TikTok SEO: Understanding the TikTok Algorithm

TikTok has rapidly change into a viral sensation, with thousands and thousands of customers throughout the globe spending hours scrolling via the app’s countless provide of movies. However for entrepreneurs, TikTok’s best asset lies in its algorithm.

Within the first chapter of this sequence, we dug into the search habits on TikTok and why it ought to matter to SEOs. On this article, we’re going to cowl the ins and outs of the TikTok algorithm, and easy methods to leverage it to get extra customers taking a look at your model’s content material.

The ideas behind the TikTok algorithm

Earlier than we dig into the algorithm’s rating elements, a little bit of background.

In 2020, TikTok’s CEO Kevin Mayer revealed a manifesto on the significance of transparency for tech corporations, particularly on the subject of their content material algorithms. Mayer dedicated to being extra open than its rivals, not directly difficult Meta and Google.

Fortunately for us entrepreneurs, TikTok has stored its promise and has some strong documentation on how their algorithm works. On this article, I shall be combining that info together with secondary sources and inference based mostly on basic social media ideas.

Surfacing attention-grabbing matters

A couple of months in the past, I used to be raving about TikTok to my companion. He’s large on privateness and didn’t love the concept of becoming a member of the platform, however I satisfied him.

The second he joined the app, his feed was flooded with bikini-clad youngsters, crude bodily “humor” and what I can simply describe as a bunch of British guys appearing very lad-y. All of the platform knew about him is that he’s younger(-ish), male, and British.

The content material TikTok was serving was based mostly on his demographic knowledge. The algorithm hadn’t had time to work its magic then, however when it did, he may hardly put down his cellphone.

TikTok collects knowledge on how customers work together with completely different movies. Primarily based on this info, TikTok can decide a person’s pursuits and serve them associated content material.

TikTok makes use of the content material of every video to know what matter it pertains to. That is based mostly on the usage of hashtags, video descriptions, the TikTok sound used, and the textual spoken audio. Primarily based on what we learn about different platforms’ pure language processing capabilities, that is possible simpler in English than in different languages.

The platform will get higher at tailoring this content material for you as you have interaction with it, nevertheless it additionally bases its suggestions on demographic knowledge reminiscent of gender, age, and placement.

In response to their privateness coverage, TikTok provides “inferred info” to your profile, reminiscent of age-range, gender, and pursuits.

Figuring out this, it could make sense that TikTok places audiences into completely different curiosity cohorts. By connecting completely different matters by how carefully associated they’re, TikTok ought to have the ability to floor matters you’re more likely to get pleasure from, even if you happen to’ve by no means engaged with them on the platform earlier than.

Let’s see an instance. I like inside design, so I’m possible into IKEA hacks, which suggests I’m possible into DIY. If I’m into residence enhancements, I’m possible into crafting. Growth, a cross-stitching video reached my feed, and I adore it.

@tiktokswithtom Cross sew 🤷‍♂️ #fyp #fypシ #foryou #crossstitch #crossstitchoftiktok ♬ Che La Luna – Louis Prima with Sam Butera & The Witnesses

Bursting the filter bubble impact

TikTok’s transparency coverage happened after receiving some criticism round how their algorithm creates echo chambers that promote radicalization and the unfold of misinformation. Now some platform representatives have spoken about how the platform is making an attempt to forestall that.

Youtube and Fb have come underneath fireplace for this earlier than, however the reality is that any platform with a content material discovery algorithm that depends on engagement is vulnerable to creating echo chambers and selling radicalization. Human psychology tells us that we’re extra more likely to have interaction with content material that elicits a robust emotional response. This incentivizes content material creators to advertise content material that makes us offended or afraid.

TikTok’s reply to the filter bubble impact has been considerably easy: the platform will present you random content material occasionally.

With a view to keep away from homogeneity of content material, the app has began exhibiting customers content material that they don’t normally have interaction with. This contains surfacing random hashtags, video aesthetics, sounds, and matters. The app tries to maintain issues contemporary by avoiding content material repetition, so that you’re unlikely to see two movies by the identical creator or utilizing the identical sound in a row.

One other attention-grabbing incorporation into the algorithm is exhibiting you contemporary content material that has not had any engagement but. Should you’re a TikTok person, I’m certain you may have observed this.

Is that this sufficient to forestall creating echo chambers? Most likely not. Familiarity or the mere publicity impact will make you have interaction with the content material you see most regularly, so there’s nonetheless a reasonably excessive probability of creating echo chambers.

In response to the teachings of one among my favourite psychology textbooks, we’d must see about 50% of this random content material on our feed to interrupt the behavioral studying and bias in the direction of what we already like. Clearly that might be towards the enterprise pursuits of most social media platforms, so it appears unlikely to occur.

With this background and context in thoughts, let’s dig into TikTok’s rating elements.

TikTok rating elements

As I discussed above, this listing of rating elements is predicated on a mixture of TikTok-confirmed options in addition to unofficial sources and basic social media practices.

1. Video engagement

One TikTok rating issue is engagement, which incorporates likes and feedback in addition to watch time and profile visits. When a TikTok video has a excessive stage of engagement, it means individuals are taking the time to work together and interact with the content material.

This additionally contains replays, follows, bookmarks, and tagging a video as “not ” (which impacts your video negatively, after all). Engagement reveals TikTok that the content material is value pushing out to extra customers, thereby serving to it rank increased on TikTok’s algorithm.

Not all types of engagement are created equal, after all. A remark or share are stronger engagement indicators than a like. We see this on TikTok’s documentation and it’s true in lots of different social media platforms too.

In response to TikTok’s documentation, engagement is measured at video stage, not at account stage.

The profiles a person follows on TikTok additionally contribute to figuring out the person’s curiosity profile. Following gardening accounts signifies to the algorithm even additional that you simply’re all in favour of gardening movies.

The follower rely or the earlier efficiency of an account doesn’t immediately impression the rankings of their movies. Nonetheless, having a excessive follower rely can not directly assist your movies carry out higher, as it’ll expose them to extra eyes via your followers. In case your followers have interaction along with your content material, that engagement may help you attain greater audiences.

This can be a large shift from basic types of social media advertising, had been the earlier efficiency of posts on a profile are thought to affect the attain that future posts may have.

2. Uncover tab engagement

One other means during which TikTok determines a person’s potential curiosity in a video is by analyzing their interactions with TikTok content material past simply video. Looking out, clicking on a hashtag, exploring a trending matter, or viewing movies from a particular sound will weigh in the direction of the video suggestions that customers obtain on their For You feed.

3. The content material of the movies

As an search engine optimization, I can’t assist however draw a parallel between on-page search engine optimization and the TikTok rating elements throughout the video content material.

For the platform to have the ability to suggest movies of matters that you simply like, it wants to know what every of the movies are about.

There are a number of components throughout the uploaded movies that assist the app perceive what matter and emotional tone every video has. Let’s check out what these components are:

• The video’s visuals. In response to their privateness coverage, TikTok can “detect and accumulate traits and options concerning the video and audio recordings” by figuring out objects, surroundings, and what physique elements are current in your video. That is used for content material moderation and to energy their suggestions algorithm.

• The audio. The platform can course of the “textual content of phrases spoken” inside your movies to additional perceive what they’re about.

• Textual content over the video. Utilizing textual content over the video additionally contributes to that understanding of the content material. Including the textual content natively throughout the platform would possibly present a stronger sign, based mostly on the way in which different content material rating algorithms work.

• Title and hashtags. That is the OG sign for TikTok and it’s the one they’ve publicly mentioned probably the most. The title and hashtags used within the video assist inform TikTok what the video is about, however they’ll additionally affect rankings not directly by affecting engagement and discovery.

• TikTok sounds. The sound being utilized in a video is a rating issue by itself, because it helps the platform perceive a video’s content material. However the largest means during which sounds have an effect on your content material’s efficiency is leaping on a pattern. Trending sounds get a rating increase for a short time, since they’ll predict person engagement.

4. Content material language

There are three language preferences you may set in your account: app language, most well-liked languages, and translation language. This ought to be fairly self-explanatory, however there may be an attention-grabbing facet to discover right here.

You may choose a number of most well-liked languages and TikTok prompts you to pick the languages you perceive. Nonetheless, you may solely choose one language in your app and one in your automated content material translations. It might not shock me if TikTok used these settings to determine which of your most well-liked languages is definitely your favourite.

5. Gadget suitability

TikTok explains of their documentation that the person’s machine issues within the movies that customers get proven, however they haven’t specified precisely how.

In response to TikTok, the data they obtain about your machine is something from person agent, cellular service, time zone settings, mannequin and working system,and community sort to display decision, battery state, or audio settings.

My guess is that older and slower gadgets get proven shorter and lighter movies extra typically, to forestall disrupting the person expertise if the cellphone’s efficiency can’t sustain.

6. Creator locality

There may be one line on TikTok’s official documentation that basically caught my eye:

“A robust indicator of curiosity, reminiscent of whether or not a person finishes watching an extended video from starting to finish, would obtain higher weight than a weak indicator, reminiscent of whether or not the video’s viewer and creator are each in the identical nation.”

There isn’t a whole lot of readability about how location is used as a rating issue, however we all know it exists. We are able to perceive that proximity between viewers and creators helps in rating, however we don’t know at what stage that is measured.

TikTok tracks person location via SIM card info, IP handle, and, if you happen to give your permission, GPS.

7. Ineligible content material

TikTok has two methods of moderating content material: eradicating it or making it ineligible to rank. These embody your regular suspects reminiscent of violence, nudity, and hate speech, together with some others.

There are some attention-grabbing forms of content material which are ineligible to look within the For You web page:

• Content material uploaded by customers underneath 16 — so don’t use your organization’s precise age to make an account.

• Content material that features QR codes — TikTok desires to know what you’re linking out to and get a bit of the cake if it’s a product advice.

• Content material that manipulates customers into partaking with the video or person — all that “faucet the display twice to see one thing magical” stays on Instagram.

• Duplicated content material from TikTok or different platforms the place the person doesn’t add any important artistic edits.

• Harmful stunts not carried out by professionals.

• Content material that options tobacco.

8. Native content material creation

I’m fairly assured that constructing content material utilizing TikTok’s native tooling may help increase your content material rating. Different social media platforms are likely to favor native content material and native content material creation of their algorithm, so it could make sense for TikTok to do the identical. For the sake of transparency, that is simply an informed guess and never an official rating issue.

Instagram, for instance, has improved their native video creation instruments for Reels and Tales whereas demoting content material with watermarks from different platforms. Fb favors native video over Youtube embeds. LinkedIn favors posts with out exterior hyperlinks whereas providing a local weblog platform.

TikTok’s personal evaluation reveals that corporations who used their native artistic instruments noticed 14 occasions extra engagement than those that didn’t.

There may be an oblique mechanism that would result in native TikTok movies performing higher: the familiarity of customers with the kind of content material the app can produce natively. Customers are very fast to identify an overproduced video as an advert and can have a tendency to have interaction with it lots much less. This weblog put up on TikTok for Enterprise helps that concept, by telling manufacturers: “don’t make adverts, make TikToks”.

TL;DR

In conclusion, the TikTok algorithm goals to point out you content material you’ll discover attention-grabbing whereas avoiding filter bubbles.

Primarily based on the person’s interactions with the app, TikTok is ready to counsel movies that the person could be all in favour of. That is achieved via analyzing likes, feedback, watch time, replays, follows, and bookmarks. The app can be in a position to perceive the content material of the movies via visuals, audio, textual content, and hashtags. Moreover, TikTok takes under consideration the language preferences, machine info, and areas of each the person and the creator when suggesting movies.

What distinctive methods have you ever applied to carry out effectively on TikTok? Share with us @LidiaInfanteM and @Moz on Twitter, and be looking out for half three of this TikTok search engine optimization sequence: easy methods to rank in 2022.