Beyond viral dances and trending sounds, TikTok has quietly transformed into one of the most powerful search engines for Gen Z, forcing brands to rethink their approach to discoverability. With internal Google data revealing that nearly 40% of Gen Z users now prefer TikTok or Instagram over traditional search engines, mastering TikTok’s search ecosystem has become crucial for brand survival.

As of April 2024, TikTok’s 1.58 billion monthly active users spend an average of 58 minutes daily on the platform—not just consuming entertainment, but actively searching for recommendations, tutorials, and local information. This shift in user behavior presents both an opportunity and a challenge for brands looking to capture attention in an increasingly crowded digital landscape.

From SEO-optimized captions to intent-driven content strategies, ten industry leaders share their proven approaches for leveraging TikTok’s growing search capabilities. These experts reveal how brands can move beyond chasing trends to create discoverable, sustainable content that resonates with TikTok’s search-savvy audience.

Here’s what they had to say:

1. Marwan Guedamsi, CCO & Co-Founder, AIDEM Agency

As we all know, Social Search is here to stay. More and more people are moving towards channels like TikTok as their primary search engine versus Google. To understand how you could apply this, it’d be wise to understand what the actual role of Social Search is from a macro-perspective.

3 major shifts are happening that are changing the game completely:

1. The way we consume content — The rise of short-form video

2. The way we search & discover — The Social SEO storm

3. The way we buy — The dawn of Social Commerce (think TikTok Shop/Live Shopping)

We’ve been preaching TikTok SEO since early 2022. Based on years of data we’ve seen that the following 3 variables play a major role in leveraging TikTok’s search traffic:

1. SEO Optimized Captions
2. Engagement / User behaviour
3. Intent-Driven Content

The video with the highest ranking isn’t always the one with the most views. Instead, ranking is based on a combination of SEO captions, engagement, user behaviour, and how well the video meets search intent.

In the TikTok ecosystem, discoverability is the new currency. Brands that master the art of blending searchable content with authentic storytelling will not just be found – they’ll be remembered, engaged with, and ultimately, chosen by their target audience. It’s not about gaming the algorithm; it’s about speaking its language fluently while staying true to your brand’s voice.

2. Michael Ebel, Founder & CEO, Atmosfy

I believe it’s critical that brands optimize their content to not only connect emotionally with their target audience, but also to meet that target audience where they are. Search traffic across social platforms represents a new opportunity and ecosystem to meet those users directly in intenful moments on web.

At Atmosfy, we leverage the power of search heavily to surface the videos from our users on web that become SEO optimization to reach individuals that are seeking discovery of dining, nightlife, and travel. We continually work with brands, creators, and businesses to create content that is intentful in its approach to both meet and convert users in a SEO context that lives outside of the mobile app. 

I think that the paradigm shift across the board for brands leveraging social platforms is to account for that new opportunity and optimize that vector. 

3. Brian Dutt, Founder & CEO, Beeroll

With TikTok, many brands become trends obsessed. They mine the For You page and try to find sounds or ideas that the algorithm has already picked up on (basically, what the cool kids are doing). Trends are just a part of a solid TikTok organic strategy. You don’t have to be overly creative to get noticed on TikTok. A consistent stream of UGC reviews / demos of your product, hacks that are relevant in your industry (either involving your product or not) or even just random videos of what’s going on at the office can all work exceptionally well. What’s important is consistency and having a steady stream of content. Not just copying a trend once a week and calling it a day.

4. Kimberlie Christen, VP & Head of Brand, Blue Hour Studios

We see TikTok’s shift toward search-driven content as a game-changer for brands. It’s no longer just about creating eye-catching videos; it’s about strategically aligning content with how users search and engage on the platform. By optimizing keywords, using targeted hashtags, and tapping into trending searches, brands can extend the reach of their content and turn a content post into an opportunity to be found, connect, and engage with their target audience.

5. Vahag Karayan, Co-Founder & CEO, BrandLens

To truly leverage TikTok’s growing search traffic, brands should craft immersive experiences that encourage audiences to become co-creators of content. By providing enjoyable and meaningful ways for users to produce videos that embody the brand’s essence and subtly include targeted keywords, brands can organically boost discoverability. This collaborative approach not only enriches engagement but also signals to TikTok’s algorithm to associate your brand with relevant search terms, leading to sustained visibility and deeper connections with your target audience. In this way, you don’t have to worry about the algorithm—the authenticity and shared creativity do the work for you.

6. Zack Honarvar, CEO, CreatorNow

TikTok is a powerful search engine and if you want your brands content to be discoverable through common searches that your customers might make, then the most important thing is that you’re creating content that directly answers the top questions your customers might have. Not directly about your product, but about the problems that your products solve. 

If you want a hack, one thing that might help is this: 1) Create a paragraph of top keywords that are related to your piece of content. 2) Add text using TikTok’s native editor and paste your paragraph of top keywords directly into your video. 3) Scale the paragraph down so it’s unreadable to the human eye and drag it off screen. This will mean it won’t be noticeable to your viewers but TikTok’s algorithm will know that those keywords are related to your video. 

7. Clayton Jacobs, CEO, CreatorDB

For brands optimizing for search on Tik Tok, I think it’s important for each to realize the demographics of who uses the search feature is actually skewed much more towards Gen Z than the average user of the app. This is important to understand as search content is inherently supposed to be evergreen so brands looking create this evergreen content should do so with a younger target audience than typical.

8. Jeffrey Maganis, Co-Founder, CrowdCreate

Brands can optimize their TikTok content by leveraging creators to review products/services in their specific industry niche. For example, take the most popular product/service in a niche, and then do a side-by-side comparison against a brand’s own product/service.

For example, if you’re looking for a new vacuum cleaner, an ecommerce brand can have creators review popularly searched vacuum cleaners against their own. If someone is looking to purchase home insurance, an insurance company can have creators review popularly searched insurance plans against their own.

This is the new version of discoverability and TikTok SEO.

9. Rohit Khanna, Co-Founder & COO, Eleve Media

In the GCC and Indonesian markets, brands can maximize TikTok’s growing search traffic by focusing on data-driven content that aligns with local trends. Optimizing profiles with relevant keywords, collaborating with local influencers for authentic connections, and leveraging TikTok’s paid ads for targeted reach is key. These strategies enhance discoverability while ensuring marketing spending is tied to measurable engagement and ROI.

10. Marie-Josée Cadorette, Partner & GM, Clark Influence

TikTok is really emerging as the new Google, especially when it comes to how people search for information and discover content. With its growing search traffic, users turn to TikTok for everything from product reviews to tutorials. This shift means that brands must optimize their content to fit this new reality. There are a few ways to do it, like creating engaging videos that tap into current trends. Using a mix of popular and niche hashtags also helps boost search visibility. Also, engaging directly with followers through comments and interactive features can help build a community and keep audiences invested. Last but not least, brands should post consistently and monitor analytics to see what resonates with their audience. As TikTok continues to evolve as a search engine, brands that adapt their strategies to fit this trend will be better positioned to connect with their target and stand out in the crowd!