Search Engine Recap - Week 16 (2024)

Welcome to week 16, where we cover a new study on Generation Z, several Google updates, and news from Brave Search. Here’s an overview.

Google Continues to Outperform TikTok Among Gen Z

A study has found that Google remains the primary search engine for Generation Z, despite their frequent use of social platforms like TikTok and YouTube for information searching.

The study notes that 46% of young adults aged 18-24 start their online searches on Google, while only 21% begin on TikTok and even fewer on YouTube.

Google continues to adapt by enhancing AI search tools and incorporating diverse results, such as those from forum sites. However, there are still challenges as some users are dissatisfied with the quality of Google's search results.

New Update to Search Console

Google has updated the Search Console to enhance security by introducing a new feature that allows businesses to remove unused ownership tokens.

This update helps prevent unauthorized access by enabling the verification and removal of these tokens, often left behind after changes in ownership.

The update is part of Google's ongoing efforts to improve security and manage user rights more effectively, addressing potential risks associated with outdated access credentials.

Sustainable Options for Google Search and Maps

Google has updated its Search and Maps services to support more sustainable travel options. These updates include suggesting environmentally friendly routes in Google Maps and highlighting ‘low-emission’ flight options in the search engine.

Google Maps will now also recommend walking and public transport routes along with driving directions to promote less carbon-intensive travel choices.

Moreover, Google aims to make emissions data more accessible and has therefore rolled out these features in over 15 major cities worldwide.

This also underscores that if one offers more green solutions - or demonstrates awareness of sustainability through their business - it is something that should be displayed on their site. These are indeed signals that both humans and search engines like Google want to see more of.

Google Ends Test with Structured Data for Video Carousels

As the last update from Google, they have now ended support for structured data for video carousels due to their limited utility, based on tests with various website owners.

This feature was aimed at enabling a so-called video host carousel in search results using ItemList structured data. However, this markup may still be useful for other search engines.

You can read the updated guidelines here.

Brave Search with AI-powered Search Engine

We conclude with Brave Search, which has introduced a new AI-driven search engine named "Answer with AI", operating on its extensive index of billions of websites.

The engine is designed to enhance privacy and uniqueness in search results, thus distinguishing it from other search engines.

It incorporates advanced AI technologies like Large Language Models and Retrieval Augmented Generation to ensure updated, factual answers. The goal here is to achieve accurate data synthesis and relevance of results.

Takeaways and Recommendations

Another week has passed, which means more news from the search world.

Despite social platforms like TikTok and YouTube being particularly popular among the young, the figures show that Google remains the absolute go-to for information searching.

Why, one might ask?

In many ways, this is probably because, while TikTok and YouTube are the biggest on video, Google is the internet’s hub for all knowledge and in all formats. Thus, the journey starts here and is likely to continue regardless of age group.

Moreover, we saw more news from Google, worth keeping up with if you want to stay ahead in everything from the Search Console to Maps.

Finally, it will be exciting to follow Brave Search's AI search engine "Answer with AI," and how it will challenge the constantly evolving landscape.

If you need help or input on what the above updates mean for you and your business, feel free to reach out to Bonzer. As an SEO agency, we work purposefully with ambitious businesses to keep them at the top of the search engine.