What are TikTok search ads?

What are TikTok search ads?

TikTok search ads are a new advertising format for advertisers to reach their target audience on TikTok using the search function. According to TikTok’s official explanation: “Through search ads, brands can expand the reach of their advertising campaigns to high-intent users who are seeking relevant to their business, thereby driving audience engagement and business revenue.” Search ads use existing ad creatives to display ads in search results. When users search in TikTok, relevant ads will be displayed in the form of sponsored content.

TikTok search ad targeting is largely automated. Advertisers cannot target specific keywords like they can on Google Ads.
TikTok uses its own algorithm to match highly relevant ads to individual search terms. Three main factors that influence

TikTok’s advertising algorithm:

Search relevance – how relevant your ad creative is to the user’s search terms;

User intent – what products and services the user is looking for;

User behavior – behavioral information about users recorded by TikTok.

According to TikTok officials, the search ad feature has been successfully used by multiple brands.

Can I use a “Search Ads Only” campaign?

No, advertisers cannot limit TikTok ads to search ad placements only. Search ads are not a standalone ad product, it is just part of the feed ad campaign.

How do I turn TikTok search ads on and off?

Search ads can be turned on and off using the “Search Ads Toggle”, which is found under the “Ad Placements” section of the TikTok Ads Manager, as shown in the figure:

By default, the Search Ads toggle is on. If you don’t want your ads to appear in search results, you need to turn it off manually. However, this feature cannot be modified when TikTok ads are in the learning phase.
Once search ads are turned on, search ads will be automatically created and served. According to TikTok’s release information: Search result ads will be automatically created using advertisers’ existing in-feed ad content and targeting, and served for relevant user queries.
Enhance brand safety by adding negative keywords
Because specific keywords cannot be targeted, advertisers cannot control whether their ads are displayed as they can on other platforms. But TikTok allows advertisers to add negative keywords to prevent ads from appearing in search results that do not match their brand.

Maximize ad visibility: tags and descriptions

Since TikTok search ads are served based on relevant search user queries, it is important to pay attention to the hashtags and video descriptions you use. TikTok will use this information to match your ads to searches, so using the wrong hashtags and terms may not reach the right audience.

To help the algorithm serve ads for the right search query keywords, add the keywords you want your ads to trigger to your hashtags and video descriptions.
Adding these doesn’t guarantee your ad will run, but it helps TikTok know when to show ads in search results. Try to add the three most relevant search terms for each video as hashtags and description keywords.

Advantages of TikTok Search Ads

The main advantage of TikTok Search Ads is that you can reach users with active purchase intent. This is a huge opportunity for retail advertisers, and the value of search ads is arguably higher than that of feed ads. Feed ads are shown to passive users who don’t necessarily have the intent to buy. But searches show that users are interested in a topic, product, or service, which makes them more likely to convert when they see relevant ads.