The TikTok Experiments, Vol. 7: Using an SEO Trick in All My Videos for a Week
/Throughout 2023, I’ve been experimenting on TikTok with the goal of better understanding their mysterious algorithm. I’m hoping to determine which commonly-promoted tactics are worthwhile and which are overhyped. In June, I experimented with an SEO trick that I’ve seen circulating the platform: hiding keywords in your video so the TikTok algorithm knows what your video is about and who to serve it. The results of this experiment were mixed. Today I’m sharing exactly how to do this SEO trick for TikTok and what I learned from the experiment.
So what’s this SEO trick for your TikTok videos?
Those social media gurus who end up on your TikTok FYP always have some trick that will (allegedly) launch you into stratospheric social media success. Lately, I've been seeing folks recommend hiding keywords in your video. Not for your viewers–for the algorithm. Supposedly, the algorithm scans text and uses the hidden keywords to serve your video to the right audience. Sounds promising, right? If you’d like to try this SEO trick in your own TikTok videos, here’s how:
Once your video is ready, use the text feature to add keywords.
Change the color of the text to match whatever is in the background–blue if it’s the sky, green if it’s grass, etc.
Shrink the text down as small as possible.
Slide the text as far out of frame as you can.
Ideally, the average video viewer will never see this text, but the TikTok algorithm will be like “hey thanks!” and sort your video accordingly.
What kind of videos did you create? And what SEO keywords did you hide?
As usual, I shared two videos per day, one in the morning and one at night, for a total of 14 videos during the experiment. I included 3-5 keywords in each. Here are the types of videos I made:
Dogs – As I’ve mentioned before, dogs make great content! I made videos of my dogs enjoying the sun, one with a CapCut template about how cute they are, and one with my dog as a Pokemon.
Current events – This experiment occurred during the week of the wildfires in Canada (and subsequent smoky days in the northeastern US); I shared two videos about that.
Books/Movies – I shared both book reviews and movie reviews/criticisms.
Slice of life – One video was simply a string of clips from a fun night out at an art show synced up with a trending song. Another was just one clip of an old stuffed animal I was getting rid of, with text on screen about bittersweet feelings, paired with a trending song.
Trends/filters – There have been some fun filters lately like “my red flags” that I tried, as well as the Pokemon filter on my dog, and silly CapCut templates featuring Michael Scott.
The hidden SEO keywords I used in these TikToks included things like:
BookTok
mental health
book recommendation
Studio Ghibli fans
The Wind Rises
honest movie review
hot take
No Hard Feelings movie
Pride Month 2023
Pride month reads
Which videos with hidden SEO keywords performed the best?
During my most recent experiment, the best-performing video received 2,700 views. This time, my most popular video received 3,900 views! Often videos are growers, gaining traction over several days (or even weeks/months). This video received 2,100 views on the day it was posted, which is rare, in my experience! It was a video of a stuffed animal that I was donating, paired with text about bittersweet feelings, and a trending audio. The video received 234 likes, 6 comments, 1 save, and zero shares. I found it interesting that the video performed well despite not receiving any shares, as thought shares were relatively important to the algorithm.
Other popular videos included:
Two of my videos about the Canadian wildfires–I think these performed well because folks were curious and invested in the apocalyptic-feeling conditions. One received 646 views, 48 likes, and 13 comments; the other received 628 views, 41 likes, and 4 comments. Both were simple video clips with text on screen and a song added.
Another popular video was a critique I shared of the upcoming movie No Hard Feelings. This received 640 views, 69 likes, 21 comments, and 1 share. I think folks enjoyed discussing the problematic elements of the trailer/premise. The engagement helped the video reach more people.
On a typical week, most of my videos receive 200-300 views. During this experiment, my videos received about 300-700 views. I’m not sure if that’s solely due to using hidden SEO keywords in my videos or if it’s a lingering boost from past experiments and continued growth.
It’s also worth noting that one video flopped terribly, receiving 31 views and zero likes! I’ve been seeing more flukes like that lately, with at least one video a week being served to almost no one. Rumors have been swirling since early June that TikTok is migrating their servers for American users to U.S. soil, causing creators’ reach to be significantly off. The rumors remain unconfirmed.
Should I hide SEO keywords in my TikTok videos?
More than any of my past experiments, I feel that the jury is still out. This was not as obviously successful as some past experiments, but it also wasn’t a total flop. Reviewing the stats below convinced me that this tactic is likely worth implementing, though it’s not a guarantee of nonstop viral hits.
Again, I didn’t see a big increase in followers–I only gained 4. As a side note: in the past 6 months, I’ve noticed it’s harder to grow your following on TikTok than it was in 2022. Last year, I consistently gained 40-50 followers a week, and this year, it’s more like 3-5. But as we know, follower count isn’t everything. Let’s look at some of the other stats:
Likes up 185% – These videos seemed to reach an audience that genuinely enjoyed them. 902 likes the week of the experiment, compared to 717 the week prior and 617 the week after.
Unique video views up 1,950% – This was surprising! For reference, I received 12k unique views the week of the experiment, compared to 10k the week prior and 8,600 the week after. The keywords may have helped it reach more unique viewers.
Video views up 1,725% – 15k the week of the experiment, compared to 13k the week before and 11k the week after.
Shares, comments, and profile views were all down a bit during the experiment, which was unexpected.
It’s fascinating to see that video views increased significantly during the experiment–the hidden keywords may have actually helped it reach more people! However, comments and profile views were down, so folks weren’t clicking over to follow or have conversations. Ultimately, it seems that using these hidden keywords may boost your reach, so I plan to continue using them.
What other TikTok experiments would you like to see in the future? Reach out and let me know!