TikTok is no longer just a social media app; it’s also a search engine—at least for Gen Z, half of whom are reportedly choosing TikTok over Google as their preferred search engine.
Read to learn about TikTok SEO and how you can use it to optimize your videos for search on the platform.
What Is TikTok SEO?
TikTok SEO is the process of optimizing your video content on TikTok to rank higher on the platform’s search engine.
TikTok’s ranking algorithm focuses on keyword usage, hashtags, content quality, and user interactions.
Why Is TikTok SEO Important?
TikTok is important if you want to tap into a younger audience.
A recent study by HerCampus discovered that over 50% of Gen Z chose TikTok over Google as their preferred search engine.
But that’s not the only reason why you should care about TikTok SEO!
- Reach a wider audience: TikTok SEO enables you to optimize your profile and content according to your target consumers’ search queries. This increases the likelihood of reaching people interested in your products or services and exposes your business to a new demographic.
- Direct engagement with your target audience: A smart SEO strategy makes it easier for users to engage with your videos. It enhances your discoverability on the For You Page (FYP), allowing users to comment, like, or share your videos.
- Improve your brand’s popularity: If your brand can seamlessly fit into the entertaining videos people watch on TikTok, you can get more eyes on your brand and even drive traffic to your website through caption links.
How Does SEO on TikTok Work?
To maximize your visibility on TikTok, you must optimize your content for active search and content discovery.
- Active search is a deliberate approach to finding relevant content on the platform using the search bar.
- Content discovery is randomly viewing videos to find something that grabs your attention.
TikTok’s algorithm matches content based on how users interact with the videos they watch.
In other words, if your content is displayed on a user’s For You Page (FYP), it means the algorithm has determined that you are generating content relevant to the specific user.
TikTok SEO Ranking Factors
For you to optimize your TikTok content, you need to understand how TikTok ranks content.
The social platform uses the following three main factors to determine how videos rank on a user’s FYP:
- Scope of video information: Details like captions, hashtags, sound clips, and other identifying factors help the algorithm to place your videos. Therefore, if you are within a specific niche, your video’s information must reflect the niche to make it relevant to your target audience.
- Individual user interactions: The algorithm pays attention to actions such as likes, comments, shares, follows, and skips and adjusts the FYP accordingly. If your videos are engaging and contain relevant content, they will be recommended to the correct audience.
- Device and account settings: Information like your type of device, language preferences, and location will determine the content displayed on your FYP. You need to consider the type of devices your target audience uses and their preferred account settings.
How to Optimize for TikTok Search: Here Are the Steps!
Now that we know what TikTok’s algorithm looks for to rank content, here’s how you can increase your chances of showing up on TikTok search.
Carry Out Keyword Research
Like with any other content marketing strategy, conducting keyword research is crucial for your brand to reach its target audience on TikTok.
You can use traditional SEO tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs to get a general idea of what your target audience searches for and to gain insights into your industry.
Additionally, you can use TikTok’s Keyword insights tool to locate keywords, view relevant videos, and unearth keyword phrases you can incorporate into your video captions.
Be sure to include these keywords in your captions, hashtags, and any related text that appears in the video. You can also use the platform search engine to generate video ideas for your brand.
Create Quality Content on TikTok
With millions of active TikTok accounts globally, your brand will not stand out unless you generate high-quality content.
Create different types of content that resonate with your brand, target audience, and TikTok users.
What works on Instagram will not always work on TikTok and vice versa, so make sure your content is native to TikTok!
Videos can be educational, entertaining, or user-generated, depending on how you want to relate with your audience.
Ideally, you want to post a new video every day. Well, actually, more than once a day would be even better.
Use the platform’s editing features so that the video feels original and familiar. Incorporating trending sound clips and memes can make your videos fun and engaging.
Utilize Trending Challenges and Hashtags
TikTok challenges and hashtags have been behind the success of some top brands. Challenges like wet n wild Beauty’s #BiggerIsBetter and GUESS’s #InMyDenim allowed both businesses to go viral and reach a wider audience.
You can jump on a trending hashtag or create one for your brand. Ideally, finding a unique twist to the challenge will help you stand out even more.
Ensure you use trending challenges and hashtags early on while they are still relevant to increase your chances of going viral.
Engage With Your TikTok Audience
Engaging with your TikTok audience humanizes your brand and helps foster a loyal following.
You can set up a TikTok live stream where you show your followers footage of your product or hold a Q&A session to respond to fan inquiries. You can also ask for your audience’s input to encourage them to leave comments on your videos.
Collaborating with popular TikTok influencers as part of a wider TikTok marketing strategy is also an excellent way to promote your brand.
TikTok SEO vs. Traditional SEO: What’s the Difference?
TikTok SEO is different from traditional SEO in a few ways. Here are the three main differences:
| TikTok SEO | Traditional SEO | |
| Video vs. text | TikTok is a visual platform, and therefore, SEO involves optimizing videos | Traditional SEO is text-based and involves optimizing articles, blog posts, and web pages |
| Hashtags vs. keywords | Hashtags are used to assist users in finding content, and thus, businesses need to optimize content with popular hashtags | Relevant keywords people search for on Google are used to optimize content |
| Engagement vs. ranking | Performance is measured by the level of engagement a video receives in the forms of likes, comments, shares, etc | Success is measured by how high content ranks on search results and how much organic traffic a website gets |
Reach out for Help With SEO for Your Brand
TikTok is transforming the consumer journey.
Instead of the conventional buying process, the platform has improved the customer experience for end users who watch viral videos and purchase.
TikTok SEO is crucial in figuring out how to help brands navigate this new landscape and reach a younger audience.
