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Many digital marketing professionals proclaim TikTok as the next big search engine. But did you know your TikToks could appear in Google’s coveted Featured Snippet spot?
Recently, during her maternity leave, Louise Parker stumbled upon a fascinating discovery while conducting a quick search.
A deeper analysis using SEMrush revealed a significant presence of TikTok in Google’s coveted ‘featured snippet’ spots. This insight prompts an essential discussion about the evolving landscape of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the increasing relevance of social media platforms, especially TikTok.
SEMrush data indicates that TikTok’s domain, tiktok.com, currently ranks for 21.7K keywords in the featured snippet spot.
While this figure may seem modest compared to YouTube’s massive 552.2K keywords, TikTok’s growth trajectory is noteworthy. From just 8.9K in January 2023, TikTok’s presence in these prime search positions has more than doubled, highlighting a trend that digital marketers cannot ignore.
How do you feel about Google ranking TikTok content?
“While TikTok is an extremely popular source for information, I’m curious how (or if) Google is evaluating the authoritativeness of these videos–especially for YMYL industries. If someone searches for “cold remedies,” could the Featured Snippet point to a video with 100,000 views about how crystals heal viruses? I sure hope not.”
The expansion of TikTok in search rankings underscores a vital lesson in SEO: it’s not just your owned web properties that matter. Social media platforms hosting video content, like YouTube and TikTok, are increasingly likely to rank in search results.
This trend reflects a broader shift in how search engines value different types of content.
While tracking this impact might be challenging, it undoubtedly enhances brand exposure, making it a factor that brands must consider in their digital marketing strategies.
Interestingly, it’s not just direct TikTok videos making their way into these prime search spots. TikTok’s /channel/ pages are also featured, indicating the platform’s growing relevance in the broader web ecosystem.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach or guaranteed formula for success, the path forward involves consistent content creation and experimentation with different formats.
Brands should focus on producing straightforward, keyword-rich content. This includes careful attention to titles, tags, and even the spoken words in videos (with captioning), enhancing the likelihood of ranking in these coveted positions.
What are your top challenges in creating compelling video content, and how do you address them to ensure quality and engagement?
“Balancing authenticity and meeting clients and/or audience’s needs is crucial in creating standout video content. Finding the cultural root of the content and blending it with your personality while understanding the goals can create effective and genuine content.”
What does this change tell us about the cross-channel potential for online videos?
“This is a prime example of the importance of creating quality content. While it can be time consuming, this discovery highlights the adaptive strategy to leverage video content across all your platforms. This strategy becomes pivotal for maintaining a competitive edge in search visibility…although I’m curious to see if this prompts any updates from Google.”
How might this change impact how brands create content for TikTok?
“We knew that TikTok was a budding search engine, but what has long been the case with TikTok, it was assumed that this was only the case for the younger generation. An adoption by Google to include TikTok content in their search results shows that this will no longer be the assumption. All brands can now leverage helpful content through TikTok to increase their organic exposure on both TikTok and Google. A cross-platform organic search strategy like this further proves the importance of building a brand organically with a helpful content strategy that answers consumer questions before they are asked. This will all be in addition to benefiting paid efforts by generating more eyeballs through alternative avenues for cheaper costs.”
The message is clear for brands still on the fence about TikTok: the time to act is now. Whether you are a consumer brand, a publisher, or any business seeking to increase its digital footprint, experimenting with TikTok content can no longer be an afterthought. The platform’s growing influence in search rankings presents a unique opportunity for brands to increase their visibility and engage with a broader audience.
Our team can work on an on-demand basis to provide technical audits, content suggestions, and training for your team.
We also offer monthly, ongoing SEO consulting services.
About the Author
Kaylee Pope is the Content Strategy Director here at KORTX. When she is not writing blogs or crafting strategy, she enjoys time outdoors with her cattle dog mix, exploring Detroit restaurants, and a good book.
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