Interviews * Session Previews

With TikTok becoming a primary search destination for information and products, the significance of considering and refining your SEO strategy on the platform is key. Beyond creating SEO-friendly content, a reactive social approach aligned with users’ search intent is important to stand out too. The relationship between search and creativity is now more essential than ever. And to show up you need to stand out. 

Unlike Google users who often seek immediate solutions, TikTok users navigate based on precision AND also interest keywords. This means a more creative approach to keywords, not just in the post’s body but also in text overlays on videos and the language used within video content. 

Here are some top tips for TikTok SEO:

Utilise TikTok’s Keyword Insights tool. Gain insights into trending keywords on the platform and find creative inspiration. This will ensure your content creation approach is data driven and informed by platform trends. 

Leverage TikTok’s AI Creative Assistant 

This tool also provides valuable keyword insights categorised by trends, helping with brainstorming creative ideas and copywriting. Ensuring that your approach to content again is based on platform data rather than assumption.

Build TikTok videos that inform and educate 

To improve TikTok SEO, move your content strategy from just showcasing products to creating an experience that captivates audiences. For example, if your goal is to rank for ‘natural acne creams,’ refrain from a straightforward product display. Instead, opt for an engaging approach where the video’s creator delves into the product’s reasons and provides a valuable exchange. This not only makes the content more intriguing and useful but also moves away from basic product promotion, increasing the likelihood of better ranking on the For You page.

Optimise character limits and hashtags 

Avoid keyword stuffing in the body of the post and hashtags. Incorporate both popular and niche hashtags within your category to maximise reach. Use the search bar to determine the associated volumes to guide your SEO strategy. 

Implement text overlay for accessibility and keyword ranking
Improve accessibility and boost keyword ranking by incorporating text overlays on your videos, particularly within the first few seconds. Integrating text that prompts viewers to engage with the text not only extends their viewing time but also reinforces recall. 

By staying abreast to trending keywords, leveraging tools, and adopting creative approaches to user search queries gives your content a better chance of standing out but most importantly connecting with TikTok audiences so they watch.

Almost everybody relies to some degree on some form of content marketing. We do market and keyword research, and we try to spot opportunities. We build landing pages and write articles to try and boost our rankings, optimize our ads, get traffic, and convert visitors. So what happens when that stops working?

It’s time to ask hard questions about the value of our content. What purpose does it serve, when the internet is drowning in generic, AI-generated articles, when search is ‘ambient’ and keyword-less, and when Google has no incentive to crawl, index or rank our websites? How will brands compete for attention in solved query spaces, when search engines neither want nor need our content… when they can just synthesize content from what they already know?

Zero-click searches were just the beginning. If we want to continue to be able to access and influence an audience, we need to stop thinking of ‘content’ as something we just put on pages and ads to attract or convert visits. We need to start thinking more about how we use content to solve user problems. And that’s not going to be comfortable, quantifiable, or anything like the kind of content marketing you’ve encountered before.

In your opinion, what will be the most effective use of Generative AI in search marketing in the near future? Where will AI really make a difference in your daily working day and why?
Because I work primarily in data collection and analysis, I’m most excited to see AI used to simplify technical tasks and lower the barriers to entry that have kept some people from diving deeper into data. A fair amount of my time is spent on fairly mundane tasks that don’t require a lot of critical thinking: writing technical specifications, summarizing audits, generating code that’s similar to code I’ve created many times, etc. I’m excited to spend less time on those, and more time problem-solving and strategizing.

What was your biggest challenge in 2023 and how did you overcome it?

This year my biggest challenge, professionally, was finding a balance between wanting my clients to use exciting new tools and technology, and trying to stay ahead of clients who want to use exciting new tools and technology that I don’t feel confident in my expertise in. I’ve been in essentially the same role for 17 years, yet it feels like I’ve had to learn more new things in the last 2 years than the previous 10 years combined. Which is great- I love learning new things- but I can’t have years of best practices and expertise in technology that is only a year or two old. I’ve found that just being honest is best: not pretending to have expertise I don’t have, but making it clear that I’m a motivated and enthusiastic learner who will use what resources I have to stay ahead of questions or problems that may come up. Our industry is full of helpful people and great resources, and right now, we’re all learning together.

In your opinion, what will be the most effective use of Generative AI in search marketing in the near future? Where will AI really make a difference in your daily working day and why? 

Quite clearly: In the creation of SEO website texts. AI will make text creation much faster and more efficient. Even though chatbots cannot yet take over all the steps in writing texts completely on their own, they are helpful sparring partners and thus increase productivity.

What was your biggest challenge in 2023 and how did you overcome it?

I think we all struggle with one problem or another that weighs on us. Finding one’s personal center, combining private and professional life in a healthy way, is always challenging. It has helped me to exchange ideas with others, set clear priorities, and spend more time in nature.