TikTok Search Ads are Officially Here

To that last point: nearly 25% of small-business owners report that TikTok content outperforms search results for their businesses—and a majority of Gen Zers prefer to use social media over search engines when researching brands.

How did we get here?

TikTok first focused on trial and adoption to build a user base.

Then, TikTok made the app stickier, developing some of the strongest personalization algorithms in the industry. And now TikTok has matured to monetization, looking to generate revenue from its users with its last two big releases: TikTok Shop and TikTok Search Ads.

Think of this blog post as a foundational framework to get you started with TikTok Search Ads. However, it's important to remember that these campaigns can be complex and are most effective when integrated into a well-crafted digital strategy—something with which we can help!

SO, WHAT ARE TIKTOK SEARCH ADS?

They are sponsored posts, shoppable videos and paid partnerships that show up in the Search Results Page on TikTok.

Now, our step-by-step guide on how to create Search Ads in TikTok.

1. Set up a campaign like you normally would—and select “Website Conversions”. From there, you will see the option of “Search campaign” under “Campaign Type”.

This will bring you to the familiar Ad Group screen.

Bidding is a crucial component of Search campaigns and is one of the primary differences between a traditional TikTok campaign type and search ads.

Note: this is a Target CPA bid, where TikTok will aim to get the most results while keeping the average cost per result around or lower than your bid.

When setting a bid price, it is imperative to factor in budget! TikTok recommends your budget should be at least 20x the target CPA.

If your target CPA is $15, your daily budget should be at least $500.

TikTok has a nifty “Apply” button that will auto adjust the budget here. Very demure TikTok, very demure.

The next big difference is that TikTok Search Campaigns are only eligible to show up in the “TikTok search result” placement.

And last but certainly not least, the key, (pun intended) difference is that advertisers do not select any audiences, but keywords.

There are three ways to add keywords. The first and default option is “Keyword suggestion”. This is where you enter products, services, or brands and then TikTok will auto-populate suggestions along with an estimated monthly search volume.

The second is a manual entry. If your keywords don’t show up under the keyword suggestion, you can manually enter one keyword per line.

And the third is a bulk upload. This could be a great opportunity for Search and Social to come together and upload a list that has demonstrated success on Google or Bing.

Another key component of selecting keywords is assigning Match Type. There are three match types: Broad, Phrase, Exact. Sound familiar?

Broad keywords will be triggered when any eligible search query containing a specific keyword happens. For instance, if you have a keyword that is broad match lip, you could very well show up for a search query like “Duck lip challenge” or “plastic lip surgery gone wrong”

Phrase match keywords will be eligible for search queries that include your keyword meaning. An example would be if your keyword is lip mask, and the search query is “best lip mask 2024”.

Exact match keywords will only be eligible when the search query matches your keyword’s meaning. If your keyword is again lip mask, and the search query is “Best lip mask”, it will not show. If the query is lip mask, and you have the correct bid in place, your ad may show.

TikTok suggests starting with Broad to capture as much volume and clear sufficient conversion activity before tightening up with Phrase and Exact.

A note on this: 50 is the recommended conversion volume within a seven day period.

Unfortunately, the beloved TikTok audience estimation is unavailable at this time because TikTok states that “keywords targeting volume cannot be accurately predicted”.

So, brands can either take a conservative approach and keep keywords tight to mitigate wasted spend out of the gate—or go more broadly and keep a close watch on search terms and overall performance…and then optimize.

To see keyword performance and search terms, advertisers have to navigate to the “View Data” section from the Ad Group.

And then there are three primary data views, with the default as Daily. Navigate to the Search option.

Here we can see Keywords and associated metrics.

It is also here that we can set the all-important NEGATIVE keywords.

Negative keywords are critical for clean Search campaigns and maximum performance.

To see the Search Terms that are triggering keywords, and to get Negative keyword ideas, advertisers can navigate to Search terms.

And there you have it! The Ads work the same way as traditional TikTok campaigns from set up to publishing.

With this onset of Search ads on TikTok, it will become increasingly important to have a diversified content mix on TikTok and to tailor content to the search terms and what people are searching for. It’s also critical to understand: this new offering is not apples to apples to Google or Bing. While TikTok can be a full-funnel channel from discovery to consideration to purchase, it often acts as a starting point for users seeking more information, education, or reviews about a product.

Relying solely on bottom-of-funnel, conversion-driven creative and “buy now” messaging might not always be the best bet on TikTok. Success will require diligent partnership with Search and Social and plenty of testing to identify the right mix of keywords and content to maximize the true ROI, not just ROAS, of TikTok Search Ads.

Ready to shine on TikTok? Connect with us—our award-winning social team can unlock the best of this platform for your brand. 

Sources: eMarketer: “Nearly a Quarter of Small-Business Owners Saw TikTok Content Outperform Search Results,” January 2024, “Gen Z Social Search Habits,” 23 February 2024