TikTok enables ad targeting on its search results

TikTok is taking its search ads to the next level. The video app has announced Search Ads Campaign, a product that enables granular targeting for ads that appear on TikTok search results pages.

The new targeting options are built into the search ads TikTok began rolling out last year. By selecting the “search campaign” option within the TikTok Ads Manager, brands can add more customization to their results page spots.

Options include demographic filtering and specified campaign goals (such as impression or conversion targets). Brands can prioritize conversions on third-party sites and apps, and they’re also able to link search ad campaigns to their TikTok Shop accounts.

A post on the TikTok for Business blog claims that brands can increase engagement by utilizing multiple ad types on the app. TikTok claimed that 57% of its community uses it as a search engine, and advertisers that run both search ads and in-feed ads see their conversions go up by 20% on average.

TikTok’s rising popularity as a search engine sounded alarm bells at Google in 2022, prompting the search leader to introduce more dynamic results pages. TikTok looked to capitalize on its momentum by advertising its search bar

Despite evidence that TikTok-as-a-search-engine may be in decline, the app has continued to build new features into its search bar and results pages. Expanded video descriptions promoted the use of common keywords, and creators got the ability to peruse the most-searched topics on the app.

TikTok’s investment in keywords is now paying off. The new campaigns offer targeting based on specific search inputs, and the TikTok for Business post describes keywords as “the backbone of Search Ads Campaign.”

The targeting provided by Search Ads Campaign is part of a broader effort to make TikTok ads more appealing to traditional media buyers. That desire prompted TikTok to introduce new measurement options during its most recent presentation at the NewFronts in New York. Now, advertisers can target specific demographics and keywords on TikTok, just as they can on other platforms. The result, in theory, will be an influx of TikTok search campaigns, thus supporting an ad format that could use a boost.