TikTok has become popular in recent years. Businesses are trying to boost their performance on this platform by creating high-quality and viral content. However, good content alone is not enough to get the attention you need. Today’s article will offers you a glimpse of TikTok SEO – a crucial factor for reaching a broader audience on the platform. So, without further ado, let’s explore all tips and tools you need for TikTok SEO.
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What is TikTok SEO?
TikTok SEO is a term that may be both familiar and new to many people. Just like traditional SEO which optimizes your keywords, analytics, and sitemaps, TikTok SEO is the process of optimizing your content to achieve higher rankings in TikTok search results.
This might sound a bit strange since TikTok is basically not a search engine. However, more and more people are using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to search for daily information. Moreover, Google has started indexing content posts from these social media platforms, which provides even more advantages for online stores. That is why optimizing your search results on TikTok and other social media platforms has become incredibly useful for increasing visibility across multiple channels.
How is TikTok SEO different from others?
TikTok itself is not professionalized in search engines, regarding the content types and the algorithm. Therefore, we can state some key differences in TikTok SEO
Content and focus
TikTok is an exciting video-based social media platform that is all about short-form and user-generated content. Its main focus is to help you discover incredible videos right within the app. You will be delighted to find trending challenges, popular creators, and viral content that’s sure to keep you entertained.
Algorithm and ranking
The algorithm of TikTok recommends the content to users based on factors such as engagement, and user preferences. It takes into account some crucial metrics like views, likes, comments, shares, and user interaction patterns. With an engagement-centric view, TikTok does a better job of personalizing each user’s experience. Your feed certainly will always fill with interesting content.
The behavior and intention of users
TikTok is a social media platform with the ultimate goal is to entertain people. Hence, TikTok search is also optimized for that purpose. Users mainly use the TikTok search bar to explore new hashtags, trendy challenges, and things they are interested in. Hence, the information is usually pretty concentrated with little differences in the given results.
Why should you do SEO on TikTok?
The Gateway to Visibility
Imagine uploading a fantastic video, pouring your heart into it, only to have it get lost in the sea of TikTok content. That’s where TikTok SEO comes in. By optimizing your content, you increase its visibility, making it easier for users to discover and engage with your videos. When you appear in relevant search results, you have a higher chance of capturing the attention of users who are actively seeking out content like yours.
Reaching the right audience
You can target particular keywords or subjects in TikTok SEO that relate to your content. You may draw in visitors who are truly interested in what you have to offer by employing the appropriate keywords and hashtags in the descriptions of your video content. This makes it easier for you to connect with a more niche audience, raising the possibility of fruitful interaction and followers, and ultimately fostering the development of a devoted community.
Reinforce your brand identity
TikTok SEO plays a crucial role in brand building. By consistently using relevant keywords, hashtags, and descriptions, you create a cohesive brand presence. This makes it easier for users to associate your content with your brand, enhancing brand recognition and recall. Showcasing your unique identity through optimized content helps you stand out in the crowded TikTok landscape.
TikTok SEO algorithm ranking factors
User interactions
TikTok pays close attention to how users engage with your videos, such as likes, comments, shares, favorites, and watch time. The more engaging and interactive your content is, the greater the likelihood of it being promoted to a wider audience. So, focus on creating captivating and compelling videos that encourage users to interact, as this can positively impact your visibility and reach on TikTok.
Video content
TikTok looks at the relevance and popularity of the hashtags, captions, and sounds you use in your videos. By staying up-to-date with trending topics and incorporating relevant keywords, your videos are more likely to rank higher and reach a wider audience.
Additionally, consider aligning your content with the preferences and behavior of users to increase the chances of your videos being recommended on the personalized “For You” page. This way, you can boost your visibility and connect with a larger audience for your store.
Device setting
Not only the user interactions and the video content, TikTok also gathers information from user devices like mobile carriers, time-zone settings, and operating systems. Additionally, TikTok considers account settings such as language preference, country setting, and the type of mobile device you use. These settings help tailor the content shown to you, ensuring it aligns with your preferences and enhances your overall TikTok experience.
So, make sure to set your language preference, choose your country setting, and select relevant categories of interest as a new user to enhance your TikTok journey and discover content that resonates with your store.
7 TikTok SEO strategies with free tools
Understand your audience’s insight
The fundamental aspect of conducting search optimization is understanding your audience. While there are several ways to gain insights into their needs and interests, the easiest and quickest method is to explore the TikTok Analytics functions. Simply access TikTok Followers Analytics, and you will unlock a wealth of valuable insights about your audience’s demographics and behaviors. TikTok provides key information such as gender, age groups, top territories, and active times.
If you desire even more detailed information, consider connecting directly with your audience by reading their comments and messages. These interactions can inspire a multitude of ideas for optimizing your business and tailoring your content to their preferences.
Don’t forget to be consistent
To thrive in TikTok SEO, both on the platform and in general, consistency within your channel is crucial. Just like optimizing a website for SEO, it’s essential to understand the main branch that will guide your customers. Gradually extend smaller branches from this main focus. However, if your content spans too many different topics, it can cause confusion for both the TikTok algorithm and viewers, directly impacting your trustworthiness.
By maintaining a consistent theme or niche for your TikTok channel, you establish a recognizable brand identity. This helps the algorithm better understand and categorize your content, ensuring it reaches the right audience. Moreover, viewers appreciate consistency as it builds trust and fosters loyalty. They come to expect a certain type of content from your channel, increasing engagement and interaction.
Using the right keywords
When discussing SEO, the most familiar approach involves incorporating suitable keywords into your content. Users can simply type in the keyword they’re interested in, and TikTok will then recommend related topics that may be of interest to them.
Keyword search is also integrated with the comment sections in this social media platform.
To ensure visibility in the targeted keyword’s result section, it is crucial to optimize your keywords. Conducting detailed keyword research is the first step towards attaining good TikTok SEO. However, it’s important to note that the research process on TikTok may have some slight differences compared to traditional search engines.
- Analyzing the emerging trends on TikTok: The most effective keywords are likely to have a significant search volume. Therefore, it is important to understand the trends that are popular among TikTok users and assess whether they align with your business objectives.
- Analyzing your competitors: If you are not knowing what to do with your TikTok SEO, try to do some research on competitors in the same niche. When going into their accounts, you can see which keywords are being used the most in the description, hashtags, and topics that they are developing. This is also a great source of reference to find the right keyword to optimize for your TikTok channels.
- Understand your customers: When you already have an audience base on your TikTok channel, you can start looking into the analytics to see which types of content are receiving the most attention. Use these insights to determine the keywords and the topics that you will concentrate on for your business.
TikTok Creative Center supports you will rewarding tools for keyword research. You can find out what keywords are trending within your industry and use them to optimize your search result.
In your TikTok Creative Center, select Inspiration > Keyword Insight
Types in the keywords that relate to your business to get recommendations and see the insights of each one
Incorporate your keyword into the content
After having the keywords set that you feel satisfied with, now it is time to incorporate them into your content. You can apply it directly to your video script, text, and description. You can also use suitable keywords as your hashtag to increase the chance of visibility.
A helpful tip to determine if your videos have appeared in the correct keyword section is to observe the keyword displayed in the search bar. Simply navigate to your account, select a video, and the keyword under which your videos are categorized will be visible. By adjusting your video description and hashtags, you can effectively categorize your content under the appropriate keyword.
Always remember to be trendy
Unlike traditional search functions where people simply type in a keyword and receive results, TikTok search operates in a more dynamic manner. People can search not only through keywords, but they can click on hashtags, and the sound in the video to explore even more.
TikTok Creative Center also provides you with a powerful tool for keeping up with the trends. With free analytics on the number of posts using a hashtag, a sound, and overall trends, you can always find a potential space to jump into that improve your overall performance.
You can go to hashtag and explore the trendy terms that your industry is using…
Or enjoy all of the most popular songs that are going viral on TikTok!
Always be mindful of your performance
Even though you have set up everything to be successful with TikTok SEO, keep in mind that TikTok is a forever-changing platform, with changes happening in only a second. Therefore, you need to track your TikTok content by using TikTok analytics. You can see how many views have your video received, the follower insights, etc. This will give you a valuable evaluation of whether your TikTok SEO tactics are working in the way that you want or not.
Combine TikTok SEO and Traditional SEO together!
As a business running your marketing on TikTok, combining traditional SEO techniques with TikTok SEO can be a powerful strategy. Just like blogging helps with ranking in Google searches, you can create microblog posts discussing topics related to your TikTok videos.
Include your main keyword in the title and secondary or long-tail keywords in subheadings and content. Don’t forget to embed your TikTok video in the blog post to enhance engagement. This way, you can leverage the benefits of traditional SEO, keep your content fresh, and drive traffic from search engines to your TikTok videos, giving your business a double win.
Optimize your TikTok content right now!
In summary, TikTok SEO plays a pivotal role in enhancing the visibility, engagement, and overall success of your brand. Therefore, there is no time to waste! Take decisive action and embark on the journey of optimizing your TikTok content right away. With great vision, strategies, and a deep understanding of the TikTok algorithm, you can always rock this platform like a professional.
