SEO stands for search engine optimisation, and represents the tricks, tools, and tactics that let TikTok know what your content is about and who to push it out to.

TikTok has heavily invested in their search technology and their incredible functionality means they’re more and more positioned as a ‘discovery engine’. They’ve even overtaken Google in volume when it comes to search terms in particular areas, such as travel, beauty, and fashion, so it’s super important your SEO is on-point.

In addition to this we’ve seen a definite shift in the algorithm prioritising value-based well-SEO’d content on a long-term basis, meaning TikTok shows decent content that is easily discoverable far more over recent, more throwaway videos. In the olden days 👵🏻 you might get 5,000 views in a week and that’d be it, but if your SEO properties are on-point you’ll just see this number keep growing and growing forever.

The main steps in SEO optimisation are: 

• Main keyword: Define your main keyword or phrase that represents your video before you get started. This is the phrase/word that would uncover your video if someone was to search for it. Then incorporate it as below…
• Subtitles: Make sure the subtitles of your video incorporate this keyword as often as poss – this should happen organically in the words you speak.
• Caption: Don’t sleep on your caption! Make sure you’re describing the key points of your video within it, not only boosting the SEO properties of your video by repeating the keyword, but increasing the likelihood of it being saved.
• Hashtags: Make sure you add 3-5 hashtags that once again relate to your specific niche and content, including the magic keyword, and a mix of ‘broad’ and ‘narrow’ words. For example, if you were going to post a piece of content about a fun day out at Peppa Pig World you might use #MumTok, #MumUK, #Peppapigworld, #daysoutwithkids, and #PeppaPig.
• Off-Screen Keywords: Write out 5-10 phrases and/or words that relate to your content and niche niche, make the words really tiny and swipe them off the screen. These should mirror the hashtags you’re using as well as your general keyword.

Replying to comments also helps TikTok know where to push your content to; using your keyword within them again boosts your content’s SEO properties. This one really helps!

One important thing to say here is that all of these things will help your views grow, but they won’t necessarily push a video out if the quality isn’t there. This is just about enhancing the opportunity a video has to do well, and teaching TikTok a little bit about your content and its desired audience 🥰.