Words: Belinda
TikTok is no longer just a social media site for sharing content. Now it’s a sophisticated search engine and marketing powerhouse, the platform is rapidly evolving as user behaviour changes.
Like all digital content, SEO is crucial on TikTok. With TikTok’s user count expected to hit 2.14 billion this year, you need an SEO strategy if you want to show up higher in your audience’s feed more often.
Creating an SEO strategy that appeals to TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Our guide can help your brand get past the digital gatekeepers and onto screens. Read on to discover what a 2025 TikTok marketing strategy looks like.
TikTok as a search engine
When refining your marketing strategy, bear this in mind: the platform is being used as a search engine by more and more people every day. In fact, more Gen Z users prefer to search on TikTok than on Google.
With one in ten Gen Z users searching for everything from how-to content to businesses, it’s important to factor this into your brand’s content. The reason why users love this type of search engine is simple: search results are personalised to user preferences.
As you do across other platforms, optimising your content is the best way to ensure it appears high in searches. Make your content as sharable as possible by using trending sounds and filters and maintaining a regular posting frequency.
Keep the algorithm happy
TikTok’s algorithm continues to refine tailoring content to user preferences. Factors such as video completion rates, content creation patterns and saved videos are taken into account to create highly personalised For You Pages (FYPs).
Another factor in appearing on screens is to keep it local. TikTok’s algorithm is now favouring localised content, meaning users are more likely to see content posted by creators in the same geographical location. Take advantage of this by creating region-specific content.
Keep the TikTok gods happy by ensuring videos are short and concise. As attention spans shorten, your videos should, too — TikTok itself says 21 to 34 seconds is ideal, but this will likely change as user behaviour adjusts.
Other ways to improve your TikTok game
Don’t overlook your TikTok profile. Including relevant keywords in your brand bio and username improves your overall discoverability and helps the algorithm understand your content and recommend your profile to interested users.
Find your niche and make it yours. The most successful profiles on TikTok know what their audience wants and consistently serves it to them. Don’t get distracted by other accounts – play to your strengths and ensure you are consistent with your content, both in terms of what you’re posting and the frequency. Focus on creating content around your brand’s niche and use relevant keywords consistently to improve your visibility and ranking.
Keywords and hashtags might not seem cutting-edge anymore, but TikTok’s algorithm still cares about them. You’ll get better results by putting your hashtags in both the caption and title instead of just one place.
You can’t control everything
TikTok knows that getting to the top of the feed can be harder than ever, and they want to help users reach the right audience. They’ve created Symphony Assistant, an AI tool that can help digital marketers brainstorm, write scripts and even choose music to create the best possible content. In a clever move, they’ve also shared a prompt to help users see TikTok insights and trends.
Don’t overlook TikTok’s Creative Center, which shares examples of top-performing ads, offers creative assistance, and highlights trends. Visiting the site regularly will help you discover trends that can assist your brand expand its reach and gain new followers.
Use TikTok’s Trend Discovery tool to find trends and topics that your brand could capitalise on to increase its reach. Viral themes are an easy way of doing this, if they align with your brand.
However, here’s some food for thought: two individuals can be served the same content and react the same way, but their previous actions may view how and when they see your content on the For You page.
This is based on a user’s previous interactions on the platform, including liked and shared videos, favourites, comments, created content, followed accounts, and even videos marked as “not interested.” This means the video could be placed high up in the feed, or an epic scroll session away.
To create the best SEO and marketing plan for 2025 for TikTok you need to be all about consistency, authenticity and persistence. Keep on top of trends, use the tools at your disposal and keep sharing content that resonates with your brand’s ethos, and you’re on the right track to creating TikTok content that resonates in 2025.
Don’t have time to create a TikTok strategy? Get in touch! The Bubble Co. is a full-service marketing agency with SEO expertise across all digital platforms.
