Sociable: TikTok Updates Search Ads with Keyword Targeting

““Sociable” is the latest commentary from industry expert Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today on the big events and trends in social media.

TikTok is rolling out a new version of its search ad campaign that lets brands promote their products and services to app users.

Search ads are now available for both traffic and web conversion goals, and also include a new element during setup that allows advertisers to select relevant keywords for their campaigns.

The biggest difference from the current search ad format is the greater control advertisers have over their placement.

Last year, TikTok added AND toggle sds search in ad campaignswhich, once activated, ensures that ads can be displayed on related search queries within the app.

The limitation is that the toggle is just a placement, not a separate ad option. That means advertisers could turn it on to have ads appear on related searches, but they wouldn’t be able to target specific keywords.

TikTok’s updated search ads look the same in the app but give advertisers more control.

As TikTok explains:

“With a Search Ads campaign, brands have full control over how their content appears on the TikTok search results page, ensuring that the right creative is shown to the right users.

So the placement and appearance remain the same, but you have more options to control where your ads appear based on user searches.

Which is important because according to TikTok, 57% of users use TikTok’s search feature, and 23% search for information within 30 seconds of opening the app. TikTok is also gradually becoming a place for product discovery. At the same time, TikTok notes that brands that display search ads in addition to feed ads see an average 20 percent increase in conversions.

As you can see in this example, TikTok’s system will also recommend keywords to target based on the terms you enter.

It’s a good addition, very similar to other search campaign options in other apps, but it’s also a valuable update to TikTok’s Discovery Targeting feature.

TikTok continues to grow as an e-commerce platform and destination for shoppers, so it has the potential to become a more valuable option over time.

You can learn more about TikTok’s updated search ad campaigns here.