TikTok is more than just a successful social media platform; the viral video app has already surpassed Google as the most popular website on the planet by being the most visited site this past year.

By now, we all know that TikTok is the place to be when it comes to viral trends. Over the last three years, the app has taken over social media, producing a slew of popular dances, memes, and even recipes that users all over the world had to try (yes, we’re talking about Emily Mariko’s famous salmon bowl that even I had to try).

TikTok’s proclivity for viral material appears to have propelled it to the top of the internet food chain, as website security firm CloudFlare just revealed that TikTok was the most visited site on the planet in 2021. This news is especially shocking considering that it overtook the quintessential search engine Google (which still ranks near the top in 2nd place, to be fair).

It was previously predicted that in 2021, TikTok was going to be the most popular website on the planet. TikTok saw a massive increase in visitors in 2021, after ranking 7th and 8th in 2020

According to CloudFare’s blog post, TikTok first landed at number one on February 17, 2021, and held it for a single day. TikTok climbed to the top of the charts several more times after that, eventually settling in at number one on August 10.

“2021 told a different story. It was on February 17, 2021, that TikTok got the top spot for a day. Back in March, TikTok got a few more days and also in May, but it was after August 10, 2021, that TikTok took the lead on most days. There were some days when Google was #1, but October and November were mostly TikTok’s days, including on Thanksgiving (November 25) and Black Friday (November 26).”

TikTok was not only the most popular website, but it was also the most popular social media platform, with Facebook (Instagram included) coming in second and YouTube coming in third. In fourth and fifth place, respectively, are Snapchat, Reddit, followed by Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Quora in last place.

TikTok has unquestionably had a good year. There’s no saying what will happen in 2022, given the plethora of trends and viral moments that spawned on the app in 2021.

In other news, Tiktok launched its own TV app, and Google is launching its own smartwatch in 2022.

Photo via Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images