
The best advice to any company wishing to have consumers see their content is to put themselves in their ideal consumer's shoes and try to search for what your content provides.
Another activity is to consider how your consumers may use Instagram and TikTok to search, and how you can incorporate these elements into your digital content.
This can be an excellent way to determine gaps in the market in terms of searching. The update seeks to remove unhelpful content, providing authentic and relatable content can allow you to stand out as a company on the search page where others will fall short.
Having your content optimised for search engines better ensures you're visible in an ocean of competitors, now Google is advising companies to optimise their content towards users primarily.
The concept is that through consumers enjoying and trusting your content, you will receive a better ranking, how these consumers will find your content in the first place is yet to be revealed by Google.
It will be interesting over the next week to see how Google's latest update changes the search feed, which brands reconsider their optimisation tactics, and how the currently obtained older generations respond to changes in the algorithm.
