Social Search Is Replacing Google for Gen Z — What UAE Brands Should Do
It is Friday evening. A group of friends in Dubai wants dinner. Something new, not too pricey, good for photos. Nobody opens Google. One of them types “best brunch Marina” straight into Instagram, and within a minute they are watching three reels and reading the comments.
This small moment happens all over the city, all day long. At GL Infotech, we see it clearly in the brands we work with across the UAE. Young customers have not left the internet. They just search in a different place now. This is why social media marketing in Dubai is no longer a side task. It is where the first look happens.
What They Actually Search For
The Gen Z queries are brief, colloquial and location-based. The queries include locations such as places where one can grab some food, salon, clinic, as well as weekend activities. They mostly just want to know what is cool, how much it costs, and what it looks like.
They do not require any company information.
Younger people don’t come with preset expectations.-Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior Vice President, Google
Why the Feed Wins
- Videos show the real place, not just a description
- Comments tell them what other people think
- Everything is in one app, so decisions happen fast
Why Dubai Makes This Bigger
Something new comes up every other week in Dubai. A new café here, a new clinic there, an unknown shop somewhere. They look at them on their cell phones, and their decisions are made instantly. If your page is not well-organized, or if it’s been silent for quite some time now, they move on to the next page.
Many Gen Z users now start their search on Instagram, not Google. They want short videos, real comments and clear local details. This becomes even more relevant in Dubai, where new establishments keep opening up. Add your area to captions, use simple words, put text on your reels and reply the same day. Treat your profile like a shop front and people will find you.
Make Your Brand Easy to Find
You do not need a big budget for this. A simple checklist helps:
- Add your area, mall, or street name in captions and tags
- Use simple words people would really type
- Put text on reels so they work on mute
- Pin your best videos at the top of your profile
- Save highlights for menu, prices, offers, and location
- Reply to comments and DMs on the same day
Good social media marketing in Dubai starts with being clear and being easy to find.
Let Real People Do Some of the Talking
Customers trust other customers. Ask happy ones to tag you and repost their stories with permission. Work with local creators whose followers look like your own customers. Skip heavily scripted videos. Gen Z can tell when something is staged.
Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.-Bill Gates, Co-founder, Microsoft
Final Thoughts
Social search will not replace everything. People still use Google for opening hours, maps, and websites. But the first spark of interest now often starts on a feed. Brands that treat their profile like a shop front, clean, helpful, and always open, will get noticed first.
Start small. Pick one platform, post a few real videos each week, and see which ones get saved and shared. Then do more of that.
If you want help building this for your brand, GL Infotech can plan content that gets found and remembered in Dubai. Reach out to us and let’s get started.
