TikTok SEO: Understanding and applying SEO strategies on TikTok.

While Google was the go-to platform for research in almost all possible ways TikTok now is becoming as important in this regard. Although TikTok SEO is relatively new to digital marketers, it is already extremely important to businesses. Businesses ranked on top of the TikTok search results will get most of the users attention. Concluding, visibility on TikTok has an impact on customer acquisition.

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Factors influencing TikTok SEO ranking

In total there are dozens of different factors influencing the ranking of TikTok videos in search results. To better understand the basics of TikTok SEO, there are three main components to be discussed: information, engagement and technical components.

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Information component

First, it is important to take a look at the information a TikTok video contains. TikTok’s algorithm takes into account the following factors:

• Video: The AI algorithm crawls the content of the video and determines what it is about.
• Audio: Be it spoken word or other sounds used, the AI algorithm extracts the audio and categorizes it. The first seconds of the video appear to be most important with regards to this factor. 
• Text Inserts: Videos can be enhanced by so-called text inserts. This is a layer with written text usually used to set spoken words in context.  
• Captions: The post caption or video description that appears at the bottom of the feed.
• Hashtags: Additional hashtags (#) included in the caption. (Macready, 2024; Gardt, 2022, Semrush Team 2023)

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The information component of TikTok SEO

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Engagement component

Furthermore, engagement affects where a video ranks on TikTok for specific keywords. Generally speaking, the more users interact with videos, the greater the chances of ranking at the top of TikTok’s search results. The following factors are considered important:

• Comments 
• Likes, shares and Saves
• Watch time
• Flagged or marked as “not interested” (Macready, 2024)

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The engagement component of TikTok SEO

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Technical component

Lastly, there are some technical components to bear in mind. 

• Account type: Only public profiles can rank in TikTok search results. Therefore, the profile should be set to “public”.
• Language preferences: When a user creates a new account, they can set their language preferences. Videos in the preferred language are more likely to appear at the top of the search results. ‍
• Country setting: A default country is also set when creating a new account. When travelling to different countries, these settings are adjusted. Depending on the current location and the default location, TikTok search results will be affected. (Macready, 2024)

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The technical component of TikTok SEO

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Case study: TikTok ranking for "Sepp, was machst du?"

From 15th April to 10th May, we posted videos to Sepp Schellhorn’s TikTok profile (@seppschellhorn) in accordance with TikTok SEO rules. Search result rankings were retrieved for two types of keywords: a) "[recipe name]" and b) "[recipe name] Rezept". The following table shows the ranking results:

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Results of the case study on Sepp Schellhorn's TikTok profile

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For the keyword containing only the name of the dish, five videos achieved the desired ranking. When considering the keyword with “recipe” added at the end, seven videos reached the top four search results on TikTok.

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How can you implement TikTok SEO for your own company?

At its core, TikTok SEO practices are very similar to traditional SEO on Google. The same principles apply to rank highly for specific search terms, but they need to be adapted for TikTok. Therefore, brands operating on TikTok should follow these three principles:

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Use the desired keywords

It is important to consider the specific keywords a brand wants to rank for. Ideally, these keywords are included in the first seconds of the video through spoken words and text inserts containing the keywords. Additionally, keywords should be mentioned in captions and relevant hashtags should be included. 

The case study involving Sepp Schellhorn’s TikTok account showed that the broader a keyword is, the harder it is to rank for it. For example, “Sommersalat” or “Sandwich” are broad keywords for which a great deal of content exists. In contrast, “Spargelcremesuppe” or “Burrata Sandwich” are more niche keywords, for which it is easier to rank when applying TikTok SEO rules.

To rank highly, you should:

• Think of keywords you want to rank for. Perhaps do not choose the broadest ones, but rather niche keywords. (You won't be able to rank for every keyword; TikTok is already simply too big)
• Mention keywords in all possible placements. Although keyword stuffing still works on TikTok, be careful. Use them sensibly.
• Tip: Instead of creating thumbnails and uploading them separately, insert them into the first frame of your video. (This is how we do it with "Sepp, was machst du?")

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Create unique, high-quality content

The TikTok videos produced should offer unique added value to potential viewers, while taking relevant keywords into account. The main aim of Sepp Schellhorn’s videos is to provide added value by sharing free recipes and special tips from a star chef, combined with entertainment.

This could also be observed in Sepp Schellhorn’s videos. Compared with high-ranking videos, videos that did not rank at all did not offer enough added value. Although the “Sauce Hollandaise” video performed well overall, it did not rank for the keywords because the content focused more on an entertaining challenge.

To rank highly, you should:

• Create content with added value. This applies not only to TikTok SEO, but also generally when creating vertical videos for any social media platform.
• Connect with your target group and consider what they would regard as added value.

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Engage users

Any trigger that encourages users to engage with TikTok videos benefits TikTok SEO rankings. In Sepp Schellhorn’s case, there is always a trigger included – whether it is a call to comment, a provocative statement or sometimes even a deliberate mistake in the recipe, so that users comment on that recipe. 

The “Burrata Sandwich” and the “Spargelcremesuppe”, which ranked highly, generated a high level of engagement compared with other videos that ranked poorly.

To rank highly, you should:

• Implement a strategy to encourage users to like, share and comment. In Sepp's videos, we always try to engage the community, whether through questions or a bold statement about recipes.
• It is also important for the average watch time to be high, so try to cut out any parts of the video that are neither entertaining nor add value.

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Conclusion

By applying the rules of TikTok SEO, it is possible to rank at the top of TikTok search results. Nevertheless, it was not possible to rank at the top with all videos during the observation period. More time and more iterations would be required to determine the best TikTok SEO strategy for Sepp Schellhorn’s account.

In conclusion, TikTok SEO is a field that will become increasingly important for social media managers and digital marketers over time, as TikTok’s Vice President Blake Chandlee stressed in an interview at OMR (Chandlee, 2024)

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Sources:

Chandlee, Blake. (2024, May 11). Q&A with Blake Chandlee [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKWX3SDQ84k 

Gardt, Martin. (2022, November 11). Is TikTok SEO coming now? This is how the ranking battle in the app's search is already playing out. OMR. Retrieved on May 11, 2024, from https://omr.com/de/daily/tiktok-seo 

Google. (2024, April 23). Retrieved on May 11, 2024, from https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide?hl=en 

Macready, Hannah. (2024, January 19). TikTok SEO: Tips for Showing Up in TikTok Search + Free Tool. Hootsuite. Retrieved on May 11, 2024, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/de/tiktok-seo-tipps/ 

Perez, Sarah. (2022, July 12). Google exec suggests Instagram and TikTok are eating into Google’s core products, Search and Maps. TechCrunch. Retrieved May 11, 2024, from https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/google-exec-suggests-instagram-and-tiktok-are-eating-into-googles-core-products-search-and-maps/ 

Semrush Team. (2023, September 04). TikTok SEO: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Profile Visibility. Semrush. Retrieved on May 11, 2024, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/tiktok-seo/

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