TikTok SEO is not just a buzzword – it’s the key to making your videos stand out and gain traction. Much like optimizing your website with keywords and analytics, TikTok SEO can propel your content to the forefront of search results, both on TikTok and even on Google.
Google’s data reveals that 40% of the younger demographic uses TikTok for their searches. What if we said that your content could skyrocket to viral fame by becoming a TikTok SEO pro?
This article is your wake-up call if you’ve neglected your TikTok SEO game. We’ll delve into the world of TikTok SEO to help you learn everything related, including:
- What is TikTok SEO? And why is it important?
- How does TikTok SEO algorithm work: 3 TikTok SEO ranking factors
- How to do SEO on TikTok: Tips & practices
Stay tuned, and your content will soon be featured on the highly sought-after For You page!
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What is TikTok SEO? Why is It Important?
Like SEO for websites, TikTok SEO is the practice of optimizing your content to show up more and rank higher in search results on the platform. Using keywords in the video and captions, hashtags, user interactions, and location targeting are currently the best ways to optimize for TikTok SEO.
So, why is TikTok SEO worth investing in?
TikTok SEO is important because TikTok is increasingly serving as a search engine, especially for Gen Z. It is now a strong competitor to Google. The fact is consumers are now becoming more impatient and want more visualized results for their queries, which can be well adapted by short and engaging videos. Meanwhile, traditional SEO gives back mainly text-based content such as blog posts, articles, or web pages.
Plus, for creators seeking to expand their audience on TikTok, ensuring your content is easily findable is crucial. In other words, having a TikTok SEO strategy is essential to tap into the platform’s search bar and reach a wider audience.
If you are selling on TikTok Shop, TikTok SEO even matters more. SEO will affect your ranking of promotion videos as well as your products on the shopping tab and search bar.
What is TikTok Shop? If you are new to commerce on TikTok, click the link to learn more!
3 TikTok SEO Ranking Factors
So, how does TikTok SEO algorithm work?
TikTok SEO’s algorithm operates by curating two main feeds: the one featuring content from people you follow and the “For You” page. The “For You” page is where users spend their time predominantly showcasing content personalized to each user’s interests.
Factors like the number of followers or an account’s previous high-performing videos don’t directly influence the TikTok SEO algorithm. Instead, TikTok will rely on three factors to provide a personalized experience for each user.
User interactions
User engagement data drives the TikTok SEO algorithm‘s recommendations. The platform tracks various interactions like videos liked, hidden, favorited, or watched fully. All such metadata informs its determinations for suggested content. TikTok tracks and analyzes this data to decide which videos to display to each user.
Video information
The different elements included in a video can influence how well TikTok SEO performs. Captions, hashtags, sounds, and music are all taken into account. TikTok prioritizes videos incorporating relevant keywords in their titles and descriptions, especially those related to current trends. Make sure to add relevant search terms throughout your videos to help viewers find your content more easily.
Device and account settings
TikTok SEO uses certain configurations to enhance how it works for you. These settings encompass
- Your language preference;
- Your chosen country (which influences the content you see);
- The kind of mobile device you use;
- And the interest categories you picked when you first joined the platform.
For instance, if you travel from the US to France, you can expect to encounter a higher frequency of French in the content on your feed during that time.
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How to Do SEO on TikTok: Tips & Practices
Unlike doing SEO on other best-selling platforms, SEO for TikTok involves the practice of refining your TikTok videos to ensure they appear at the top of the app’s search results. Implementing a TikTok SEO strategy helps you reach a wider audience interested in your content. Here are some initial tips to kickstart your journey.
1. Start with your audience
Knowing your viewers is key whether you want to learn how to use TikTok for business or TikTok SEO. It helps you gain insight into your target audience. Understanding their preferences and interests enables you to produce content that resonates with them.
If you’re already active on TikTok, you probably have a sense of what your audience enjoys. However, if you’re uncertain, take some time to familiarize yourself with them. You can start by analyzing the videos they interact with and the hashtags they use and pay attention to their comments and messages. This provides valuable insights into their interests, allowing you to optimize your content to match.
The significance of this understanding in SEO on TikTok is twofold. First, it helps you craft more effective video titles and descriptions, enhancing discoverability in TikTok searches. Second, creating content aligned with your audience’s preferences or their existing search patterns also gives you an advantage in attracting new audiences.
2. Do TikTok keyword research
Conducting keyword research is a fundamental practice in traditional SEO and equally applicable to SEO for TikTok. To effectively engage your target audience, you should discover the words and phrases they use when seeking content similar to yours.
You can explore various ways of expressing a topic and related keywords. This can be accomplished using tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and others. However, it’s important to note that these tools gather data from Google, not TikTok. This is because the TikTok SEO tool is lacking due to the platform’s relative newness in the SEO landscape.
Nevertheless, don’t be disheartened. The most effective way to know what people search for on TikTok is by directly engaging with the TikTok platform. You can navigate to the TikTok search bar and input the keywords obtained from your TikTok keyword research.
TikTok will automatically provide you with a list of the most popular keywords related to your query. Then, you can examine these suggestions and select keywords that align with your content.
If you’re seeking additional keyword ideas, try entering your keyword with a single letter. For example, if you search keywords for “lipsticks“, you can search for more related terms like add a letter: “lipstick a ”, or “lipstick b”. TikTok will then display a list of related keywords that start with your query and the entered letter.
3. Make high-quality TikTok content
The following step involves crafting high-quality TikTok videos and maintaining a consistent content creation schedule to enhance TikTok SEO. TikTok advises publishing videos 1-4 times daily, particularly when testing new content types to gauge audience engagement. While optimal posting times vary by industry, increasing your content output also heightens the likelihood of achieving viral success.
To create TikTok SEO-optimized content that resonates with your audience, consider these pointers:
- Keep video duration around 30 seconds
- Leverage TikTok’s editing tools for a native and familiar feel
- Integrate trending sounds and memes into your content
- Identify a subculture that aligns with your content and brand
- Experiment with various video formats
- Analyze the performance of well-received videos to replicate their success. Ultimately, you’ll discover a formula that suits your brand and helps you gain more followers.
- Upload video with HD quality
4. Use TikTok keywords in your content
When you create a video, you can insert text onto the screen to enhance your TikTok search engine optimization. TikTok scans this text and uses it to determine which users to show your content to based on any keywords included. That is a great method if you want to know how to get more views on TikTok. We recommend including main TikTok keywords in your on-screen text, especially in the video’s first 1-5 seconds.
For instance, when searching for “best sunscreens,” the top-ranked videos feature the keyword text “best sunscreens” or related terms on the screen. Some of them even do not mention the keyword in the caption. This illustrates the significant impact of in-video text on rankings.
Comparing this video with others for the same search term, it’s evident that likes and views don’t influence search results as much as in-video text does. A video further down the results page with 5.4M views ranks lower than a video with 212.8K views. Even the most-liked video appears lower in the results. Instead of fixating on views or likes, prioritize addressing search demand.
However, you should not ignore the 500-character caption. If you want to rank on Google, you better add TikTok keywords that align with what your audience is searching for in your caption.
5. Use the right hashtags
Hashtags are extremely important for TikTok SEO as they allow videos to be discovered more easily. Similar to other platforms like Instagram, specific hashtags target certain demographics with particular interests. It is recommended to include 3-6 TikTok SEO hashtags. For optimal TikTok optimization, you should employ trending hashtags and incorporate your long-tail and high-volume keywords as hashtags.
You can use the TikTok Creative Center if you don’t know how to find the right hashtags for your videos. It is a tool that allows you to explore popular keywords specific to various sectors.
6. Keep up with the current trends
If you want TikTok trends to keep evolving, and the key to staying current is actively engaging with the platform. To optimize TikTok SEO for your content, you should mind these two crucial aspects of trending on TikTok: sounds and challenges. They will he
Trending sounds
Inserting trendy sounds or songs into your TikTok videos is crucial, as 88% of TikTokers consider audio vital to enrich the overall user experience. You can discover trending songs for improving TikTok SEO through these 3 methods:
- Check websites like TokBoard, which regularly updates trending sounds and songs on TikTok.
- Navigate to TikTok’s Creative Center, click on “sounds,” and explore the most popular songs. The “Popular” or “Breakout” section will reveal the most trending songs and provide audience insights.
- Study your competitors’ TikTok accounts, follow them, or engage with their content. This action populates your “For You” section with their posts and similar content, helping you identify popular sounds in your niche through likes and comments.
Challenges
The most straightforward method to discover trending challenges on TikTok is to search for hashtags like #TikTokchallenge or #challenge. These searches will lead you to related hashtags, and you can readily explore the top trending challenges for each day.
7. Engage with the TikTok community
Active engagement helps improve TikTok SEO. That helps your videos to rank better than inactive accounts only posting. TikTok values interaction among its users. If you want to enhance your account interaction on TikTok, here are several ways you can employ:
- Go live streaming: It offers a fantastic opportunity to provide a behind-the-scenes look for your followers and customers. Whether creating or packaging products, you can host an FAQ session or engage with those who join and comment on your live video. That can help your audience feel involved.
- Utilize your regular video content: Another approach is to use your regular video content to prompt viewers to leave comments, like your videos, and share them with their own friends or followers. TikTok comments can be valuable for future content for TikTok search engine optimization. These comments can then be used to create new videos, prompting them to revisit previous videos to see where the comments originated. This, in turn, boosts your views and signals to TikTok that your account is popular and sought-after.
- Collaborating with TikTok influencers in your industry: Collaborating with fellow creators is a powerful way to boost engagement on your TikTok account. They don’t necessarily need to operate within your niche; it could be a beloved account or influencer. Such collaborations can significantly expand the reach of your videos, ultimately driving up your view count and elevating your visibility in TikTok video search engine.
In essence, your TikTok community is vital for both account growth and the creation of high-ranking videos for TikTok SEO. For every minute spent crafting content, an equal amount of time should be dedicated to interacting with others on TikTok.
8. Track your progress
In all TikTok marketing strategies best practices, ongoing monitoring and adjustments are essential. While implementing top-notch practices is crucial, the question remains: How can you check the effectiveness of your TikTok optimization?
The answer lies in tracking your TikTok analytics. This approach serves as the ultimate means to assess the returns on your TikTok SEO strategy. It offers valuable insights into the performance of your videos, the level of engagement they’re attracting, and more. Moreover, it enables you to pinpoint areas that require enhancement, whether it’s specific topics or keywords that aren’t quite resonating with your audience.
To access analytics, just go to your profile, click on the three dots, opt for “Creator tools,” and then choose “Analytics.”
TikTok SEO: FAQs
- Can you do SEO on TikTok?
Certainly! TikTok SEO is all about optimizing your content to increase its visibility among your desired audience. The goal is to have your content featured on their For You Page (FYP) and achieve higher rankings in TikTok’s search results. The FYP, which functions as TikTok’s homepage, continuously offers fresh content with every swipe.
- Does TikTok SEO affect Google search?
Yes, it could be! Combining TikTok SEO with traditional SEO strategy can expand your audience and enhance your online visibility. Optimizing your TikTok content for better search performance and utilizing the platform to channel traffic to your website can lead to improved Google search rankings, contributing to the growth of your business.
- Do keywords matter on TikTok?
Keywords play a vital role in TikTok SEO, much like their significance in traditional SEO for Google. When you’re in the initial stages of content planning and brainstorming creative ideas, conducting keyword research is crucial. To achieve this, you can simply navigate to TikTok and search for keywords that align with your content concepts.
- How do I increase my TikTok SEO algorithm?
If you want to improve your TikTok SEO, you can employ these tips:
- Do TikTok keyword research and use them in your content (caption, videos)
- Make high-quality TikTok content
- Utilize the right hashtags
- Keep up with the current trends (sounds, challenges)
- Add your TikTok to a microblog
You better combine all of these tips for any video you make to ensure the optimal result.
Start Ranking with TikTok SEO Strategy!
In conclusion, the outlook for TikTok SEO is promising. You can reach your desired audience by consistently providing outstanding TikTok SEO-optimized videos. As a result, your brand’s value is significantly elevated. So, wait no more. Apply our tips and recommendations to increase your TikTok FYP video ranking.
Feel free to contact us if you require additional guidance utilizing TikTok for ecommerce goals or want to do TikTok Shop integration with other platforms. Our LitCommerce team is eager to assist with optimizing shops and engaging in commerce on the platform.
You can also learn about proven online selling strategies by exploring our Blog. We regularly publish posts exploring the latest eCommerce strategies and best practices there. We also have a Facebook community where merchants connect to discuss challenges and solutions. Join us now!
