Short-form video-sharing service TikTok was the most popular internet site in 2021, passing even Google, online infrastructure-provider Cloudflare Inc. reported in a blog post Monday (Dec. 20).
TikTok visitors use smartphone apps or browsers to watch videos that TikTok’s algorithms predict the users will find engaging, typically on a user’s “For You” page.
Those algorithms have been the subject of intense interest in the digital-marketing world as they’ve driven rapid growth of TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.
According to previous reports by the Wall Street Journal, the key to TikTok’s assessment of user interest is the length of time he or she spends looking at a piece of content. Re-watching an item also affects TikTok’s scoring.
Cloudflare found that Thanksgiving and Black Friday were two especially good days for TikTok, relative to other websites.
Related: TikTok Takes on QSR Giants with 1,000 Virtual Kitchens
TikTok stated earlier this year that it has more than 1 billion users, the WSJ reported, although TikTok didn’t respond to their request for comment on the latest ranking.
However, TikTok landed the number-one internet traffic spot in February and then saw its popularity surge even higher in August.
Cloudlfare’s full list of top internet sites in 2021 consists of TikTok, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple
Following behind TikTok in Cloudflare’s list of top internet sites in 2021 is Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, Twitter and WhatsApp. Notably, Instagram is no longer in the top 10, losing its previous ninth-place position.
TikTok was at the top of Cloudflare’s list of the top 10 social media domains, followed by Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Quora.
Cloudflare’s list of the top 10 streaming sites saw Netflix take first place, followed by YouTube, Roku, HBO Max, Hulu, Peacock TV, Disney+, Paramount+, Sling and IQ.
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