Giving up on Google search has never been easier.
Just ask Mohamed Mulla, a 37-year-old London-based expert. He began retreating from search engines during the pandemic.
Instead of typing into Google, he asked questions like “how to change a watch band” on TikTok. When ChatGPT launched in 2022, Mura’s Google usage further decreased. He said the AI chatbot felt like a “second brain or agent” to which he could bounce ideas off.
He currently uses a combination of search tools including ChatGPT, Grok, TikTok, Reddit, Perplexity, and still uses Google from time to time. he is not alone. AI search tools are becoming a daily habit for many people.
When presented with a list of tools they use when considering a purchase, U.S. consumers said they preferred AI chat interfaces to traditional search engines, according to an August survey of nearly 2,000 people conducted by consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
Young people in particular seek information not only from Google but also from social apps such as TikTok, Reddit, Pinterest, and Instagram. According to a study from Forbes Advisor and Talker Research last year, nearly half (46%) of Gen Z users prefer searching on social media over Google. This number is broadly in line with Google’s own data on Gen Z’s search preferences.
“Social search is definitely a hot topic,” Forrester senior analyst Evelyn Mitchell Wolf told Business Insider. In particular, he said, “search behavior is dispersed or dispersed across a broader range of platforms, not just Google.” In fact, U.S. consumers are increasingly turning to social media platforms over AI options like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, according to a recent study from Business Insider sister company EMARKETER.
Google remains the king of traditional search engines and AI search tools, controlling about 90% of the global market, according to network services company Cloudflare. Google has also been fighting the competition by adding AI summaries to many of its search results.
Google’s parent company Alphabet announced in its earnings report last month that quarterly revenue from Google Search rose 15% year over year to $56.6 billion, accounting for more than half of the company’s overall revenue.
However, Google’s market dominance in traditional search doesn’t take into account searches on video apps like TikTok or e-commerce tools like Amazon. And as the internet fragments into smaller communities, Google’s grip on overall search could weaken.
Beyond AI chatbots and video apps, a number of new search-focused startups have emerged to support the demand for something new, such as Lore, a fandom-focused search engine, and Daydream, an e-commerce AI search tool for shopping.
So if you want to try a new way of searching, where’s the best place to go? It depends on what you’re looking for.
Here are some search tips and tricks.
Discover new recipes and places to visit
AI tools like ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are great for creating original recipes using ingredients you already have at home. Video apps like TikTok and Instagram allow you to search for recipes and watch the cooking process in action before trying them out.
According to Adobe’s 2023 study, the most common use case for TikTok’s search engine is finding new recipes, with users saying they look for “video tutorials,” “product or service reviews,” and “personal stories and anecdotes” on the app.
TikTok creator Cheryl Smith posts cooking videos for her nearly 300,000 followers. Liam McBurney – PA Images/PA Images (via Getty Images)
Video reviews are also useful when planning a trip, allowing you to see hotels and destinations before deciding to visit. Earlier this year, TikTok released a product that allows users to book hotels directly from videos within the app.
Young people are “looking for recommendations for products and services, and they’re also looking for restaurants to eat at,” Mitchell-Wolf said. Social platforms are a “thriving environment” for this category of search, he added.
Find new clothes and things to decorate your home
If you’re looking for inspiration, Pinterest should be your first stop on your search journey.
Design, in particular, is the top search use case for moodboard platforms (62%), according to Adobe’s March study. The fashion advice was also well received.
Recent examples: In August, Pinterest shared that searches for “vintage fall aesthetic” increased 1,074% year-over-year, and searches for vintage clothing, kitchen accessories, and home decor increased.
Pinterest activation during New York Fashion Week. Roy Rochlin for IMG Fashion/Getty Images
Social platforms like Instagram and TikTok can also be places to find inspiration. When it comes to fashion in particular, we’re seeing a wave of startups building shopping search tools, from personalized e-commerce search engines like Daydream to more niche platforms like Beni that help people find second-hand goods.
If you already have a product you want to buy, you might look to the biggies Amazon and Walmart. According to EMarketer, 56% of U.S. consumers use Amazon for their searches and 45% use Walmart.
“Amazon has become the leading destination for product searches,” said Skye Kanabeth, Principal Analyst at EMARKETER. “They’ve taken share from Google in that space over the years because they have so many products that Prime members usually start their search there and then they’ll probably go to Google.”
Search the web without spying on others
Google is famously a data collection machine. Searching in the company’s apps, Chrome, Gmail, or other Google-owned products helps the company build a detailed advertising profile of who you are and what you’re looking to buy.
Search engines and browsers like DuckDuckGo and Brave offer tools for privacy-conscious users who don’t want their search habits tracked.
“We know people are tired of being exploited online by scammers and data-hungry companies whose business model is essentially selling users to the highest ad bidder,” said Beah Burger-Lenehan, senior vice president of product at DuckDuckGo.
find answers from real people
Sometimes websites don’t have the answers we’re looking for. We want answers from the public.
Did you notice that you are typing “?”[insert search topic here] Google “reddit”? You’re not alone.
“If you want to see what other people are saying, especially if you’re a Gen Z or younger user, you’re probably going to start with TikTok or go to Reddit instead of Google,” Kanabeth said.
Reddit told investors that more than 75 million people searched on its platform each week in the third quarter.
According to a 2024 Adobe study, the top search categories on Reddit are technology, news, and personal finance. But a significant number of people are turning to the platform for career and relationship advice, as well as product recommendations.
In December, the company launched Reddit Answers, a chatbot search tool that summarizes user recommendations and discussions in a conversational format. The company told Business Insider that daily query volume for the feature has increased more than 20% from last quarter.
If you don’t want to use Google, try these
If you’re tired of staring at the Google search bar and want a similar search bar that’s not owned by Google, there’s always Microsoft’s Bing.
You can also try AI-powered browsers like Atlas by OpenAI or Comet by Perplexity. These allow you to search conversationally and use AI agents to complete specific tasks.
Some AI search tools offer voice assistants to make searching more seamless.
“When you’re talking to an AI assistant, there’s a lot less friction than when you have to type in a long query,” Kanaves says. “The output is much more nuanced than the output you get from typing three or four keywords into the Google search bar.”
