Your TikTok Search Results Will Now Include Ads

TikTok is about to start integrating ads into search results — meaning that users will get branded content alongside traditional videos when they search in the video app.

In a blog post on Tuesday, TikTok announced that advertisers will be able to make their ad content show alongside organic search content on the video app.

Brands will be able to target users specifically using the app’s search box to look up products by using a new feature on the TikTok Ads Manager program called the “Search Ads Toggle.”

“The Search Ads Toggle provides a unique opportunity to offer rich, relevant information and experiences to our users,” TikTok writes in the blog post.

“Users may search on TikTok to find new content, resurface older content, or look for the latest hot trending items or ideas. The Search Ads Toggle provides advertisers a new way to assist and enhance this user journey.”

When the “Search Ads Toggle” is switched on, it automatically turns a brand’s existing ad content on TikTok into search ads and serves them against relevant search results.

According to TikTok, it will allow advertisers to target the platform’s users who are specifically seeking to learn more about new products or brands by typing queries into the app’s search box.

This is TikTok’s first ad placement that lets brands target users engaged with searches related to the brand’s business.

So when TikTok users use the search bar on the app in the future, they may get sponsored ads tied to the topic within the search results.

According to TikTok, the ads will match the search query and be specifically marked as a “sponsored post.” Furthermore, clicking on a “sponsored post” will not disrupt user’s search.

When a user clicks on a search ad, the ad mirrors the in-feed TikTok experience, with users able to continue scrolling through the search results in the order they appear on the page.

It was expected that TikTok would bring ads into the app’s search bar soon. In March, Meta introduced ads into the search results on Instagram. This came after the company announced they would be introducing even more ads in the Explore feed and grids on the Instagram app late last year.

Meta has attempted to open up additional avenues for advertising in the last year as the company grapples with weak advertising demand.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.