The recent TikTok ban drama in the U.S. has caused a surge in search activity as people look for answers, alternatives, and workarounds.
The app temporarily shut down over the weekend and was restored after President-elect Donald Trump announced a 90-day extension. This led to a notable rise in search interest.
An SEO consultant named Sobhi Smat compiled a collection of search data and shared it on LinkedIn.
Here’s what the data shows about people’s reactions and what it means for marketers.
The Context: TikTok’s Uncertain Future
On January 17, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld PAFACA. The original deadline for compliance was January 19.
In response, on January 18, TikTok began shutting down its services in the U.S., removing the app from app stores and displaying service discontinuation notices.
On January 19, President-elect Donald Trump announced plans for a 90-day extension via executive order, allowing TikTok to restore operations while negotiations continue temporarily.
Search Behavior: Three Key Trends Emerge
Analysis of Google search data from January 1 to January 16 reveals three dominant categories of search behavior related to the TikTok ban:
Staying Informed
Exploring Alternatives
Circumventing the Ban
1. Staying Informed
One of the largest spikes in search activity was caused by people trying to understand the reasons behind the ban and stay informed about recent developments.
Queries like “TikTok ban update,” “Supreme Court ruling on TikTok,” and “Is the TikTok ban extended?” saw a breakout, with search interest increasing by over 5000%.
2. Exploring TikTok Alternatives: A Battle for User Attention
As fears of TikTok’s potential shutdown grew, people turned to Google to explore alternative platforms.
The search term “TikTok alternatives” saw explosive growth, alongside interest in specific apps such as RedNote, Lemon8, Clapper, and Fanbase.
RedNote: The Rising Star
Among alternatives, RedNote attracted the most attention, with breakout search terms like “What is RedNote?”, “Is RedNote safe?”, and “TikTok vs RedNote”.
However, RedNote’s surge in popularity exposed its challenges, particularly in delivering high-quality English-language content and addressing translation issues. This led to a related search spike for “Chinese to English translation.”