Optimizing for TikTok Search: How to Reach a Larger Audience

Want to reach more of your ideal audience on TikTok? Wondering how to create content that shows up in TikTok search results?

In this article, you’ll explore TikTok search and what it could mean for marketers.

Why Should Marketers Focus on TikTok?

TikTok has exploded in popularity over the last few years, quickly becoming one of the top social media platforms. On average, TikTok is logging 1.1 billion monthly active users worldwide. That's 25% of active internet users. This growing audience presents a massive opportunity for businesses to reach new audiences and drive brand awareness.

At the same time, the way consumers are searching for and discovering information is changing. They're using TikTok as a search engine. Forward-thinking brands recognize this and are shifting their focus from linear channels, like TV and Google, to TikTok.

Let's say, for example, you want to vacation in Bali. So, you type “Bali hotels” into Google search. At the top of the search results, you'll see sponsored ads and a few articles from outlets like CNN, Forbes, or TripAdvisor. Those articles will provide information on the top 10 Bali resorts, but the images are often heavily stylized, and the information isn't always current. The articles appear near the top of the results anyway because they use search engine optimization.

Searching for Bali hotels on TikTok gives you a completely different experience. TikTok's algorithm differs from many social platforms; it learns what you like and curates videos based on your preferences. So, your search results page is a personalized feed of unfiltered, interactive videos from actual guests showing off hotel rooms and their views.

As a consumer, you're likely to trust TikTok's content more than content from Google search results. Your customers will, too, partly because they can comment on TikTok videos to ask questions and get answers from real people. Another perk of TikTok video is that anyone can save a video to a private collection they can come back to later!

This video from Luxury Escapes shares three must-do things in Bali. It has 180 comments and has been saved over 18k times. That's buyer research in action.

Creating and optimizing videos on TikTok specifically for search and discovery helps your brand develop results-driven video campaigns that reach consumers looking for products or services your business provides.

How to Create Videos and Optimize for TikTok Search

#1: Determine Your Content Pillars 

The first step in optimizing your TikTok videos to rank for search and reach wider audiences is to determine your content pillars—the recurring themes and topics your videos will focus on.

Don't limit these pillars to focus only on your product because no one wants to stand next to that person at a party. Invest some time into developing pillars that align with your target audience's interests and search intent.

This clarity keeps you on track to engage your target viewers, just like bumpers keep bowling balls from veering into the gutter. 

#2: Conduct TikTok Video Research

After defining your content pillars, conduct research to find video topics and angles that help provide value to your viewers based on their interests and search queries.

Search Keywords and Phrases in the TikTok Search Bar: First, enter a keyword or phrase into TikTok's search and study the top videos in your niche. Identify any trends you can learn from and pay attention to high-performing videos that get higher engagement and shares. You don't want to copy these videos, but you do want to use them as inspiration for your own content.

Review “Others searched for” results: This section of TikTok's search results page helps you uncover additional relevant keywords TikTok users search for.

Check TikTok Business Suite: If you have a TikTok business account, you have access to a goldmine of free and useful insights about other businesses' top videos, trending keywords, and hashtags.

Based on what you learn from this research, identify content gaps you can fill and look for ways to differentiate your brand.

How will this help you? Oysterly worked with RMIT Training to iron out content pillars and develop a content strategy. When they searched for terms like “international student Melbourne” they found that people interested in studying in Australia also wanted to know about activities in and around Melbourne.

Capitalizing on Australia's unique wildlife, they produced a video with a creator showcasing kangaroos and koalas in a wildlife preserve near Melbourne. The video generated 1.9 million views compared to their previous best of 200 views.

#3: Craft Your TikTok Video for Maximum Discoverability

Next, use these techniques to structure your video for optimal reach and brand awareness.

Start With the Hook: In the first few seconds of the video, clearly state the topic or share an exciting fact related to your topic to grab and hold viewers' attention. The hook is a great place to include keywords. You're telling your viewer what the video is about, but you're also telling TikTok's algorithm what the video is about and who it's for. 

Deliver Value in the Body: This is where you deliver value to your viewers. The deeper the value, the deeper the trust you build with your viewer. And if you're sharing tips, countdown to the last tip to keep the viewer engaged longer.

Your goal is to keep viewers watching to the end of your video because that's a signal to TikTok that they should push your video out to more people. So be thorough, but don't drone on. Focus on value over a specific length. Many 30-second videos perform well by providing useful information without getting too long.

End With a Call to Action. Sometimes: About half of your videos should include a Call to Action (CTA). Holding the number to 50% keeps your content from appearing like a sales pitch. For every video designed to help you reach a specific objective, tell your viewers what you want them to do using a clear CTA at the end. For example, “Follow us for more tips”, “Save this video so you can find it later”, or “Share this with a friend!”

Your CTAs don’t always have to be a prompt to purchase. Having your video shared and/or saved sends valuable signals to the TikTok algorithm that can lead to improved discoverability.

#4: Optimize Your Video for Maximum Discoverability 

Finally, optimize your newly crafted videos for search by following these tested practices:

Create a Text Overlay Title: Think about the keywords that reinforce your hook and add a keyword-focused title to the beginning of your video, for example, 3 Parenting Tips for 5-Year-Olds. Then, optimize it by setting the duration of the overlay to 4–5 seconds so viewers have time to read and register it.

Add a Title to Your Caption: The written caption below your video is another opportunity to communicate the topic of your video to viewers and the algorithm. Use compelling keywords, add emojis to grab attention, and strategically capitalize words like “BEST” for emphasis.

Include Hashtags: Aim to include 4–6 relevant hashtags in your caption, making sure the first one strongly relates to the topic of your video. Fill in the rest of the hashtags, and be sure one is your branded hashtag so that people looking for your brand see your videos.

Pay Attention to Subtitles and Closed-Captions: As of 10/17/23, all newly uploaded TikTok videos will have auto-captions. You can edit these captions, but you cannot turn them off.

#5: Optimize Previously Published TikTok Videos 

Sometimes, great videos are held back by the smallest of details. If a video is underperforming, you can update your titles, captions, and hashtags without uploading a new version.

What if you want to make video edits or repurpose a video? Using an editing tool like CapCut allows you to save your original files. Then, you can easily make a new version of your video.

Here are a few tweaks to try:

• Change your text overlay
• Adjust your caption title
• Try different hashtags
• Speed up your voiceover

Even one of these small changes can significantly increase views and lead to more discoverability. 

Other Notes From This Episode

• Connect with Michael Stelzner @Stelzner on Instagram and @Mike_Stelzner on Twitter.
• Watch this interview and other exclusive content from Social Media Examiner on YouTube.

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✋🏽 If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast, please head over to Apple Podcasts, leave a rating, write a review, and subscribe.

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