How to Use Keywords on TikTok

Using the right keywords on TikTok is the difference between your video getting lost in the scroll and it showing up for the exact people trying to find your content. It’s no longer just about viral sounds or trending dances, TikTok has become a massive search engine, and a solid keyword strategy is your key to getting discovered. This guide will walk you through exactly where to find the best keywords for your niche and, more importantly, the four key places you need to use them for maximum impact.

TikTok Isn't Just for Entertainment - It's a Search Engine

Think about how people use Google. They have a problem or a question, and they type it in looking for a solution. People are now doing the exact same thing on TikTok. They’re searching for "easy weeknight dinner recipes," "how to fix a leaky faucet," or "best bookstores in New York." Every search is an opportunity for your content to provide a solution.

This shift from passive scrolling to active searching is what makes "TikTok SEO" so powerful. Instead of relying solely on the For You page algorithm to hopefully push your video to the right audience, you can proactively target users who have already raised their hand and told the app exactly what they want to see. When your video shows up in their search results, you’re not an interruption, you’re the answer. This creates a much stronger connection and leads to higher quality engagement and more followers who are genuinely interested in what you do.

How to Find Keywords Your Audience Is Actually Using

Keyword research on TikTok doesn't require complicated tools. In fact, the best research happens right inside the app itself. Here are the most effective ways to discover what your target audience is looking for.

1. Use the TikTok Search Bar's Auto-Suggestions

This is the most direct way to find out what people are searching for. It's simple, fast, and incredibly effective.

• Start with a broad topic: Go to the "Discover" or "Search" tab and type a general term related to your niche. For example, if you're a fitness coach, you might start with "at home workout."
• Look at the suggestions: Before you even hit search, TikTok will show you a dropdown list of popular related searches. You might see "at home workout for beginners," "at home workout no equipment," or "at home workout plan." These are your keyword goldmines. They are the exact phrases real users are typing in.
• Document everything: Keep a running list of these suggestions. They're perfect for planning your future video content, as each one represents a specific need or question within your audience.

Treat this process like a cycle. As you discover new, more specific keywords, type those into the search bar to uncover even more long-tail variations.

2. Analyze Your Competitors (and Top Creators)

Find accounts in your niche that are doing well and treat their content like a library of keyword ideas. Don't copy them, but learn from what's working.

• Read their descriptions: What exact phrases are they using in their captions? Notice how they structure their sentences to sound natural while still including specific terms.
• Pay attention to on-screen text: Look at the first 3-5 seconds of their videos. Successful creators often use hooks with strong keywords right on the screen, like "3 Mistakes to Avoid in Portrait Photography."
• Sift through their hashtags: What mix of hashtags are they using? Look for a combination of broad high-volume terms (#photography), niche-specific terms (#portraitphotographytips), and hyper-specific ones (#canonr6settings).

3. Listen to the Comments Section

The comments sections on your videos (and your competitors' videos) are a direct line to your audience's mind. It's where they ask follow-up questions and use their own language to describe their problems.

• Look for recurring questions: Are people constantly asking, "How do you get the dough so fluffy?" or "What kind of paint are you using?" Each question is a keyword phrase you can build a video around. If someone asks, "Do you have a gluten-free version?", your next video title could be "Easy Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread Recipe."
• Pay attention to their wording: The way your audience phrases their questions is exactly how you should phrase your keywords. You might call it "optimizing your landing page," but they might search for "how to get more clicks on my website." Use their language, not industry jargon.

The 4 Places Every TikTok Keyword Must Go

Once you have your list of keywords, you need to place them where the TikTok algorithm can find them. It's not just about hashtags anymore. The algorithm now "reads" and "listens" to your entire video. Here's where you need to integrate your chosen keywords.

1. In Your Spoken Words (The Script)

This is the most overlooked but arguably most important part of TikTok SEO. TikTok automatically transcribes the audio in every video, and it uses that transcript to understand your content's context. What you say matters - a lot.

• Say your primary keyword early: Try to say your main keyword or phrase within the first 3-5 seconds of your video. For example, if your video is about organizing a small pantry, start your video by saying, "Here are three tips for organizing a small pantry that actually save space."
• Speak clearly and naturally: You don't need to robotically repeat keywords. Just speak clearly and ensure your main topic is mentioned verbally during the video. The algorithm is smart enough to pick up variations and related terms.

2. As On-Screen Text Overlays

Big, bold text on the screen isn’t just to catch a viewer’s attention, it's a massive signal to the algorithm. Just like it reads your script, it also reads the words you place on your video.

• Create a keyword-rich hook: Your main headline or hook should contain your primary keyword. For example, a travel video could use text like "What to pack for a 3-day trip to London."
• List key points: If you're sharing tips or steps, use on-screen text to list them out. A video about skincare could have text overlays like "Step 1: Oily Skin Cleanser," "Step 2: Vitamin C Serum," etc. Each of those is another keyword signal.

3. In Your Video Description (The Caption)

Your video description should be more than just a few emojis and hashtags. This is your chance to write a clear, descriptive sentence that tells both viewers and the algorithm what the video is about.

• Front-load your keyword: Place your main keyword in the first sentence of your caption. Don't stuff it in unnaturally. Weave it into a sentence that makes sense. For instance, "I'm sharing my go-to recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies that you can make in under 30 minutes. Here's what you need..."
• Add secondary keywords: Use related LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords in the rest of the description. If your main keyword is "chocolate chip cookies," your description might also include terms like "easy baking recipe," "soft and chewy cookies," or "beginner baker tips."

4. Within Your Hashtags

Hashtags are still valuable for categorization and helping TikTok understand your content. The strategy, however, has evolved beyond just using the biggest trending terms.

• Use a mix of hashtag sizes: Don't only use hashtags with billions of views. Your content will just get drowned out. A good strategy is to use a balanced mix:
• 1-2 broad hashtags: These are high-volume tags related to your overall industry (e.g., #interiordesign).
• 2-3 niche hashtags: These are more specific to your video's content and have a slightly smaller, more engaged audience (e.g., #smalllivingroomideas).
• 1-2 ultra-specific hashtags: These can be community-based or hyper-focused on the video's exact topic (e.g., #IKEAhacksofa).
• Stay relevant: Resist the urge to tack on irrelevant but trending hashtags. A random, unrelated tag can confuse the algorithm and lead to a "For You" page delivery that does poorly, bringing down your video's distribution. Stick to a curated list of 3-5 highly relevant hashtags.

Final Thoughts

Mastering TikTok keywords boils down to understanding what your audience is searching for and placing those terms strategically in your spoken words, on-screen text, description, and hashtags. Approach each video with a clear focus on a primary keyword, and you'll shift from hoping for views to actively attracting an audience that’s already looking for you.

Once we nailed down our own keyword strategy, the next step was managing consistent execution without letting things get chaotic. At Postbase, we built our platform's visual calendar to solve exactly this problem for ourselves. It allows us to plan and schedule all our TikToks in one place, seeing weeks of keyword-optimized content at a glance to ensure our posts go live consistently. For us, having a single hub to plan content, review performance, and manage all social conversations is what makes turning a good strategy into real, measurable growth finally manageable. Explore how we do it over at Postbase.