Social Search: How People Find Brands on TikTok and Instagram

Search has moved into the feed

When someone under 35 wants a restaurant recommendation, a skincare review or a 'how do I' answer, there is a fair chance they open TikTok or Instagram before Google. Google's own executives have publicly acknowledged that a large share of young people now start discovery searches inside social apps. In the UK this shows up most clearly in food, beauty, fitness, travel and local services: categories where seeing beats reading.

The platforms have responded by building proper search products. TikTok's search bar suggests queries mid-scroll, highlights searchable phrases within comments and shows 'others searched for' panels. Instagram has extended search well beyond hashtags and account names to the words in captions. Content optimised for these systems keeps earning views months after posting, which feed-first content almost never does.

What the algorithms actually read

In-app search works on more signals than most marketers assume. Both major platforms process far more than your hashtags:

• Spoken words: your audio is transcribed automatically, so what you say aloud is indexable.
• On-screen text: overlays are read and treated as strong topical signals.
• Captions: written descriptions are searchable, and natural sentences beat walls of tags.
• Your name field, handle and bio: profile text ranks you for whole category searches.
• Engagement quality: watch time, saves and shares decide who stays on page one of results.

The practical consequence is simple: a video where you say the target phrase, show it as an on-screen title and write it into a natural caption is optimised three ways at once, with no extra production effort.

Keyword research without buying new tools

You can do genuinely useful social keyword research with nothing but the apps and fifteen minutes.

• 1. Type your service into the TikTok search bar slowly and note every autocomplete suggestion; these are real queries from real users.
• 2. Open a competitor's popular video and check the search phrases TikTok highlights above the comments.
• 3. Use TikTok's Creator Search Insights, which lists topics people search for that have little good content behind them; those gaps are your easiest wins.
• 4. Repeat the autocomplete exercise on Instagram and note where the suggested phrasing differs.
• 5. Cross-check wording against Google's 'People also ask' results; buyers often use the same phrases in both places.

Optimising the post itself

Front-load the phrase. Say your target keyword within the first two or three seconds ('three questions to ask before hiring a wedding photographer in Birmingham'), because the opening of the transcript carries weight and viewers decide almost instantly whether the video answers their query.

• Put the key phrase in an on-screen title that stays visible through the opening seconds.
• Write captions as sentences someone might actually search, not strings of tags.
• Use three to five descriptive hashtags as category signals and skip generic reach tags.
• Add alt text on Instagram; it takes seconds and gives the platform another indexed field.
• Answer one query per video; a focused three-part series outranks one rambling explainer.

Optimising your profile

Search results are also account results, and the name field is the most under-used ranking asset on both platforms. 'Sana | Bridal Makeup Birmingham' can rank for 'bridal makeup Birmingham' where a brand name alone never will. Write your bio in the language buyers search, not the language of your industry; nobody types 'bespoke hair solutions' into TikTok.

Then treat pinned posts as landing pages. Pin the three videos that answer your most-searched questions, typically prices, process and proof. When a search brings someone to your profile, those pins decide whether curiosity becomes an enquiry or a back-swipe.

Fold it into one search strategy

Social search should not be a separate project from SEO; it is the same buyer intent appearing in a different search box. Reuse the keyword list from your website, turn every blog post that ranks well on Google into a short video answering the same query, and compare notes monthly. TikTok's analytics show the search terms that led viewers to your content, which doubles as free keyword intelligence for your Google strategy.

Buyers no longer draw a neat line between searching Google and searching social; they simply search wherever their thumb already is. The brands that win are visible in both places with one consistent answer. If you want help joining your SEO and social keyword work into a single plan, our team does exactly that.