We used to "google". Today, the Google reflex isn't so obvious: more and more people are typing their questions directly on TikTok or Instagram. Where to have brunch in Paris? How should I dress for an interview? What travel itinerary should you choose? The answers are there, on video, face-to-face, embodied.
What is social search?
This practice is called social search The idea that networks are becoming search engines in their own right. iProspect's "Future of Search" study reveals that 48 % of French people have changed the way they search for information online over the last two years. Among 18-24 year-olds, 47 % now use Tiktok for their searches, making this social network the second most popular search engine for this age group.
Why should we do this? A visual, contextualised, human response. You're no longer reading a file, you're looking at someone sharing their experience.
Some good practices for brands
Being present on the networks is no longer enough: you have to be findable. And to do that, here are a few good practices to put in place:
- Create content designed to respond to a specific request (for example: "the best things to do in Marseille as a family")
- Use the right keywords, in writing (in captions) and orally (in videos), and also in the form of hashtags (particularly for TikTok)
- Optimising subtitles and first words displayed on screen (visual and verbal hook)
- Focus on short, informative and, above all, native formats
- Think SEO for discoveryNot just the SEO of the algorithm: what are the spoken queries and spontaneous expressions of your targets?
What this means in concrete terms
If I'm a tourist destination or tourist office, I don't just publish videos of landscapes. I publish a video that answers :
- "A nature weekend 2 hours from Paris: our itinerary ideas
- "Where to stay for an unusual experience in the Jura?"
- "What can you do in Arles without a car?
And I use the same words as my customers when they do their research. That's where monitoring comes into its own: monitoring comments, search suggestions on TikTok, questions asked on Instagram stories...
Towards a hybrid strategy: social x SEO
For brands, this means integrating social search into their editorial strategies. In practical terms :
- Map frequent queries using tools such as TikTok Search Insights or Glimpse
- Tailor the editorial calendar to the search peaks (e.g. "budget holidays" in June, "free activities with children" in August).
- Capitalise on UGC (User Generated Content): by spontaneously sharing their experiences, your users create content that moves up in the results, as long as you give them markers (hashtags, tagged locations, incentive formats) so that they can be found easily.
The idea is not to abandon Google. But to open our eyes to a new reality: SEO is also about scrolling.
Do you want to structure a social media strategy that fully integrates social search? Our team can help you build a strategy that makes your content visible where your audience is really looking for you. Let's talk