TikTok SEO: Everything You Need to Know to Rank in Search Results

TikTok is changing the game for business with its recent updates. Why? They’re trying to become the search engine for GenZ.

Already, 40% of GenZ users use TikTok search over Google search. And this opens up incredible opportunities for businesses on TikTok to reach new viewers and grow their accounts like never before. Because where there is a search engine, there is always search engine optimization.

Here’s everything you need to know about TikTok SEO to take your business to the top!

What is SEO and how does it work?

SEO is a big marketing term thrown around these days, but not a lot of business owners actually know what it is. SEO stands for search engine optimization — this means finding ways to optimize your marketing strategy so that it ranks high on organic search results.

So how does SEO work? When a user searches for a keyword on a search engine, Google tries to find the best web pages to match their keyword. SEO helps you create content so that search engines firstly know what your content is about, and secondly, are more likely for them to choose you for the first page when someone searches one of your keywords. Because if you’re not on the first page of Google, do you even exist?

TikTok is now jumping on the SEO bandwagon. And so should you!

Why is TikTok SEO essential for your business?

Search engines like Google have proved the incredible power SEO has to drive organic traffic. And if you want to grow your account, build your community, and boost your sales — you’re going to need that organic traffic.

As more people start turning to TikTok to search for things (whether it’s info, products, services, Halloween costume ideas for their cat) and your TikTok SEO strategy is on point, the chances of qualified leads finding your content and your business on TikTok increases exponentially! You’ll get more quality views and followers who are highly likely to purchase since they are already interested in what you have to offer as they searched for it in the first place!

TikTok SEO is already making waves in the creator economy, so you better stay ahead of the game otherwise you’ll get left behind, and so will your business on TikTok. So how can you take advantage of TikTok SEO and boost your business on TikTok? Here are my top tips!

5 TikTok SEO tips to boost your views

So while SEO is made up of many, many parts, one of the keys to SEO is keywords. This is particularly true for TikTok SEO focuses mainly on keywords in its algorithm.

1. Find your keywords

TikTok uses keywords to find the best search results for each search. This doesn’t mean that you should throw in random words so that TikTok might pick you up. This won’t work — trust me. What you want to do is create a list of highly searched keywords for your niche that perfectly encapsulate your content and your business. This makes sure that TikTok knows exactly what your content is about and sends you the right viewers. 

Where can you find keywords? Type a relevant topic to your content into the search bar, scroll down, and look at the “Others searched for” section. This will show which related keywords people are searching for within your niche!

2. Add your keywords to the right places

There’s no point using keywords if TikTok never sees them. Here are the main places where TikTok looks for keywords (in order of priority):

1. Captions
2. Hashtags
3. Text in video (the first 3 seconds)
4. Verbal language (audio) (the first 3 seconds)

Add your keywords to these places, and TikTok will know exactly which keyword your content is targeting and send searchers your way.

3. Optimize your profile

TikTok also checks out your profile to look for keywords and see what you’re about. Here’s how you can optimize it:

• TikTok name: Include at least one primary keyword relating to your niche with your brand name — e.g., my TikTok name is TikTok Tips + Trends and my handle is @wavewyld
• TikTok bio: Think about keywords your target audience may be searching for and include 3-4 four in your bio
• Link: Add a link to your website or another social media channel 

4. Take advantage of longer captions

Captions are the most important place to optimize. Here’s how you can take full advantage of longer captions for SEO:

1. Start with a short caption for your audience
2. Add 3-5 hashtags underneath
3. Then include a list of keywords at the bottom that will be hidden unless the viewer taps the see more button

5. Check to see if you’re ranking

The most important part of any TikTok SEO strategy is constantly optimizing your optimization! To do that, you have to know what works and what didn’t. So it’s essential to know what's ranking and where it’s ranking. 

You can find out which videos are ranking by scrolling through your videos, and if you see a phrase in the search field then it means you ranked.

Conclusion

See! TikTok SEO isn’t as complicated as it seemed! It’s basically just trying to give TikTok a hint at what your content is about so that they can give their users what they’re searching for. Jumping aboard the TikTok SEO train is a no-brainer! You get more viewers and grow your audience and TikTok gives their users a better experience — it’s a win-win for everyone.

So what are you waiting for? Start planning and implementing your TikTok SEO strategy today! There’s no time to waste. Your business and your bank account will thank you later.

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