TikTok SEO in 5 Steps: How to Make Sure Your Videos Show Up in Search
What if I told you that TikTok SEO could help your content reach more people and even make your videos go viral?
If you are dreaming about your social media SEO strategy, this blog is for you. We’ll walk you through all the juicy details about TikTok SEO, how it works, and how you can optimize your video content to get the most out of it.
Stay tuned and you’ll be on the For You page right away.
What is TikTok SEO?
TikTok SEO is the practice of optimizing your TikTok videos to rank higher in searches. In the same way that you use keywords and analytics to optimize content on your website, you can also use this tactic to get your TikTok videos to show up in more search results, including results on TikTok as well as Google.
But wait. TikTok is not a search engine, right? Maybe not technically, but it still has its own search bar, making SEO an important part of the platform. In fact, Google’s own data showed that 40% of young people primarily use TikTok and Instagram for search.
And while social media posts like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc. have not been indexed by Google in the past, they now show up in search results. Imagine it!
Your TikTok SEO strategy should include both SEO for Google and SEO for TikTok search. In this way, you give your content a chance to succeed in all the major online search engines.
TikTok SEO Ranking Factors
To understand TikTok SEO, you first need to understand what TikTok is looking for when ranking content. The TikTok algorithm has several major ranking factors. This:
User interaction
User interactions can include anything: videos you’ve liked, videos you’ve hidden, videos you’ve favorited, and videos you’ve watched to the end. TikTok takes note of all this data and uses it to determine which videos to show you.
Video Information
All the information contained in a video can affect its TikTok ranking. This includes captions, hashtags, sound effects, and music. TikTok looks for videos that contain relevant keywords in titles and descriptions, as well as videos about trending topics.
Devices and account settings
These are the settings that TikTok uses to optimize performance. These include language preferences, country settings (you may be more likely to see content from people in your country), mobile device type, and interest categories that you have selected as a new user.
Note that while account settings affect your TikTok SEO ranking, they receive less weight than video information and user interactions.
What is not included?
You’ll be happy to hear that TikTok doesn’t factor in the number of followers in their SEO ranking algorithm (although if you’re looking to get more followers, we’ve got you covered). This means that if you create great content that speaks directly to your target audience, you have just as much chance of landing on their For You page as the biggest TikTok stars.
This is what makes TikTok different from other platforms like Instagram. And honestly? We are here for this.
Google SEO Ranking Factors
Anyone who knows anything about SEO knows that Google ranking factors are not the most transparent topic. Also, there are a couple of things we know for sure. And, *spoiler alert*, these ranking factors will also be an important part of your TikTok SEO tips.
That’s what Google is looking for when ranking search results.
Keywords
These are the words and phrases that users enter into a search engine when looking for answers. For example, someone looking for hair care tips might search for “hair care”.
Expertise
Google doesn’t just give anyone the top spot in searches. To earn it, you must be an authority on the topic.
How do they know you’re an authority? This part is a little tricky. But essentially, Google is looking at how many other pages are linking to your page (this acts as a link and shows you are telling the truth) and how popular those pages are. Essentially, this means that a link from Apple will cost a lot more than a link from your brother’s local pizzeria. Sorry Antonio.
The good news for TikTok users is that social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook) are some of the most “authoritative”sites in this world. So, being on these platforms and showing your content in Google searches can really help boost your visibility.
Relevance
Some of the content should be related to what users are looking for in order to rank well. No one wants to see a page from World War II history when looking for makeup brush cleaning tips.
Freshness
Google generally prefers new content over old content, although there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, Google says, “Content freshness plays a bigger role in answering questions about current news topics than it does in dictionary definitions.”
How to do TikTok SEO in 5 steps
Now that we know what the TikTok and Google search engines are looking for, here are our top TikTok SEO tips.
1. Start with your audience
One of the most important aspects of TikTok SEO is understanding your audience. Knowing who they are and what they are looking for can help you create content that resonates with them.
If you’re already active on TikTok, you might have a good idea of what your audience likes. If not, consider taking some time to get to know them better. Check out the videos they use and the hashtags they use. Also, look at the comments and messages they send you. This can help you get an idea of their interests so you can create content tailored to them.
@skyemareewheatley You asked for it ??❤️✌️ #haitcare #haircareroutine #healthyhair
Why is this important for SEO? Well, understanding your audience can help you create better video titles and descriptions, making them easier to find in TikTok search. Similarly, you want to create content that your audience wants to see. Or content they are already looking for. This can give you an edge when it comes to discovering new audiences.
@madeleinewould You asked for a pt 2 and u got a pt 2 ? just like last time…these products are just what worked or didnt work for my hair specifically! #hairtok #hairproducts #sephora
2. Do Keyword Research
Keyword research is an integral part of traditional SEO, so it makes sense to use it on TikTok as well. Find out what words or phrases your target audience uses when searching for content like yours.
Don’t forget to consider different ways of wording the topic, as well as relevant keywords. You can do this with tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and more.
Keep in mind that these tools pull data from Google itself, not TikTok. Because SEO on TikTok is such a new phenomenon, there are currently no SEO tools on TikTok that can tell you what people are looking for on TikTok.
But don’t despair. The best way to figure out what people are searching for on TikTok is to use the TikTik platform directly. Just go to TikTok, open the search bar, and enter any keywords you’ve pulled from your TikTok keyword research.
TikTok will automatically populate the search bar with the most popular keywords related to your query. Review what it shows you and pick any keywords that match your content.
If you want to see even more keyword options, try entering a keyword followed by a single letter. TikTok will then show you all related keywords that start with your query and the letter you entered.
For example:
Hair care “A”.
Hair care “B”.
Hair Care C.
You can repeat this process until you have a list of relevant hashtags and keywords to use in your TikTok SEO strategy.
3. Add keywords to your content
Once you’ve finished your TikTok keyword research, start adding them to your content in your video titles, descriptions, and captions. This includes any text on the screen, such as lyrics or explanations.
@skinbyhelen It would’ve saved my hair from all the damage over the years ? #haircaretips #haircare #iwishiknewthisearlier
Also, don’t forget to say the keywords out loud! That’s right, TikTok’s algorithms prioritize videos where the keywords are actually spoken.
You’ll also want to include your keywords in any hashtags you use, as this will help people find your posts more easily. Use both the primary keyword and any variations of the keyword that make sense. But don’t overdo it. Make sure you know the optimal number of hashtags for each platform.
Finally, add the most relevant target keywords to your TikTok profile. This ensures that your profile is more visible when people search for those keywords. It also gives potential subscribers an idea of what content you are posting and whether they should subscribe to you.
4. Add your TikTok to microblogging
This is the exciting part where we are going to mix everything we know about traditional SEO with everything we learn about TikTok SEO!
Blogging is an important part of ranking in Google search. Remember when we talked about how Google prioritizes relevant and fresh content? Well, that’s pretty much why blogs exist. What better way to keep your content up to date than by constantly posting it?
To use this technique for TikTok SEO, create a microblog post that discusses a specific topic related to your TikTok video. Be sure to include the main keyword in the title, and secondary or long keywords in the subtitles and body of the post. Also, don’t forget to embed your TikTok video in your blog!
5. Track your progress
Every well-thought-out SEO marketing strategy requires constant monitoring and tweaking. Of course, you have implemented all the best practices, but how do you know if your efforts were successful?
Tracking TikTok analytics is the best way to see if your SEO strategy is paying off. This will give you an idea of what videos are doing well, how much engagement they’re getting, and more. It can also help you identify areas where you can improve, such as topics or keywords that don’t seem to resonate with your audience.
Hootsuite Analytics can show you exactly how many views are coming from search and not from the For You page or from existing followers.
Be sure to track this progress over time, as well as the progress of your competitors. This will give you a better understanding of what works best in terms of TikTok SEO and help you refine your strategy accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions About TikTok SEO
What is SEO in TikTok?
TikTok SEO is the process of optimizing your TikTok content to make it more searchable on the platform, increase views, likes and followers. This is done by researching hashtags, targeting specific keywords, and taking advantage of popular trends on the platform.
TikTok videos can also rank in Google search, so optimizing your content for SEO can help you gain even more reach and visibility.
How to improve SEO on TikTok?
Boosting SEO on TikTok starts with keyword research. This includes researching and identifying popular keywords related to your content so that you can include those keywords in your video captions and audio recordings.
You should also keep up to date with popular trends on the platform and use relevant hashtags related to your content. This will make your video more visible in TikTok search results and increase its chances of being seen.
How do keywords work on TikTok?
Keywords on TikTok are the same as on any other platform – words and phrases commonly used to search for content. Popular keywords in your niche can help the TikTok algorithm improve your video and make it visible to more potential viewers.
How is TikTok a search engine?
TikTok isn’t technically a search engine, but it does have its own algorithm that can be used to find content. The algorithm takes into account the number of views, likes and comments on the video, as well as what other users are searching for. This helps TikTok provide relevant content to each user based on their interests and past interactions with the app.
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