TikTok SEO: How to Rank in TikTok Search (and on Google)

TikTok SEO is the practice of optimising TikTok content and profiles so they appear when people type a query into TikTok's own search bar. You do it by placing the keywords people actually search in captions, on-screen text, spoken words, hashtags and the profile name and bio. A side benefit is that public TikTok videos can also show up in Google's search results.

This guide stays on the search side: how TikTok SEO differs from Google SEO, where keywords go, where to find them, how videos reach Google, how it connects to ads in search results, and where to measure it. The For You feed gets only a short mention.

What TikTok SEO is and how it differs from Google SEO

The principle is the same for both: match content to what people search. What gets ranked is different. Google ranks web pages and leans on on-page text, site structure and links from other sites as major signals. TikTok ranks videos and accounts inside the app, with no web link graph involved. TikTok's help page lists what may influence search results: user interactions (past searches and the content you like, share, comment on, watch in full or skip), content information (how well the content matches the search term, hashtags and the sound used) and user information (device settings, language and location). For most users, it says, how well the content matches the term entered is weighted most heavily.

Another difference is the shape of the results. A TikTok search splits results into tabs such as Top, Videos, Users, Sounds and Hashtags (tab names and number can change by app version and country). The Top tab mixes videos, accounts and other results. The search bar suggests completions as you type, and results pages often show related searches to tap next, which is a very good keyword source.

The last difference is that a TikTok video competes with new videos posted every day. Good TikTok SEO therefore works alongside SEO on your website, with each channel taking the queries that fit its format.

How it relates to the For You feed

The For You feed is where the system recommends videos without the user searching. It draws on viewing behaviour, likes, shares and information about the video. For You views and search views are reported as separate traffic sources. The For You algorithm itself is a topic for its own discussion.

How to do TikTok SEO

Since TikTok weights how well a video matches the search term most heavily, put the words people search where they can be read or heard. The parts a creator controls are:

1. Caption: put the main keyword in the first sentence, using the words people actually type. "Chiang Mai cafe with a great atmosphere" works better than a caption of emojis or short meaningless words. TikTok captions are long enough to add detail such as the place name, a price shown in the video, or the steps involved.
2. On-screen text: show the video's topic as text on screen early on, for example "3 ways to fix frizzy hair". It helps viewers who cannot turn the sound on.
3. Spoken words: say the keyword out loud early in the video. TikTok has an auto captions feature that turns speech into text, so clearly spoken words become readable text. Check auto captions before posting, because Thai transliterations and proper names can be transcribed wrongly, and correct them in the caption editor.
4. Hashtags: use a small number of hashtags that match the topic, mixing broad and specific tags. TikTok lists hashtags among the content information that may influence search results.
5. Profile: the username, display name and bio should say what the account does, such as business type and area.
6. Sound name and cover: sounds have their own search tab, so if you use original audio, give it a name that describes the topic. The cover should carry readable topic text, because it is what people see first in a list of results.

Beyond text, video quality matters. People who arrive from search want an answer. A video that gets to the point fast, answers the query directly, and is watched to the end or saved has a better chance of being shown again than one with every keyword in place but no real answer. Stuffing the same keyword repeatedly into a caption does not help and makes it harder to read.

Where to find TikTok keywords

Several free keyword sources draw on TikTok's own data:

• Search bar suggestions: type a core term and look at the completions. Add letters or question words such as "how to", "price" or "review" to surface longer queries.
• Related searches on results pages: on results pages and under some videos, TikTok shows related searches or what others searched next. Use them as ideas for the next video.
• TikTok Creative Center: TikTok's public tool for trends such as rising hashtags, songs and creators, filtered by country and time period, with a section that collects keywords used in ads. Available features vary by country.
• Creator Search Insights: in some countries TikTok offers creators a page showing what people are searching for, including topics with many searches but few videos answering them. If your account has it, it is the most direct source of ideas.
• Google data: your own website's Search Console shows the questions customers search. Many of those make good short answer videos.

For the Thai market, check Thai words, English words and transliterations, because users type them in different ways. "สกินแคร์" and "skincare", for instance, may return different results. Including both forms in the caption, or saying both in the video, widens coverage.

Can TikTok videos appear on Google?

Yes. Google shows TikTok videos in results for some queries, for example in video results or in a section that groups short videos, and sometimes shows a TikTok profile page in regular results when people search a brand name. But Google decides which videos to show and when. Account owners have no button to submit a video to Google directly.

What you can do is raise the odds. Set the account and videos to public, because private videos can never be indexed. Write captions that describe the content in words people actually search. Use the same brand name on TikTok and on your website. And if you have a website, embed relevant videos on content pages that answer the same question, which helps readers on the site and gives the videos another way to be seen.

How TikTok SEO helps TikTok ads

TikTok has ad formats that appear in in-app search results. Typically this is either an option that lets ads from a regular campaign also run on search results pages, or a search campaign where the advertiser chooses keywords. Formats and conditions depend on the country and the ad account, so check in TikTok's ads manager before planning.

TikTok SEO and search ads support each other in three ways. First, keywords where organic videos rank well show which topics people really search, which helps choose ad keywords. Second, the search terms report from ad campaigns shows which terms drive clicks or sales, which become topics for organic videos. Third, organic videos that perform well in search are good raw material for ads, because they have already shown they answer searchers' questions. To plan TikTok advertising that links up with organic content, see TikTok Ads.

How to measure TikTok search

TikTok has Analytics for business and creator accounts, available in the app and in TikTok Studio on the web. The part that relates directly to search is the traffic source breakdown in each video's analytics, which splits views by where they came from, such as For You, the profile page, followers and Search. Video analytics may also list search queries that led people to the video, and Creator Search Insights has an Analytics section showing how your posts perform in TikTok search.

A systematic way to use this data:

1. Note each video's target keyword before posting.
2. About one to two weeks after posting, check the share of views from Search and any search queries listed.
3. Compare the queries that brought people with the keyword you intended. If they differ, the caption or on-screen text signals a different topic.
4. For videos with a high share from Search, make follow-ups on related topics or versions that answer narrower sub-questions.
5. Search your target keywords in the app yourself from time to time to see where the video sits in the Top and Videos tabs, remembering that results are personalised and may differ for others.

On the Google side, if the brand has a website, check Search Console for changes in branded queries after a TikTok video gets attention. This is an indirect signal and cannot prove cause and effect on its own, but it helps complete the picture.

TikTok SEO vs Google SEO compared

This table summarises the main signals each platform uses and where to act.

TikTok SEO in the Thai market

Businesses in Thailand that may want to test TikTok SEO include those whose customers like to see the real thing before deciding, such as restaurants, hotels, beauty clinics and consumer brands.

The Thai-language catch is that auto captions can mis-transcribe proper names, neighbourhood names or product names, so correct them before every post. Write place names in both Thai and English in the caption so it can match searches in either language. To plan video content built for search from the scripting stage, see Content Marketing, and for a short-form video production team, see video and photo production.

FAQ about TikTok SEO

How many hashtags should TikTok SEO use?

TikTok sets no best number. A practical approach is a few hashtags that match the video's topic, mixing broad and specific tags, while the caption and spoken words carry the main topic.

Can you do TikTok SEO on videos already posted?

Partly, because some text such as captions can be edited after posting, though which options are editable depends on the app version. The more reliable method is a new video on the same topic with keywords planned at the scripting stage.

How is TikTok SEO different from getting onto the For You page?

TikTok SEO aims to show a video when someone types a search, while the For You page is the system recommending videos without a search. The two channels share some video data, but their views can be seen separately in the traffic source breakdown.

Can a personal account do TikTok SEO?

Yes, because appearing in TikTok search is not limited to business accounts, but the account and videos must be public.

If you want your brand to be found on both TikTok and Google, the Relevant Audience team can plan keywords, content and ads that work together. See social media advertising or TikTok Ads.