TikTok Introduces Yelp-Like Features with New Location Pages for Food, Hotels, and Shopping

TikTok increasingly resembles platforms like Yelp, with its revamped location pages now featuring video categories such as food and drink, hotels, and shopping. This shift positions TikTok as an entertainment and social media platform and a travel resource.

Improving User Experience, Engagement on Tiktok

While users have been able to tag their geolocation for some time, TikTok has now enhanced the landing pages for select locations, including Boston, New York, and Texas. Instead of merely displaying videos tagged with a specific area, the platform now organizes content into categories like "food & drink," "hotels," and "shopping," making it easier for users to find relevant videos.

Additionally, a new "explore more places" button integrates with Apple Maps, providing a map of businesses in the area that has been tagged in TikTok posts. Below the map, users can see a list of locations along with details such as their address, price level, and the number of tags on TikTok, giving the platform a functionality similar to Yelp or a travel site.

TikTok has yet to confirm the rollout date of these new features, but they seem to have been introduced recently. Currently, the updated location pages are not accessible for all tagged areas.

TikTok's Influence on Dining and Travel

In recent years, TikTok has evolved to mirror other platforms and, in some instances, has successfully supplanted competitors, particularly among younger users. While TikTok has not yet become a perfect alternative to Google Search, it significantly boosts local restaurant businesses when a video goes viral.

More people are now using TikTok instead of Yelp to find new restaurants, signaling a shift in how consumers discover places to eat. TikTok has also become a hub for travel content, with businesses often promoting their "TikTok-famous" status. This change by TikTok to organize and showcase such content recognizes its growing impact in these areas.

The flood of paid influencer content on TikTok and other social media platforms makes it challenging to trust their recommendations fully. However, TikTok is betting that users will trust restaurant suggestions while scrolling through the app, especially when planning trips to new cities.

TikTok Aims to Reshape Internet Navigation to Challenge Google

Some suggest TikTok is reshaping how we navigate the internet, posing a potential challenge to Google's dominance. Prabhakar Raghavan, Google's SVP of search, noted a shift among young users who increasingly bypass traditional search engines like Google Maps and Search in favor of TikTok and Instagram to find places to eat.

Recent reports from The Verge highlight that TikTok is becoming a go-to platform for what used to be typical Google searches. The trend towards visual content isn't surprising, given YouTube's longstanding popularity as a search engine in its own right. Videos often provide the most effective answers, prompting users to seek information visually rather than through text-based searches.

However, while competition in the search engine market benefits consumers and regulators, questions remain about whether TikTok can effectively replace Google across all search needs, particularly for complex queries beyond visual content like finding specific local businesses.