A search phrase can sit in five places in a TikTok post. This page lists each place and how to fill it, then uses Creator Search Insights to find the phrases people type. One sourdough video carries its phrase from the first spoken line to the bio.
By the Go Viral team at Monadly · Updated · First published · Editorial policy
How to add keywords on TikTok
TikTok SEO means repeating the phrase people type into TikTok search in five places, one of them a caption that holds up to 4,000 characters in the app. The other four are the first spoken sentence, the on-screen text in the first frame, three to five hashtags, and the account name and bio. TikTok does not publish how much its search weighs each place, so use the same wording in all five.
Posts sent through third-party schedulers that use TikTok's Content Posting API are capped at 2,200 characters, so the searchable sentence goes first either way. Creator Search Insights, opened from the Search bar, shows the topics people search for. Search brings the viewer in. TikTok says that for most users, interactions, which may include time spent watching, are generally weighted more heavily than other signals.
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A keyword can sit in five places in a TikTok
Every TikTok post has five spots that hold words, and the search phrase belongs in each one. The table lists them in the order a viewer meets them.
Places a keyword can sit in a TikTok post and how to use each
Place
How to use it
Limit or detail
Spoken words
Say the phrase in the first sentence, in the words a viewer would type.
Auto-captions turn speech into text, so the spoken line can also appear written on the video.
On-screen text
Put the phrase in the first frame.
This page’s rule of thumb: six words or fewer, readable before the first swipe.
Caption
Lead with the searchable sentence; everything else follows it.
4,000 characters in the app; 2,200 through third-party schedulers using TikTok’s posting API.
Hashtags
Three to five, tiered from broad to niche. The three-tier hashtag method explains how to size each tag by its post count.
Placed after the caption sentence, never instead of it.
Account name and bio
Describe the niche in the words people search.
Written once; sits on the profile behind every post.
Four of the five places change with every post. The bio does not. It carries the niche word, such as “sourdough”, while each caption carries the exact question one video answers. The username ideas page checks a handle, a nickname and an 80-character bio against TikTok's limits, and the caption guide has a free builder that keeps the phrase first.
How do I find TikTok keywords with Creator Search Insights?
Creator Search Insights is TikTok’s own list of personalised topics people search for, and it opens from the Search bar. Follow TikTok’s help page steps:
Tap Search in the TikTok app.
Search “Creator Search Insights” and tap View.
Pick a filter. Content gap surfaces what TikTok calls topics “that may be lacking in content”. Searches by followers shows what your own followers look up, and needs more than 1,000 followers.
Tap a topic to see its search popularity and the related videos.
Open the Analytics tab for search performance on All posts and Inspired posts.
TikTok attaches two caveats. Some topics are AI-generated, and TikTok says they may be inaccurate. With personalization turned off, you are not served personalised topics. Read each topic as a lead and check it against its related videos.
Copy a topic's wording exactly, word order included, because that wording goes into all five places. The sourdough post below uses “why does my sourdough spread flat”. The guide to turning a search topic into a TikTok video idea files each topic under what you can film.
One sourdough video, with the phrase in all five places
A home baker has a video that answers “why does my sourdough spread flat”. The phrase goes into each place, cut to its key words where the whole of it will not fit. Here is the post, written out:
Spoken first line: “Why does my sourdough spread flat? Start by looking at the shaping.”
On-screen text, first frame: “Why does my sourdough spread flat”
Caption opening: “Why does my sourdough spread flat? Shaping or proofing: how to tell which one it is.”
Bio line: “Home sourdough baker. Fixes for flat loaves, dense crumb and slow starters.”
Check the numbers. The on-screen line is six words, the limit in the table: why, does, my, sourdough, spread, flat. The caption opening is 84 characters, spaces and punctuation included. A scheduler post has 2,200 − 84 = 2,116 characters left, and an in-app post has 4,000 − 84 = 3,916.
The tags are one broad (#baking), two category (#sourdough, #breadmaking) and two niche (#sourdoughtips, #sourdoughproblems): 1 + 2 + 2 = 5. That is the top of the three-to-five range. The bio uses “sourdough” and “flat loaves”, the words a stuck baker types.
Keywords bring viewers; what they do next counts for more
What viewers do once search brings them counts for more than the words that brought them. TikTok’s recommendation page lists hashtags and sounds among its signals, and also whether a video is watched in full or skipped. A baker who finds the sourdough video by search and leaves at second 2 still counts as a skip.
The spoken first line is also the hook. Say “Why does my sourdough spread flat?” over the flat loaf on the board, so the search phrase and the reason to stay share the first 3 seconds. Write both at once.
Wait before judging. TikTok analytics can take 1 to 2 days to update, and every figure except follower activity is reported in UTC. If the baker posts on Friday, open the post's analytics in TikTok Studio on Sunday and read average watch time and traffic sources. A late-evening post in the Americas can land on the next UTC date.
Go Viral covers two of the five places
Go Viral can suggest the hashtags and draft the spoken first line; the on-screen text, caption and bio stay yours to write. The Hashtag Finder returns relevant tags that balance reach against competition. Sort them into the tiers of the sourdough example: one broad, two category, two niche. Keep five or fewer.
The Script Generator turns a topic into a ready-to-record short-form script. Give it the search phrase as the topic, such as “why does my sourdough spread flat”, and check that the phrase lands in the first sentence. The script generator guide has beat sheets for 15, 30 and 60 second videos.
Then run the recorded clip through the Hook Score for the first 3 seconds, rated 0 to 100, because the keyword line is also the opening.
The app reads the clip you import. It does not connect to your TikTok account, so Creator Search Insights stays inside TikTok.
The sourdough example on this page. The same phrase, “why does my sourdough spread flat”, appears in the spoken line, the first-frame text and the caption; the hashtags and bio carry its key words.
Keyword and search questions
How do I add keywords to my TikTok?
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Put the phrase a viewer would type into search in five places. Say it in your first sentence and show it as on-screen text in the first frame, in six words or fewer. Open the caption with it and add three to five tiered hashtags. Describe your niche in the account name and bio in the same words.
Do keywords in captions help on TikTok?
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Caption keywords are one of five places a post carries the words people search for. TikTok does not publish how much the caption counts against speech, on-screen text or hashtags. Open the caption with the full search phrase as a sentence, as in “Why does my sourdough spread flat?”, and repeat the same wording in the other four places.
Where is Creator Search Insights on TikTok?
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Tap Search in the TikTok app, search “Creator Search Insights” and tap View. The page lists personalised topics people search for, with filters including Content gap and Searches by followers, which needs more than 1,000 followers. The Analytics tab shows search performance for All posts and Inspired posts.
How long can a TikTok caption be?
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A caption posted from the TikTok app can run to 4,000 characters. Posts sent through third-party schedulers that use TikTok’s Content Posting API are capped at 2,200 characters. Either way, keep the phrase people type in the opening sentence and treat everything after it as optional.
Do hashtags still matter for TikTok SEO?
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Hashtags still count as one signal among several. TikTok lists hashtags and sounds among the signals its recommender uses, and says user interactions, which may include time spent watching, generally weigh more. Use three to five tags in tiers, broad to niche, and place them after the searchable sentence in the caption.
Relevant tags and a first line that says the phrase
The Hashtag Finder suggests relevant tags that balance reach and competition, and the Script Generator starts a script from your search phrase. The caption and bio are yours.