Over the past few years, TikTok has dominated the social landscape with their world-class algorithm, making discoverability more attainable than ever. Now we’re seeing users start to use the platform like a search engine, putting SEO at the forefront of content strategies. 

If you’re like me, you’ve certainly found yourself on TikTok searching for something along the lines of…

• Easy appetizer recipes
• Things to do in Atlanta
• Amazon must-haves
• Travel tips for Paris
• Alix Earle’s makeup routine (if you know, you know)

I’m sure you can relate, and based on recent reports, it appears other users are doing the same. According to Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president at Google, almost 40% of young people (between the ages of 18 and 24) are turning to TikTok or Instagram before performing a traditional Google search. It’s more apparent than ever that TikTok is shifting from just a social media platform to a robust search engine.

To accommodate for this evolution in user behavior, TikTok has made some improvements to their search engine with predictive text and an AI recommendation engine that considers metrics like click through rate and watch times. 

If SEO wasn’t already a part of your TikTok strategy, now is the time to get started!

TikTok SEO Tips

When optimizing your TikTok SEO, your first step to identify keywords that your audience is searching for. This is where you can use TikTok’s search bar and predictive text to your advantage! Type in some general keyword(s) and see what others TikTok suggests. This dropdown list is driven by data and looks at what users are searching for the most at that time.

For example, if you’re a healthy food blogger, you can start by searching the keywords “healthy food.” From there, TikTok may suggest search words like “healthy food swaps” or “healthy meal prep ideas.” In order to show up as one of the top results for these searches, you’ll want to start incorporating these keywords into your content.

How to use keywords on TikTok

So how should you incorporate these keywords in your TikToks? Let’s break it down…

Once you’ve identified your keyword(s) there are three places to incorporate them:

1. On-screen text
2. Captions and hashtags
3. Automated closed captions (TikTok generates these based on what you’re saying  in your video)

For example, if you’re a healthy food blogger, you’ll want to leverage the keywords “healthy recipes.” To optimize your content for search, you should:

• Add on-screen text containing keywords
• Include keywords in your caption and hashtags
• Say the keywords in your video and turn on closed captioning

It sounds simple, because it is! TikTok has changed the game of discoverability and incorporating your keywords in these three areas can boost the likelihood of your TikTok showing up in the search results.

For more help with your TikTok SEO strategy, schedule a call with us today!