TikTok has quietly shifted from a place people go to be entertained to one they go to explore. In 2026, that distinction matters - a lot. If you still see TikTok as a channel for just trends and reach rather than discovery and intent, you are probably underestimating its role in how people actually make decisions now.

We have spent time looking closely at what drives visibility on TikTok, and the same theme keeps coming up. Search is no longer a side feature of the platform. It is the platform.

What TikTok SEO actually means

TikTok SEO sounds technical, but at its core, it is simple. It is about making content that appears when someone types a question into TikTok and hits search. That could be a restaurant recommendation, a product review, a how-to, or a comparison. The challenge is how to rank at the top for that search.

Firstly, we have to understand that the search behaviour has changed quickly. Google is still relevant, but it is no longer the default for everyone. People now move between classic search engines, AI tools, and social platforms depending on what they need. TikTok sits right in the middle of that shift because it gives fast, visual answers from real people. That feels more useful than a list of blue links.

If you are only thinking about SEO in the context of websites, you are missing how a growing number of people are actually searching day to day.

Why TikTok is impossible to ignore

The numbers alone explain why TikTok now matters well beyond Gen Z. This is no longer a “young audience” platform. In the UK, there are roughly 30 million monthly users spending 94 minutes a day on the app. 44% of those users are over 35.

What matters more than scale, though, is the intent. 23% of TikTok users search on the platform within the first 30 seconds of opening the app, indicating a strong appetite for answers and discovery. A search like ‘London things to do’ was queried over a million times in a single day just last week. These numbers suggest that TikTok is where people go to decide where to eat, what to buy, what to learn, where to travel, and how to solve a problem.

TikTok content shows in Google search

Another shift that is easy to miss is that TikTok videos are now appearing directly in Google search results and AI-powered summaries.

The implication is straightforward. TikTok is no longer a standalone channel. It is part of a wider discovery system. When using clear, relevant keywords in your scripts, captions, and on-screen text, your content will reach beyond the app itself.

How content actually gets traction

TikTok organises itself around interest-based spaces, often called toks. Travel, fitness, fashion, pets, and countless niche communities all function as their own ecosystems. When you consistently create content for one of these relevant spaces, TikTok learns where to place you.

SEO supports that process. When the words you say, the text on screen, and the caption all point to the same idea, TikTok has a much easier job understanding what your content is about and when to show it.

A quick note on the algorithm

Every video goes through the same basic journey. It is the first test for a small group of viewers ( Roughly 200-1,000). If they engage, it is shown to more users with similar behaviour. If engagement continues, distribution widens further, and the content moves higher up the funnel to virality.

At each stage, relevance is what keeps it moving. TikTok is trying to match content with intent and search signals, so it's important we do everything we can to support this process.

The tool most people overlook

‘Creator Search Insights’ is one of TikTok's most useful features, yet it is still underused. It shows what people are actually searching for on the platform.

Used well, it turns content planning from guesswork into something far more grounded. The creators and brands doing well in 2026 are not chasing random trends. They are building content banks that incorporate trends when relevant, but more importantly, they are providing content that aligns with the audience's search patterns.

Final thought

Doing well on TikTok now is not about posting more or just trying to be louder than everyone else. It is about being easy to find when someone is looking.

Once you understand how people search, how TikTok categorises content, and how SEO fits into that picture, growth stops feeling accidental. The brands that take this seriously now will not just get views; they will get engagement from the desired audience.

Of course, this is no small task. SEO and content are two huge areas to perfect, and if this is something you need support with, we are more than happy to help. Let's start with a chat.