5 Best TikTok Keyword Research Tools

TikTok can be a bit like a crowded party; there's so much going on that it’s hard to know where to begin. For many, determining the type of content to create can feel overwhelming. If you’re in this boat, you’re not alone. Thankfully, TikTok keyword research can help you get a sense of the landscape, allowing you to discover what content will resonate with your target audience.

By analyzing the most relevant search terms and hashtags for your niche, you can uncover loads of TikTok Content Ideas to help you create engaging videos that attract more followers and boost your visibility on the platform. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about TikTok keyword research so you can get the most out of your content. One of the best ways to get started with TikTok keyword research is to use a tool designed for the job. For instance, Virlo’s virality analysis tool helps you find relevant trends and sounds to create viral shorts that align with your goals.

Table of Contents

• Benefits of TikTok Keyword Research

• 5 Best TikTok Keyword Research Tools

• 5 Tips for TikTok SEO

• Where to Add Keywords on TikTok

• Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Benefits of TikTok Keyword Research

1. Boost Your Visibility: How TikTok Keyword Research Helps You Get Discovered

The more your content aligns with what users are searching for, the better. TikTok keyword research helps you uncover these search terms to optimize your content accordingly. When you use relevant TikTok keywords, you help the algorithm understand your videos, allowing them to be shown to the right users. This increases your content’s discoverability and puts you on the fast track to garnering more views, engagement, and followers. 

2. Enhance Your Connections: How TikTok Keyword Research Helps You Engage Your Audience

Who doesn’t want to create content that resonates with their target audience? TikTok keyword research helps you understand the thoughts and interests of your ideal followers, enabling you to create videos that resonate with them. Instead of guessing what your audience likes, you can use relevant keywords to create a targeted approach to your content. This will help you attract the right people to your page and foster genuine connections with them. 

4. Level Up Your Approach: How TikTok Keyword Research Helps You Develop a Smarter Strategy

Data is your friend. TikTok keyword research reveals valuable insights into what users are searching for on the platform. By focusing on relevant keywords, you can craft an informed approach to your content that helps you get discovered and connect with your target audience.

Related Reading

• Times to Post on TikTok
• Top TikTok Influencers
• Popular Hashtags on TikTok

5 Best TikTok Keyword Research Tools

1. Virlo: Navigating the Viral Seas of TikTok

Virlo takes the guesswork out of TikTok keyword research. The platform helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-driven trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio and video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-paced social landscape. Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo helps you understand not just when to post, but what combinations of elements are currently driving engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo's virality analysis tool helps you navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral.

2. Keyword Tool.io: A Versatile Word Finder

KeywordTool.io pulls keyword suggestions from 12 different platforms, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram. It’s beneficial if you want keyword insights across search engines, social media, ecommerce sites, and app stores, all in one place. The tool uses autocomplete data from each platform to generate long-tail keyword variations. You’ll also get basic metrics like search volume and keyword difficulty, but only with a paid plan.

3. TikTok Creative Center: The Platform's Own Research Tool

TikTok’s Creative Center is the platform’s tool designed to help advertisers and creators explore trends in hashtags, songs, creators, videos, and keywords by region and category. The features of this tool include trending keywords, which allow you to view gaining popularity in specific niches and countries; search ads insight, which shows top-performing search terms in TikTok search ads; real-time data filters, which allow you to filter by government, industry, and time frame; and related terms to show associated keywords and trends.

5. SEMrush: An SEO Tool With TikTok Capabilities

SEMrush is mainly known for SEO, but its Social Media Tracker now includes TikTok tracking. Its features include tracking competitor content performance, analyzing hashtag use and engagement rates, and some keyword monitoring based on captions and comments.

5. Vidooly: A Video Intelligence Tool

Vidooly is a video intelligence tool that tracks performance metrics on video platforms, including TikTok. Its features include discovering trending hashtags and content types, tracking influencer campaigns and the keywords and hashtags they use, as well as category-specific trends.

5 Tips for TikTok SEO

1. Use Virlo to Boost Your TikTok Engagement 

Virlo is a tool that helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. The platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio and video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-paced social landscape. Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand not just when to post, but what combinations of elements are currently driving engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo helps you navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral.

2. Go Big on Hashtags for Better Discoverability 

Hashtags group content by topic on TikTok so users can find what’s trending quickly. They’re also another directional sign that helps TikTok’s algorithm match content to each user and search query. Just like keywords, your two jobs here are to find the best hashtags and use them in a way that helps users and algorithms find your content. Like keywords, one easy way to find hashtags is to type a root word into the search bar. Only this time, complete the search, then tap “Hashtags” at the top. You can also conduct a little competitive research to see which hashtags others in your space are using. And finally, once again, TikTok has a tool to help you find hashtags in its Creative Center.

3. Use Trending Sounds to Your Advantage 

Believe it or not, the sounds you hear while watching TikTok act like hashtags and keywords. When you listen to a few videos with the same catchy beat or funny voiceover, TikTok tends to serve more that use the same sounds. Plus, you can search for content by its familiar sounds, just like with hashtags.

4. Post at the Right Frequency and Time for SEO Success 

When and how often you post aren’t direct ranking factors. However, both can indirectly improve your TikTok SEO. When you post more often, you simply have more chances to go viral. The exact posting frequency is a matter of debate. TikTok advises posting multiple times per day, while other studies suggest posting a couple of times per week is sufficient. The honest answer is to post as often as you can while still sharing valuable content people want to watch.

Remember that video completion is a direct ranking factor, so posting more stuff people won’t watch all the way through will hurt more than help. TikTok also doesn’t directly care when you post your content. But if you get it in front of your audience when they’re most likely looking at the app, it’ll give your videos a little engagement boost, which may make them more likely to land on the FYP of new potential followers. Luckily, your TikTok analytics tells you when your followers are flipping through the app.

5. Drive Engagement to Boost Your SEO Ranking 

Likes, comments, and shares are the real deal ranking factors. You can’t make people take these actions (thankfully), but you can surely encourage them to do so. Here are a few ways to get more engagement on your TikTok posts for SEO success. It starts with a great hook to halt those scrolling thumbs. Use a thumbnail and some text that incites curiosity. Speaking of text, make sure your videos have captions. Many TikTok users binge with the sound off. Captions ensure that viewers can still understand what you’re putting out. Then, use some simple tactics, such as asking people to comment on a statement I make, jumping on new trends, and adding effects to make your posts more engaging.

Where to Add Keywords on TikTok

Transform Your Keywords into Hashtags for TikTok

The TikTok search engine heavily favors hashtags, so adding them to your posts is essential. The Keyword Tool for TikTok can double as a TikTok hashtag generator. To use it effectively, start by entering a relevant seed keyword. This will generate a list of popular keywords related to your niche. Next, remove any spaces from the hashtags to get the best results. And you're good to go! 

Use Keywords in Your Captions

When writing captions for your TikTok videos, make sure to include relevant keywords. These keywords will help TikTok's algorithm understand the context of your content and audience engagement.

Include Keywords in Your Video Descriptions 

Utilize the video description section to include additional keywords related to your content. This provides more context to your videos and helps increase their discoverability. 

Add Keywords to Your Profile 

Add main niche keywords in your TikTok profile to give followers a clear understanding of your niche. This can attract a relevant audience and improve your chances of appearing in their search results.

Add Keywords to the TikTok Video File. 

It does not hurt to enter relevant keywords wherever you can, so make sure to name your TikTok files after relevant popular keywords. It will only enhance TikTok's understanding of your content, which can encourage the TikTok algorithm to promote your content to your target audience. 

Related Reading

• How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work
• TikTok Trend Discovery
• How Long Does It Take for a TikTok to Go Viral
• How to Get More Views on TikTok
• TikTok Keyword Research

Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

You can think of TikTok like a vast, bustling city, with tons of different neighborhoods. Each "neighborhood" is a niche or subculture on TikTok, and there are endless trends, sounds, creators, and hashtags to discover within each one. TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) algorithm delivers a highly personalized experience to each user, which means that the content you see on your FYP is likely very different from what your best friend sees on theirs. And as a creator, the more you can understand these unique preferences and "virality patterns" within specific niches, the better. This is where Virlo comes in. The platform helps short-form video creators quickly analyze trends to identify the particular combinations of elements that can help their content go viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

Related Reading

• How to Find TikTok Trends
• VidIQ Alternatives
• How to Increase Engagement on TikTok
• TikTok Video Ideas That Will Go Viral