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On August 22, 2023, TikTok announced the launch of Search Ads Toggle, a new feature on TikTok ads that allows advertisers to serve ads in TikTok’s search results. In this blog, we’ll go over what exactly these ads are, how they work, and what they look like.
What Is Search Ads Toggle?
Search Ads Toggle is a new feature on TikTok Ads Manager that allows brands to showcase ads within TikTok’s search results. These ads harness the creative content from your existing In-Feed Ads and presents them alongside organic search results from relevant user queries.
How Does Search Ads Toggle Work?
Upon activation of the Search Ads Toggle, TikTok states that “ads are automatically created using the advertiser’s existing ad content and served against relevant user queries alongside organic search results.” These ads will also be labelled as “sponsored” content and will appear in varying positions on the results page in accordance to their relevance, user intent, and insights derived from broader user behaviour.
TikTok went on to further explain, “The typical search journey starts with a user clicking the search button at the top of the For You feed. From there, they type in a search query, which then yields a series of search results. The ads appear among these search results. Once 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.”
Other Key Points to Keep in Mind
- The Search Ads Toggle will be on by default when you set up In-Feed Ads – if you would like to opt-out, make sure you switch the toggle off
- It’s been reported that advertisers will have the option to add negative keywords to prevent ads running on posts that don’t align with their brand’s messaging
- TikTok’s internal research shows that 70% of ad groups with the Search Ads Toggle on will see better performance when compared to those with the toggle off.
Final Thoughts
While TikTok’s internal research on the Search Ads Toggle shows promising results, we recommend using caution when turning this feature on, especially since there is a possibility that your ads will be shown among less-than-optimal search results. That said, TikTok has 100 million U.S. monthly active users, so there is a lot of opportunity for advertisers to reach new audiences on this platform.
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