Do people actually search on TikTok?

Yes. According to multiple studies, over 40 percent of Gen Z users prefer TikTok over Google for certain types of searches, especially for product recommendations, restaurant reviews, tutorials, and how-to content. TikTok's search bar has become a primary discovery tool for younger demographics.

How do you optimize a TikTok video for search?

Include your target keyword in the video caption, on-screen text, and spoken audio. TikTok transcribes audio and uses it for search ranking. Use 3 to 5 relevant hashtags, add keywords to your profile bio, and create content that directly answers common search queries in your niche.

Does TikTok SEO affect Google rankings?

Yes. Google indexes TikTok videos and often shows them in search results, especially for how-to queries and product reviews. A TikTok video optimized with the right keywords can appear in Google search results, giving you visibility on both platforms from a single piece of content.

What Is TikTok SEO?

TikTok SEO is the practice of optimizing your TikTok videos, captions, hashtags, and profile to rank higher in TikTok's internal search results and, increasingly, in Google search results. It works similarly to traditional search engine optimization but targets TikTok's search algorithm instead of Google's PageRank system - and because TikTok search is still relatively new, competition for most keywords is far lower than on Google.

TikTok Is a Search Engine Now

This is not a stretch or a hot take. It is just what the data shows. An internal Google study reported by TechCrunch in 2022 found that nearly 40% of Gen Z users prefer TikTok or Instagram over Google Search and Maps for discovery tasks like finding a restaurant. Google's own Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan acknowledged the shift publicly.

Since then, the trend has only accelerated. An Adobe Express survey from 2024 found that more than 2 in 5 Americans use TikTok as a search engine, with 1 in 10 Gen Z users more likely to rely on TikTok than Google for search. The same study showed 64% of Gen Z users had used TikTok as a search engine within the past month.

TikTok itself leaned into this by launching features like the search widget for mobile home screens, search ads, and more prominent search suggestions within the app. The search bar autocomplete now functions a lot like Google's - showing popular queries, trending topics, and related terms as you type.

How TikTok Search Ranking Works

TikTok's search algorithm ranks videos using several key signals. Understanding these is the foundation of TikTok SEO.

Captions and Text

Your video caption is the most direct signal TikTok uses to understand what your content is about. If someone searches "best protein powder for beginners" and your caption contains that phrase, you have a much better chance of showing up. TikTok indexes caption text the same way Google indexes page titles and headings.

Hashtags

Hashtags on TikTok serve a dual purpose - they are both discoverability tags and search keywords. Using 3 to 5 relevant hashtags that match search intent performs better than stuffing 15 broad hashtags. Think of hashtags as your TikTok keywords. A mix of broad terms (#fitness) and specific terms (#proteinpowderreview) gives you coverage across multiple search queries.

Audio Transcription

This is where TikTok SEO gets interesting. TikTok automatically transcribes the spoken audio in your videos and uses that transcript for search indexing. If you say your target keyword out loud in the video, TikTok picks it up. This is a ranking signal most creators overlook completely. Say the keyword within the first few seconds of your video for the strongest signal.

On-Screen Text

Text overlays, captions, and any text visible on screen gets processed by TikTok's OCR (optical character recognition) system. Placing your target keyword as on-screen text reinforces the topic signal from your caption and audio. Think of it as a triple-keyword strategy - caption, voice, and screen text all working together.

Engagement Signals

Once TikTok understands what your video is about, it uses engagement metrics to rank it against competing videos for the same search query. Watch time percentage, shares, saves, and comments all factor in. A video with high completion rate and strong saves will outrank a video with the same keywords but poor engagement.

Keyword Research for TikTok

You do not need expensive tools to do TikTok keyword research. The best tool is the TikTok search bar itself.

Start typing a topic into TikTok's search bar and look at the autocomplete suggestions. These are real queries that real users are searching for - TikTok surfaces them because they have volume. Screenshot these suggestions. They are your keyword list.

After searching a term, scroll through the results and note the "Others searched for" suggestions TikTok shows between videos. These related queries reveal the broader topic cluster around your primary keyword.

You can also use tools like Keyword Insights or SEMrush's TikTok keyword features to get estimated search volumes, but honestly the autocomplete method gives you 80% of the value for free.

One thing to keep in mind - TikTok search intent skews heavily toward specific, actionable queries. Users search "how to style curtain bangs" not "hair styling tips." The more specific your keyword targeting, the better your results.

TikTok Videos in Google Search Results

Here is a detail that makes TikTok SEO doubly valuable. Google indexes TikTok videos and displays them in regular search results, especially for queries related to how-tos, product reviews, and tutorials. Run a Google search for "best budget headphones review" and you will likely see TikTok videos in the results alongside YouTube videos and blog posts.

According to a study by Semrush, TikTok URLs appear in Google search results for hundreds of thousands of keywords. This means a single optimized TikTok video can drive traffic from both TikTok search and Google search simultaneously - without any extra work.

Google also features TikTok videos in its "Short videos" carousel, which appears prominently on mobile search results. If you are a startup trying to get visibility on Google without spending months on traditional SEO, getting your TikTok videos indexed by Google is one of the fastest paths.

Practical TikTok SEO Steps for Startups

Here is a straightforward process you can start using today:

1. Pick your keywords - Use TikTok's search autocomplete to identify 10 to 20 specific queries your target audience searches for. Focus on long-tail, question-based queries.

2. Build your content around search intent - Each video should answer one specific question. Do not try to cover everything in one video. "How to remove coffee stains from white shirts" is one video. "Best laundry tips" is too broad.

3. Front-load your keywords - Put the keyword in the first line of your caption, say it out loud within the first 3 seconds, and display it as on-screen text in the opening frame.

4. Use 3 to 5 targeted hashtags - Mix one broad hashtag with 2 to 4 specific ones. Skip the generic #fyp and #viral tags. They do not help with search ranking.

5. Optimize your profile - Include your main keywords in your bio and username if possible. TikTok's search also surfaces profiles, not just individual videos.

6. Post consistently - TikTok's algorithm gives each video its own chance to perform regardless of your follower count. More videos means more search entries. Aim for at least one video per day targeting a different keyword.

7. Track what ranks - Search your target keywords weekly and note where your videos appear. TikTok does not have a Search Console equivalent, so manual tracking or third-party tools are your options.

Why This Matters for Startups

TikTok SEO is one of the few channels where a new account with zero followers can reach thousands of people organically within the first week. Traditional Google SEO takes months to gain traction. Paid ads require budget. TikTok's search algorithm evaluates content quality independently of account authority - which means your startup's video competes on equal footing with a creator who has a million followers.

The window for low-competition TikTok keywords is still open, but it is closing. Two years ago, most searches on TikTok had minimal competition. Now popular niches are getting crowded. If you are going to invest in TikTok SEO, the best time was a year ago. The second best time is right now.