Your TikTok SEO questions answered.
So what is TikTok SEO? We are here to address this very question and many more. As TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape, businesses and content creators are realising the potential it holds for reaching a vast and engaged audience. However, standing out in a sea of captivating videos can be a challenge.
That's where TikTok SEO comes to the rescue. Just like search engine optimisation (SEO) for websites on Google, TikTok SEO focuses on optimising your content to increase its visibility and reach on the platform. Whether you're a business looking to expand your brand's reach or an aspiring influencer hoping to grow your TikTok community, Social SEO is something that should not be overlooked.
At Part Three Digital, we support our clients in their organic social media marketing and digital advertising strategies on TikTok, including Further. Space, Moody Activewear and Tipperary Water to name a few.
Is TikTok a Search Engine?
Whilst social media SEO has existed since Facebook has, TikTok has revolutionised what it means to be optimised for search on social.
Finding information online doesn’t quite mean the same thing it used to. TikTok has started to steal traffic and visibility from reputable search engines like Google due to its speed and convenience at responding to a user’s questions and interests.
Whilst TikTok is not technically a search engine, it has started to apply search engine features that allow the content to rank not only on the TikTok platform, but also appearing on Google search further boosting reach and performance. These features include paid ads within results page, a search bar and suggested search terms within a videos comment section.
Users are becoming increasingly impatient when it comes to waiting for results. This impatience has led to a shift in consumer behaviour and a growing trend among businesses and content creators who are seeking faster and more immediate outcomes. While SEO within Google has long been the go-to strategy for boosting online visibility and driving organic traffic, a new contender has emerged—TikTok SEO. TikTok's rapid rise to prominence has captivated users with its addictive short-form videos, and marketers are quickly realising its potential for delivering swift and impactful results.
On a poll carried out on the Part Three Digital Instagram stories, over 68% voted that they prefer using TikTok for search queries over Google.
An example of TikTok content appearing in Google search results
What is TikTok SEO?
To put it simply, TikTok SEO is the process of optimising your content on TikTok to increase its visibility and discoverability on the platform. This will help to increase views, engagement, and followers.
What does TikTok mean to search marketers and brands?
In 2023, TikTok has become an integral part of the digital marketing landscape, revolutionising the way search marketers and brands engage with their target audience. TikTok presents a unique opportunity to tap into a vast pool of creative and influential content creators, leveraging their reach to promote products, services, and brand messaging.
Can TikTok help website SEO?
If you're looking to enhance your website's SEO, you may be wondering if TikTok SEO can play a role in achieving that goal. While TikTok and website SEO operate on different platforms, leveraging TikTok's SEO practices can indirectly benefit your website's SEO efforts. TikTok provides a unique opportunity to generate brand awareness, drive traffic, and engage with a vast audience.
By creating compelling TikTok content that aligns with your website's niche or industry, you can attract attention and direct users to your website. This influx of traffic from TikTok can positively impact your website's organic search rankings. Additionally, incorporating relevant keywords, hashtags, and descriptions in your TikTok content can increase its discoverability on both TikTok and search engines.
How important is SEO research?
A table listing 3 key factors that may influence the TikTok algorithm.
At Part Three Digital, we understand the significance of research when it comes to maximising the impact of our clients' campaigns. When it comes to platforms like TikTok, we try to understand audience preferences, and trending content. By analysing TikTok, along with other channels and SEO tools, we gain valuable insights that inform our strategies.
It’s important to keep an eye on emerging trends and popular hashtags to ensure our clients' content remains fresh, relevant, and resonates with their target audience. However, research doesn't stop at social media platforms alone. SEO strategy research should further consider Google's algorithms, search trends, and SEO tools to optimise our clients' online presence.
We have a blog on ‘Marketing your Brand on TikTok in 2023.’ This is where we have taken TikTok’s ‘What’s Next’ 2023 trend report and broken it down into actionable considerations for brands and content creators when developing their channel and content strategy.
What are the best ways to optimise TikTok Content for Search?
An image of Part Three Digital’s TikTok SEO Top Tips.
Search keywords and topics in text in videos and captions
TikTok SEO should rely heavily on keyword research. It’s not enough to simply know what your audience is interested in. You need to research and understand the keywords they are using in their search queries. This will allow you to include those keywords in both your copy and alt text descriptions.
When researching these keywords, you may wish to use regular keyword research tools. However, these tools will mostly pull up data from Google and not from the TikTok app. To get a clear answer, make use of TikTok’s own Keyword Insights tool. When you enter a keyword, the insights tool will provide you with a list of related keywords along with a breakdown of their popularity and click-through rate.
Using hashtags to rank
Hashtags are one of the most important parts of TikTok SEO. The use of hashtags will power your ability to optimise your content for the TikTok search engine.
Different demographics of users subscribe to various hashtags on TikTok based on their wants, needs and interests. We recommend using between 3-6 hashtags that are strategic combination of both those that are high in volume and low volume keywords. It is also ideal to add some hashtags that are niche and relevant to the specific content that you are posting.
Practicing and Delivering TikTok SEO
Let’s recap, TikTok SEO is the idea of optimising the content you upload to the platform to help content appear/rank in the apps search results. This allows you to target and engage with those most interested in your content.
At Part Three Digital, we specialise in practicing and delivering TikTok SEO strategies that drive results. Whether you're a business looking to expand your brand's reach or an individual aiming to grow your TikTok following, our experienced team is here to help, please reach out to us.