Why do you need SEO to be successful on TikTok?

By Ali Ashraf

Search engines have done wonders for users on the internet as it makes it extremely easy to search for precisely what you want. For the websites, they always want their links to appear on the first page of the search, as that will increase the chances of people clicking on them. Search engine optimization(SEO) is a big part of this, as optimizing a website increases the chances of people finding it through search engines. SEO has completely changed how websites are designed and digital marketing itself.

SEO is a big deal when searching on search engines like Google, but recently SEO has increasingly become popular for accounts on social media sites too, especially TikTok. So what makes SEO so important on social media sites like Tiktok, and how can you also benefit from the use of SEO on Tiktok?

What does SEO on Tiktok hope to achieve?

The goal of SEO on TikTok is the same as SEO for other kinds of websites; you want to increase the traffic to your account. By using SEO on Tiktok, a user will be able to increase the visibility of their account to other users, further increasing their popularity. Tiktok SEO will increase the chances of your content appearing when people search for important keywords.

Why is TikTok SEO so important for you?

Tiktok is a social media platform that keeps increasing in popularity and is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. With many people online, especially 18-24 year olds, Tiktok has become a very popular source for information and news regarding a lot of stuff. The social media app makes it easier for users to access all sorts of information, and they find it easier to search for whatever they are looking for in the app’s search feature.

For businesses and users looking to increase the visibility of their content, this presents an excellent opportunity, as using SEO will allow them to make their content more visible. Users will generally click on the first few things they see when searching on social media sites, so your content must appear at the top. SEO on Tik Tok is not necessary, but it is expected to reach 1.8 billion users by the end of 2022, so why not use TikTok to your benefit?

How can you implement TikTok SEO?

Know popular keywords

You must know what keywords are most popular for searches on TikTok. Whatever your content is about, make sure to add popular keywords or phrases in it so more people can see your content when it shows up.

A great way to search for popular keywords is to use the autofill feature to see the recommended searches.

How to get more views on TikTok

You want people to see what you make, so the content you make must be interesting, and it should be able to capture your viewer’s attention. You want to capture the attention of your viewers very early in the video, so the first few seconds of the video can count for a lot. If a person isn’t interested, they will just scroll down. You can use all sorts of attention-catching tools to capture viewers’ attention, but make sure not to lie or make up stuff, as that can make viewers lose trust in you.

Make use of hashtags and common trends.

Hashtags are a big part of social media and are great for showing what your content might relate to. Using hashtags assures that when people search for a specific hashtag, your post can appear on searches for that hashtag.

Using popular ongoing trends can also help you as people tend to search for a lot of content related to popular trends on social media.

Make it easier for viewers to access your website or additional information.

Much of the content that is made, is done so to direct the viewer to something else, like a product. For example, you might make a video about the benefits of some pen, and then direct the viewer towards that pen. You want to make it easier for the viewer to get additional information from you, making their lives easier.

Post content regularly

Lastly, you must post content regularly with your account. Regular content will ensure that you get more views on your videos and that your posts frequently show up. Regular content is crucial, but don’t sacrifice quality just to post more videos.

Ali Ashraf is an economic graduate from NUST who graduated in 2022. Reading and writing is a passion of his and enjoys it a lot. He has done a lot of first hand research work and also wrote a thesis on freelance work in Pakistan. He writes for many different domains and is studying to be a chartered accountant.