If you haven’t heard of TikTok, you may well have been living under a rock for the last few years! What began as a platform perceived to be exclusively for Gen Z has since become a core part of most businesses’ marketing strategies. Why? TikTok is the short-form video Content King, and short videos have been statistically proven to be the most digestible form of content for audiences. Most humans are visual thinkers (with short attention spans!), and with the unlimited wealth of social media content out there, brands need to capture their followers’ attention quickly – lest they lose interest!

What’s more, you cannot simply rely on the accessible, highly addictive nature of the app; TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform, therefore, you need to be savvy to cut through the digital noise. One key way of enhancing your engagement is through TikTok SEO. But what is TikTok SEO, and how can you conquer it?

What is TikTok SEO?

TikTok SEO consists of optimising your videos on TikTok to rank higher in search. In the same way you use keywords and analytics to optimise the content on your website, you can also use these tactics to boost your TikTok video in more search results, on both TikTok and Google.
Now, some of you may be scratching your heads: “But TikTok isn’t a search engine… right?”. TikTok may not technically be a search engine, but it has its own search bar. This makes SEO an important part of the platform. So much so that Google’s data discovered 40% of young people using TikTok and Instagram for searches, as opposed to the classic search engines!

Moreover, as TikTok users will well know, TikTok has its own algorithm that helps you to find content well-suited to you. The algorithm considers the amount of views, likes, and comments on a video and what other users are searching for. This helps TikTok serve relevant content to you, based on your interests and past interactions with the platform. Your ‘For You’ feed, as the name suggests, provides content tailored to you; this is even based on how long you linger on specific videos, and which videos you scroll past.

5 TikTok SEO Tips for Your Business

1. Understand Your Audience

One of the most critical aspects of TikTok SEO is understanding your audience. You need to know who they are and what they are looking for; what content will be useful to them, or particularly resonate with them?

What’s more, understanding your audience will help you to create better titles and descriptions for videos. ‘Better’, meaning easier to find in TikTok searches! By the same token, you want to create content that your audience wants to see – or are already searching for. This is essential for you to be discovered by new audiences within this demographic.

Also, have you heard of TikTok subcultures? The term subculture means a group of people with beliefs or interests that differ from mainstream culture – often pertaining to a niche topic. On TikTok, people strive to find their community, and TikTok subcultures provide corners of the platform that are dedicated to people’s passions. So, when marketing your brand on TikTok, think beyond the standard demographics and consider which subcultures your brand could speak to.

2. Keywords are Key

As we all know, keyword research is an essential part of traditional SEO, and TikTok deserves the same treatment. Undergo keyword research: find out which words or phrases your target audience uses when searching for content. Handy tools such as Google Ads Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs will help you to consider different ways of phrasing your chosen topic and related keywords.

Once your TikTok keyword research is completed, you should start interspersing them with your content in the titles, descriptions, and captions. This can include on-screen text, such as subtitles or lyrics.

Also, incorporate these keywords into any spoken dialogue in your video. TikTok’s algorithms prioritise videos where the keywords are actually audible. You should also include your keywords in hashtags, which will help people discover your posts. But don’t overdo it! Ensure you know the optimal number of hashtags on each platform.

Finally, add the most relevant target keywords to your TikTok profile, which will increase your profile visibility, and give potential followers a clear idea of the type of content you post.

3. Stop the Scroll!

On TikTok, it is crucial that you engage your viewers in the first instance. Because if you don’t, they will simply scroll past, and miss out on your brand messaging. If you want any hope of boosting your SEO on your TikTok, the content itself must be eye-catching and engaging, encouraging users to continue watching. At Social Chameleon, we advise that content across all platforms must have a sole purpose: to educate, to entertain, to inspire – or perhaps an amalgamation of all three! Your keyword-optimised TikTok content must appeal and relate to your target audience and, importantly, stand out from the crowd.

4. Add your TikTok to a Microblog

This is where the worlds of traditional SEO and TikTok SEO truly collide. Blogging is a significant factor of ranking in Google searches – particularly keyword-optimised blogs! Google prioritises fresh and relevant content, and posting regular blogs (at least 1 per week) is the ideal way to keep your content fresh.

So, how can we utilise blogging in our TikTok SEO strategy? We would advise that you create a microblog post discussing a topic related to your TikTok video. Ensure you include your main keyword in the title, subheadings and repeatedly throughout the post. Also, importantly – don’t forget to embed your TikTok video in the blog, so users to click to it directly!

5. Go Pro

Finally, we advise you to get a TikTok Pro account for your business. Why? Pro accounts give you handy insights into your account’s metrics and analytics, which will allow you to see how well your content is performing – and whether your SEO strategy is successful or not. It is crucial that you regularly review all aspects of your business’s marketing approach, as this is the only way that you will be able to see what’s working, and make any necessary changes to increase engagement and subsequent conversions.

For more expert advice on how to engage your audience on social media, get in touch with our team today, and stay tuned for our latest blog posts!