TikTok and SEO Backlinks

With the impressive statistics on TikTok usage we’ve highlighted previously, you’re likely not putting into question the power of this social media for link building. So, what exactly are TikTok backlinks?

Consider having a business account on TikTok. One of your main goals is probably to boost your brand’s awareness. You add your website’s link to your profile bio section to achieve that. You can also include links in video descriptions and comments. Here is what  TikTok link building is all about.

TikTok is known as an entertainment platform. But let’s admit, you are not just sharing content for fun, are you? Most likely, you want your content to get as many shares, comments, and interactions as possible because that’s the only proven way to reach a wider audience.

And when you reach the relevant people, that’s where everything starts. For example, your publications may attract bloggers or influencers, so they may embed your TikTok video in their blog or link to your website in their publication. 

As such, you reach a wider audience, thus boosting your website’s and overall brand’s visibility. And what is that if not link building? Here is where TikTok and SEO backlinks connect, allowing brands to elevate their online visibility. 

TikTok may be a precious asset to improve your overall SEO efforts. But to make it work, you need to first publish optimized content through TikTok. Let’s skim through the steps to assist you along the way.

• Do Keyword Research: Keywords are quite important in TikTok. And if you want your publication to reach relevant people and catch TikTok’s algorithm’s attention, then use relevant keywords in your content. And guess what? TikTok offers a keyword insight tool to help you choose the best keywords for crafting optimized content.
• Write Relevant Descriptions: Sure thing, including keywords in your description is paramount, yet relevance also matters. Hence, make sure your texts are aligned with your video.
• Include CTAs: To drive people to your website, you need to craft strong call-to-actions. Ideally, place your website link in your bio or under the video description. You can also mention at the end of your video to check the link you’ve added in the bio, comments, or description.

If you’re interested in TikTok link building, you might be wondering: Do TikTok links dofollow?

By their very nature, dofollow links pass authority to the website they link to, thus improving the search rankings of those pages. So, what can you expect from TikTok in this regard?

The truth is that TikTok backlinks are nofollow. However, they still may impact your SEO efforts. Well, it may sound a bit confusing. So, let’s see why TikTok nofollow links may be useful.  

•   Build Brand Authority

Websites are proven to give businesses a professional and trustworthy image. Even with a hefty dose of followers on social media, most businesses still prefer to have a website to look more credible. That is among the main reasons to add your website’s link to your TikTok bio. 

• Drive Traffic to Your Website

Let’s say you’ve come across some interesting well-being videos on TikTok a couple of times. You’re drawn in, so you head to the webpage to learn more. Since TikTok videos are short, you hear in each one that more information is available on their website. So, you prefer to click the link and visit the site to find out more. Simply put, nofollow links drive traffic to a website.

• Increase Chances of Getting Dofollow Links

After finding the content of the website you visited through a nofollow link interesting, you may end up sharing it, this time as a dofollow link. This is how nofollow links from TikTok may become dofollows. 

According to Statista, 135.79 million users are engaging with TikTok.So, how does the TikTok algorithm differentiate what to show to each group of users? Here is what it takes into consideration.

• User Interaction: Typically, the algorithm shows us videos based on our activities, such as followed pages, liked, shared, and commented videos, watch length, hidden ads, etc. These activities signal the algorithm that will be most relevant to us from the thousands of videos being uploaded hourly.
• Video Information: It collects insights about the video, such as the caption, sound, hashtags, length, topic, and even effects. Yes, TikTok’s algorithm also pays attention to the sound and effects in the video. Consequently, using trending sounds in your video will do the trick.
• Device and Account Settings: Ultimately, TikTok’s algorithm takes into account language preferences, country settings, and device type to suggest relevant content.

Having covered the basics about TikTok and SEO backlinks, knowing how exactly TikTok algorithms work, let’s now dive into the nitty-gritty details on how to excel in TikTok link building. 

• Add a Website Link in Bio

Though businesses aim to create a solid base of followers and subscribers on social media, they often wish their audience to visit their profiles and websites. So, how to add links to your TikTok bio. Here is  what you need:

• Business account
• Minumum 1,000 followers
• Mobile app

Your next question might be, “How do I add multiple clickable links to my TikTok bio?” If you want to add several links in bio, then we have to disappoint you; technically, it’s not possible on TikTok. Here you can add only one link. Don’t lose heart.

You can add more by using tools like Linktree, Beacons, or Later’s Linkin.bio and create a landing page with all the links you require and place it in your bio. 

• Use Links in Video

Another option to get TikTok backlinks is putting links in videos. Given that links aren’t clickable in video descriptions, you may wonder how this could actually work. Here’s how:

Let’s say you post a video about your latest workout program and explain to your target audience what they’ll gain by joining it. You can include your website link in the video description and mention that all the details are available via the link in your bio.

This will work because most likely, many people will first see your short video rather than visit your page to check the link in your bio. So, guide them to take action.

• Put Links in Stories

There is an option for making your platform’s link clickable through TikTok content – put it into a story. Let’s again have a look at your fitness program example. If you want to introduce your new program, then create stories about your workout and include the link there. 

The thing is, you can only add one link in your story. But what if you need to add more than one link to your TikTok?. Consider you want to include a link to your workout program and another one to an expert interview sharing insights about workouts.

So, how to add 2 links in a TikTok video? Well, here’s a smart tip that works: break your story into two parts and add a different link to each part. Simple yet effective way to get to the point.

• Add Links In the Comments

Like the videos, comments do not support clickable links either. However, they do support copy-and-paste options. 

So, if you have an interesting short video that catches the viewers’ attention, and you mention in the comments that they can check the link for more details, what do you think? How many of your viewers will go and check it? Most likely, many of them.

The key here is to make your video important and engaging enough to encourage people to copy and paste the URL you shared in the comments.

• Promote Affiliate Links

And the last strategy on our list for TikTok and SEO link building is employing affiliate links. When it comes to affiliate links, you’re probably wondering—can you put Amazon affiliate links on TikTok? Sure, you can. But here are some nuances to consider.

• Keep your content relevant to the products or services you promote.
• Tell people that it’s an affiliate link to stay transparent.
• Put your affiliate link in clickable places like your bio or stories.

Just remember that affiliate links aren’t traditional backlinks, but they are pretty useful for driving traffic and elevating link building opportunities. If you are looking for traditional backlinks, then consider to learn about link building prices by niche to prepare the budget for it.

We hope our publication about TikTok link building was helpful. You see, TikTok can go beyond serving as just a platform for fun and entertainment. You can utilize it to get backlinks. Of course, there are some delicacies to consider. Links on this platform are nofollow, yet TikTok can still open up opportunities for effective backlinks that boost direct traffic. Let’s be honest—boosting direct traffic is great, but what really drives growth is ranking for the keywords your audience is actively searching for. To achieve that, you need a reliable partner in strategic backlink outsourcing.

Book a call, and we’ll bring our expertise to your endeavor.