๐ Short videos are on the rise and Google wants to support this trend with a new tab on smartphones. Many people like video content, which is why it should be placed visibly in Google searches.
Videos๐น
Short videos, especially reels on Instagram and Facebook, are the fastest growing format and are strongly supported by Meta. They generate over 3.5 billion reshares and more than 200 billion views every day. TikTok, with over 1.5 billion monthly active users, is shaping the digital space and inspiring new video formats on other platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts.
Own categoryย ๐ฌ
Google is trialling a new field called ‘Short videos’ between ‘Images’ and ‘Videos’. This is intended to give content similar to that on TikTok and YouTube more attention. However, this feature is only available to selected users. According to SEO Southwest, the content for short videos in the search results is mainly provided by TikTok and YouTube.
Mobile devicesย ๐ฑ
Broedie Clark, an SEO consultant at X, reports that the new feature will only be accessible to mobile users, which accounts for around ten per cent of global searches. Google is testing the targeted display of short videos specifically for smartphone users, as these are optimised in 9:16 format and the user base is already highly targeted, particularly among younger generations. TikTok is regarded as a pioneer and is increasingly developing into a search engine in its own right.
Google is adapting๐
Google could lose users in the long term if it doesn’t adapt. This opens up new SEO opportunities for advertisers for TikTok content. Google’s search engine has recently made extensive changes, including with regard to artificial intelligence. The launch of Search Generative Experience (SGE), an AI-powered search, is imminent, but monetisation is still a work in progress.
Further search filters๐
In addition to the ‘Short Videos’ filter, Google is introducing other new search filters that are likely to be relevant in the long term. The ‘Forums’ filter replaces the ‘Perspectives’ filter, as content from forums such as Reddit and Quora is becoming increasingly important. A significant deal with Reddit enables AI model training with Reddit data. Filters for products and product pages are also being tested in Germany and other European countries. This is confirmed by SEO expert Malte Landwehr in a LinkedIn post by Brodie Clark. Users thus receive more differentiated search result options, from short videos to Reddit posts and articles.
