From global brands to influencers, charities, celebrities, and everyday people, It’s no shock that TikTok has become a force of nature when it comes to the must-have social media platforms – and with more than one billion active global users spending an average of 95 minutes daily on the app, this platform isn’t just an entertaining platform anymore. It’s much more than that.
Whether you are totally clued up on TikTok SEO or simply want to understand more, with the overall number of TikTok downloads having surpassed three billion – if you’re not getting your TikTok SEO on point, you’re missing a trick!
Not to panic, we’ve created a guide explaining how it works, its most important factors and how to improve your current content:
How does SEO work with TikTok
You may be thinking, is TikTok technically a search engine? But in reality, it has become precisely that and more. So much so 40% of Gen Z internet users now turn to TikTok to search instead of using Google. So how does TikTok SEO work in a similar way to Google SEO?
TikTok SEO is the process of optimising your online video content to increase search visibility and rank higher in user searches. Essentially, this is the same process for optimising your website content for Google search and optimum ranking. You would use keywords and analytics to optimise the content on your website, and you can also use these tactics to help reach millions and rank for niche and popular searches on TikTok.
TikTok vs Google
Of course, Google still controls almost all of the search market share, with at least two trillion searches per year, and will likely continue to do so. So why have more and more internet users shifted to searching on TikTok instead? Ultimately, TikTok has mastered the art of algorithm, which continues to provide users with a highly personalised range of content, therefore, presenting more quickly-delivered, engaging and valuable content to individuals than Google does.
Although TikTok has search engine qualities similar to Google, such as strategic keyword placement, and an enormous scope of information, TikTok has mainly become a go-to for content displaying DIY tutorials, fashion and fitness tips, health advice, shopping and more. With this in mind, TikTok is an excellent platform for discovering upcoming and trending products and topics. However, due to misinformation yet to be penalised on the platform, users should remain cautious when consuming advice or information on TikTok.
TikTok algorithm
TikTok’s algorithm decides what to show users on their For You Page by analysing user interaction factors, including:
- Video completion rate
- Likes, shares and comments
- Videos you add to your favourites and repost
- Content you create
- Accounts you follow
- Accounts you hide
Likewise, video information is a huge consideration regarding who the algorithm shows video content to, which leads to the importance of strategic keywords, hashtags and trending audio.
Keyword research
One thing to remember about TikTok’s algorithm is that it doesn’t base video recommendations on follower count or a history of previous high-performing videos. Instead, it considers content perfect for your engaged audience based on their activity with similar videos. Ultimately, you have just as much chance as anyone to go viral and reach millions of your audience.
Like most SEO strategies, keyword research is at the core of ensuring search-optimised content creation, and this is the same for TikTok. To implement effective SEO on TikTok, you must understand what your audience is interested in and, ultimately, the search queries they are currently using. From this, you can implement strategic keyword placement in captions and video content.
To gather specific TikTok search queries, the TikTok Keyword Insight tool can be an ideal guide to understanding trending script words to incorporate into your content. When you type in a keyword, it will give you a list of related keywords and a breakdown of their popularity, popularity change, and click-through rate.
Hashtags and trending audio
Hashtags and trending audio are just as effective as keyword research when carried out effectively. Both tactics help your video content get in front of an audience seeking similar content and who will likely engage. As well as utilising captions, voiceover and text overlay with trending keywords – trending audio and hashtags can help take your content to the next level.
Although trending hashtags are great, some may be very competitive. Therefore, it can be worth incorporating niche and trending hashtags into posts to create a balance. You also don’t need to go wild with hashtags. Remembering quality over quantity is essential; remaining to the point with your content and what your audience will search for will benefit your SEO.
Since the TikTok algorithm considers the audio when showing it to users, trending songs and sound effects are a great way to maximise your reach on the platform. It’s pretty simple when it comes to trending hashtags and audio, too – TikTok is constantly updating its trending tabs to include the top used, and we recommend using these to help you reach millions!
Implementing TikTok SEO into your marketing strategy
Although TikTok may not be the primary driver of your marketing strategy and Google will remain a vital factor in website ranking, depending on your organisation, utilising TikTok SEO can be a fantastic way to reach millions of people quickly and increase brand awareness. Likewise, higher engagement on TikTok can boost your search visibility on Google. This is because Google now includes video content in its search results.
Brands should combine an SEO-driven strategy with other marketing tactics to ensure consistent growth and success in an ever-changing online landscape.
To discuss how different forms of SEO strategies can help you achieve your business ambitions and drive brand visibility, get in touch here: https://wild-pr.co.uk/get-in-touch/