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recently, WeChat launched new features such as “WeChat Encyclopedia” and “Search Discovery”.

When searching for "Summer Palace" in WeChat search, encyclopedia content about "Summer Palace" will appear in the search results. WeChat has also added an "encyclopedia" channel to the search results category channel. This channel presents all encyclopedia content related to the search keyword.

WeChat Encyclopedia has also launched an independent web version that supports mobile phones and computers, allowing users to access information anytime and anywhere. Like other search engines, search records will be displayed at the bottom. It is worth noting that at the bottom of the page, it is marked "Content comes from Sogou Encyclopedia".

As early as 2021, Tencent acquired Sogou. Industry insiders analyzed that encyclopedia is a typical UGC content ecosystem, and entries are jointly created and maintained by users. To create encyclopedia content from 0 to 1, it takes a lot of time and resources. Therefore, directly accessing other mature encyclopedia products is the most convenient way.

In addition, WeChat has recently added a new "Search Discovery" function. Click "Discover" - "Search" in WeChat, and you can see the "Search Discovery" function below the search box, which displays the most relevant and popular content in the form of topics. Click to jump to the official account or video account to view related content.

The default topic in "Search Discovery" is intelligently displayed by WeChat based on the user's search history, interest preferences, etc., and it will be automatically pushed when there is an update on the topic.

"Search Discovery" also provides personalized customization services, allowing users to set personalized tags according to their personal preferences and needs. For example, if you want to add or delete a topic, you can click the "three" function in the upper right corner, and then use "Edit" to delete keywords that you are not interested in, or click "Add" to search for keywords to add more keyword tags that you are interested in. If the relevant topic content displayed on the page is not what you like, you can also click the "..." after the topic and select "Browse More Content", which will jump to the page of the topic, where relevant content will be displayed in chronological order.

It is understood that WeChat did not provide a "search" function in its early stages of development. Later, as social relationships on the product increased, it launched the "search" function for finding chats for the first time in 2014. Later, this "search" function gradually supported searches for public account articles, Moments, city services, and mini-programs. Against this background, in January 2019, WeChat officially launched "WeChat Search".

Regarding the positioning of SouYiso, the WeChat team once said that WeChat is not a purely independent search engine, but as a part of the WeChat ecosystem, it allows better and more appropriate content and services to create more accurate connections with users. Therefore, the search results provided by WeChat SouYiso are based on the content of the WeChat ecosystem, mainly including three types of information, services, and brands. The WeChat Encyclopedia launched this time is also an important addition to WeChat's search content.

At the 2023 WeChat Open Class, the WeChat team disclosed that in 2022, the monthly active users of WeChat Search reached 800 million, and the search volume increased by 54% year-on-year. Among them, the search demand for travel and real estate increased by more than 200%, the search demand for news, medical, food, government affairs, and automobiles increased by more than 100%, and the search demand for content information and education increased by more than 40%.

Industry insiders analyzed that platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu initially distributed information through recommendation engines to accumulate users, and then introduced search engines to enrich and improve the content distribution method. Search is a basic form of information distribution, but recommendation engines are information looking for people, while search engines are people looking for information. For content platforms, recommendation engines can stimulate search interest, and content ecology will help improve search content.

In March this year, Tencent restructured its search business, transferring part of the search business that originally belonged to the Platform and Content Group (PCG) to the search department of the WeChat Group (WXG), including some of Sogou's original business. Xu Jingfang, the person in charge of WeChat Souyisou, previously served as Sogou's senior vice president.

Source: China Economic Net WeChat integrated 21st Century Business Herald, Hebei Radio and Television Jishi Client