Blog
Guidelines
The New Era of Social Search: Why Google Isn’t Enough Anymore
Matthieu Danielou
Co-founder
Mar 31, 2025
Forget everything you knew about how people search online. A quiet revolution is underway—and it’s happening on TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, and platforms like Xiaohongshu or Line. These are no longer just social media apps. They’ve become the new search engines—visual, social, and driven by trust.
1. Where Are People Searching Now?
When users want inspiration or answers, they’re increasingly turning to TikTok and Pinterest. These platforms don’t just show search results—they show experiences. Whether someone is looking for the best Korean skincare, a pasta recipe, or hidden gems in Paris, they’ll often start with a video on TikTok or a board on Pinterest.
Instagram plays a similar role—while it doesn’t yet offer API access for search trends, users actively search through hashtags, explore tabs, and creator content to find recommendations.
In Asia, the shift is even more striking. Platforms like Xiaohongshu and Line are becoming essential tools for users to discover products, plan trips, or validate purchases—often based on creator-generated content.
So why the move away from traditional search engines?
Visual platforms offer context and proof, not just links.
People trust real voices more than SEO-optimized blog posts.
The experience is personal, fast, and intuitive.
Search feels native—it blends seamlessly into browsing and discovery.
In short: people don’t just want answers—they want evidence.
2. Video: The King of Search Content
Across every platform, one trend dominates: short-form video is now the preferred format for discovery.
Why? Because it’s:
Faster to consume than text
Easier to trust than anonymous reviews
More engaging than static search results
This is especially true for younger audiences who’ve grown up with Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. They expect content to be instant, visual, and relatable.
A quick 30-second clip showing how to style a product or what a place really looks like often has more impact than a five-paragraph article. Video brings an unmatched level of authenticity and immediacy—key drivers behind the surge in social search.
It’s also a practical tool. You can’t fake the vibe of a restaurant in a Reel. You can’t Photoshop a pasta recipe tutorial on TikTok. The proof is in the pixels—and that’s why it converts.
3. The Rise of Search Intelligence in Social Spaces
As this shift unfolds, the role of search intelligence is evolving too. Traditionally, search listening focused on platforms like Google, Bing, or Amazon. But today, the most exciting frontier is social search.
Social search data tells us not just what people click—but what they actually want.
While social listening platforms like Talkwalker and Meltwater are essential for understanding how people talk about brands, search intelligence complements this by revealing:
What users are actively seeking
How demand evolves by category or region
Which questions consumers ask before they even speak up
And this is where search intelligence platforms step in—to translate billions of fragmented queries into trends, demand forecasts, and strategic insights.
That said, not all platforms offer access to this data yet.
4. What’s Next?
Today, platforms like Pinterest and TikTok already provide search trend data. But others—Instagram, YouTube, Xiaohongshu, Line, and WeChat—still don’t offer robust APIs or ad ecosystems tied to search behavior. That makes it harder for brands to track what’s truly driving discovery on these channels.
This will change. As social platforms continue to compete for e-commerce dollars and attention spans, search monetization is the next battleground. Paid search ads unlock data. And with data comes visibility.
The social search revolution is just getting started—and it's transforming how consumers explore, validate, and buy. The platforms that embrace this shift will lead the way.
Social is search. Video is proof. Intent is everything.
The brands that win in this new era? They’re the ones listening to what people are actually looking for. Not just what they say.
Ready to think beyond the search bar? This is the future of consumer discovery.
Matthieu Danielou
Co-founder
Share
