How each generation searches in 2025 — and why adapt or be invisible

South Africans don’t “search the web” in one uniform way anymore. Boomers still default to Google and phone numbers. Gen X straddles Google, Maps and Facebook Groups. Millennials jump between Google, Instagram and WhatsApp. Gen Z often starts on TikTok or YouTube before ever touching a traditional results page. And AI answers now sit on top of Google, rewriting the order of attention entirely. If your brand doesn’t show up where each cohort begins, you’re effectively invisible to them.

Search behaviour sits on three overlapping layers: classic engines, social and chat surfaces, and AI answer experiences. Locally, roughly 50.8 million people are online, with 26.7 million social identities, which tells you discovery doesn’t happen on one channel; it happens wherever attention is flowing that day. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights

Boomers (late-50s to 70s+): Google-first, trust-led discovery

This cohort still treats Google and Maps as the front door. They favour clear “how it works” pages, visible phone numbers, directions, and dependable review signals they can verify. UK media-literacy data shows Facebook is most likely to be the “main” social app among older adults, while TikTok and Instagram skew young, a pattern mirrored in South African usage anecdotally. That split matters for placement: keep your Google Business Profile complete and current, add detailed services, photos, operating hours, parking and accessibility notes, and maintain recent review responses. www.ofcom.org.ukBrightLocal

Gen X (mid-40s to late-50s): comparison shoppers across Google, YouTube and Facebook

Gen X mixes search engines with long-form research. They will Google a shortlist, watch explainer videos on YouTube, check a Facebook Group, and then return to Maps for directions. The same Ofcom study highlights broad multi-platform use among 25–44s and notes that recognising ads in search isn’t as strong as people think, so clarity and trust cues on your pages matter. For this group, publish comparison guides, pricing explainers, and process videos, and make your Google and Facebook presences consistent so nothing “jars” between channels. www.ofcom.org.uk

Millennials (late-20s to early-40s): mobile-first, social-assisted search

Millennials bounce between Google, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube. In South Africa, YouTube’s ad reach is around 25 million and Facebook’s around 26–27 million, which maps to the channels where this cohort actually spends time. They’ll skim Reels or Shorts, tap through to a profile, message on WhatsApp, and only then open your site. Optimise posts and short video for “how-to”, “what to expect”, timelines and costs. Use structured data so Google can lift specific answers, and keep messaging entry points (click-to-WhatsApp, web chat) prominent. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights

Gen Z (teens to late-20s): social-first, video-native, “answers over links”

For Gen Z, discovery often starts inside social apps. Pew finds nine-in-ten teens use YouTube; roughly six-in-ten use TikTok and Instagram daily. Many ask TikTok first for “best near me”, how-tos, or product reviews, then cross-check on Google or Maps. To be seen, publish vertical video that answers specific questions, add location cues and prices inside the content, and keep consistent NAP details so algorithmic map cards can match your entity to the video. Expect fewer homepage visits and more micro-journeys from social profile → chat → booking. Pew Research Center

Gen Alpha (kids and early teens): influence via YouTube and voice

This audience doesn’t purchase directly but shapes household decisions. They discover via YouTube Kids or family tablets and ask voice assistants simple, localised questions. Short, friendly explainer clips and clear, parent-oriented landing pages help you win the family veto.

Where each group actually searches

Classic engines still dominate intent with money attached: Google search and Google Maps remain the top places people find and vet local businesses, and reviews on Google carry outsized weight. But consumers increasingly peek at alternatives (Instagram, YouTube, even local news) before acting, which means your reputation and content must line up across surfaces. In South Africa specifically, platform reach is broad: YouTube 25.3 million, Facebook 26.7 million, TikTok’s adult ad reach growing rapidly — all meaningful discovery layers alongside Google itself. BrightLocalDataReportal – Global Digital Insights

The AI layer that changes who gets seen

Google’s AI Overviews and “AI Mode” now synthesise answers at the top of results and link to a wider range of sources than the classic “ten blue links”. Nielsen Norman Group’s field work finds gen-AI is reshaping search habits while long-standing defaults persist, which explains why some cohorts still start on Google even as they read AI answers first. Google itself reports AI Overviews increases usage on the kinds of queries that show it, but that also means the brands highlighted can differ from the sites ranking 1–3. The result: being cited inside answers (AEO) matters as much as being ranked (SEO). Nielsen Norman Groupblog.google

What “adapt or be invisible” means in practice

Make a single source of truth that every surface can lift from. For Google, keep entity signals immaculate: consistent legal name, address and numbers, robust LocalBusiness/Organisation schema, service lists, prices, FAQs, and fresh review responses on your Google Business Profile. For social search, publish concise, fact-rich clips that literally answer the questions people ask on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, and pair them with location markers and captions that match your Maps details. For AI answers, structure pages with quotable definitions, checklists and tables, cite credible sources, and update time-sensitive facts so Overviews can safely pull you in. Across cohorts, assume more journeys will complete without a homepage visit: put bookings, quotes and WhatsApp on the first touch.

South Africa specifics to prioritise this quarter

Treat YouTube as a discovery engine, not just a media channel; its reach rivals Facebook here. Expect TikTok to keep growing into practical discovery for younger adults; lean into short, localised Q&A content. Keep Google at the centre of local intent: every cohort still ends up checking Maps and reviews, even if they started elsewhere. And plan for AI to mediate high-information queries: the “proposal at the top” may not mirror organic rankings, so design pages to earn citations, not just positions. DataReportal – Global Digital InsightsBrightLocalblog.google