Watching a teenager scour the web today is... disturbing. Not because he's doing it wrong. Just different. He doesn't search the way we did. He doesn't ask Google a question and expect a tidy answer. He waits. For it to drop into his feed. A video, a review, an excerpt that grabs his attention.
He doesn't type anything. Or almost nothing. He scrolls. He clicks on a sound, an image 👀. He feels. That's how the info gets through. It's no longer sought. It's experienced, absorbed, frictionless.
So no, it's not a generational fad. It's a different relationship to the web. Less linear, more sensory. And above all, much more spontaneous.
What's in it for us? Everything. If we continue to write for a search engine that is no longer their gateway, we're talking in a vacuum. We're lining up content that no one will ever see. Or not the ones we're aiming for.
Google is no longer the starting point
The shift isn't necessarily reflected in the figures. Not yet. Google remains dominant, on the surface. But beneath the surface, reflexes are changing. Young people no longer google 🔎«how to make risotto». They type it into TikTok. Or they watch a reel. Or they ask a trusted YouTuber. Not because they hate Google. Just because elsewhere, it's simpler, more direct, more alive.
This is no longer a niche phenomenon. When 46 % of 15-25 year-olds say they prefer to search on a social network rather than a search engine, it's no longer a trend. It's a shift. A shift in the center of gravity. And with it, a whole area of SEO becomes... blurred.
The rules of the game have changed
Blurred, because the rules are changing. The algorithm is no longer Google's, but TikTok's. Instagram's. YouTube's. Platforms that don't read title tags. Who aren't interested in your internal linking. They want rhythm, hooks, visuals. Instant.
So what do you do when you're a brand, a publisher or an agency? Panic? No. We listen. Observe. And above all, we stop applying old patterns to new uses.
Creating content designed for platforms
We need to unlearn. Rethink what we call “optimization”. For example, on TikTok, there are no links. No page. Just a video. Thirty seconds, sometimes less. That's where it's all about. A hook. An emotion. A clear intention 💡. And then the algorithm does the rest. If it works, it runs. If not, it dies in silence.
On Instagram, the same logic applies. Visibility is earned through engagement, not indexing. Shares, comments, reposts. These are the signals of relevance. Not a well-organized H1-H2-H3 structure.
YouTube? It's a mix of both. Long content, but it has to start off strong. Captivate within the first ten seconds. And above all, create a link. A voice. A presence. The algorithm recognizes loyalty, not just keywords.
In other words: SEO doesn't disappear. It's recomposing itself. It expands. It's overflowing. And for those still working as they did in 2018, it's a shock. But for others, it's an opportunity. Immense.
Knowing where to put your energy
As long as you know what you're looking for. And where you want to be seen. Because not everyone has to be on TikTok. It all depends on what you're selling. To whom. And how those people find out what they want.
Some brands have understood this very well, and the best examples still often come from the USA. Chipotle, for example. No need for an optimized blog. They link short formats, challenges and hashtags. The message gets through. Not through text. Through gesture.
Gymshark too. Raw content, filmed by users. Real bodies, sports routines that could be reproduced. No elaborate staging. No storytelling. Just the emotion of the moment.
Even the banks are getting in on the act, this time in Europe. N26 has understood the importance of voice. They're optimizing for Siri, for Alexa. They answer real questions, asked aloud, in a natural way. And it works. Because it's designed to.
What do all these boxes have in common? They've stopped producing content in order to rank well. They create formats that circulate. That are transmitted. That are rooted in usage, not keywords.
This is where the real SEO in 2025. Not in dashboards. In flows. In voices. In thumbs that stop on a screen.
Adapt your strategy without falling into caricature
For those who want to evolve their strategy, there are a few directions to explore. Not magic recipes, no. But some solid leads.
- Think platform first. No longer an engine. Create for TikTok, for Insta, for YouTube. With their codes. Their language.
- Work on the hook. Every piece of content, whether short or long, needs to be captivating within three seconds. Otherwise it's lost.
- Focus on your voice. Both literally (vocal research) and figuratively (tone, rhythm, manner of speaking).
- Don't neglect the visual. The image no longer illustrates the message: it's the center of it. The point of entry.
- And above all: give others a voice. Users, customers, ambassadors. Authenticity can't be manufactured. It has to be shared.
That's it. No perfect plan. No ten-step strategy. Just a reality to face. And a course to adjust, slowly but surely.
📚 Sources for this article (nothing pulled out of a hat)
- Deloitte - Digital Media Trends 2025
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“Gen Z continues to drive the shift to short-form, creator-driven content, where entertainment and information blur into one experience.”
- Forrester - Predictions 2025
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“In 2025, Gen Z's preference for community-based discovery over traditional search will force brands to rethink how they surface information.”
- NielsenIQ - Gen Z Spending Power (2025)
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“Social discovery is now the first step in Gen Z's purchase journey - not the search bar.”
- Think with Google - Voice Search & Mobile Stats
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“27% of the global online population is using voice search on mobile - and Gen Z leads the trend.”
- Gartner - Search Engine Disruption (2024)
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“By 2026, traditional search volume will drop by 25% as AI chatbots and social algorithms dominate discovery.”
Co-founder of Smart Impact.Passionate about the web from the outset, he launched his first project in 2006: an online music magazine that is still running today. With almost 20 years' experience in SEO, a federal diploma in marketing and a solid geek culture, he and his team transform customers' (sometimes vague) ideas into concrete digital projects.