Social media marketing firms have started focusing more on SEO for Instagram and TikTok. Why? Because today, these apps are looking and behaving much like search engines. Users aren’t simply swiping through; they’re searching. They type in keywords like “easy weeknight recipes,” “makeup hacks,” or “home office setup ideas,” and platforms retrieve relevant videos.
So, how do you show up in those search results? That’s exactly what we’re going to break down in this blog.
Do Instagram & TikTok Have SEO?
It does, and it’s more real than you think. Even though Instagram and TikTok are not Google, both have a search bar, a recommendation system for content, and an algorithm that decides who gets to see what.
A fascinating aspect comes into play with Instagram Search, since individuals search for terms on the Explore page and hashtags. When using TikTok, users type keywords into the search bar, similar to how they do so on Google. And based on how search-optimized your content is—title, caption, hashtags, audio, etc.—your video will come up first.
Traditional SEO is focused on blog articles and websites, but social SEO is about getting your content in-app in front of users who are searching.
Because of that, more and more social media marketing firms are treating TikTok and Instagram like they treat search engines—and if you care about your reach, you should, too.
