What Is The TikTok Algorithm?

One of the reasons TikTok has seen such huge success is because of its unique algorithm but what actually is an algorithm?

In simple terms, an algorithm is a sequence of instructions to solve a problem or perform a task. We use algorithms all the time in our everyday lives such as following a recipe to bake a cake or using Google to find the best answer to our question.

So how does TikTok’s algorithm work?

The TikTok algorithm has been designed to determine which videos will appear on your “For You” page based on data it has collected on your viewing habits. The reason behind this is to tailor the viewing experience to each individual user. No two users will see the exact same videos on their For You page making it an exciting place to discover new things.

As someone who posts content, it is helpful to know that several factors go into instructing the algorithm on how to share your content.

The first factor is user engagement. This includes actions such as likes, comments, shares and watch-through rates (if the viewer stays to watch the whole video through). The more engagement your video gains the more it tells the algorithm that your content is worth sharing.

The second factor is your use of audio. Many creators utilise trending sounds or songs in their videos which will help the algorithm identify the relevant audience for your content.

Thirdly, the TikTok Algorithm is great at categorising videos by subject matter. It uses data from captions, hashtags, sounds, effects and the video content itself (through transcripts) to identify how to categorise each video.

The next factor that influences the algorithm is location and language. TikTok can identify a users posting location, language preference and even the type of device you’re using all through the settings on your phone. These can help determine the correct audience for your content.

Lastly, the “not interested” function on the app informs the algorithm what videos a user would prefer not to watch. TikTok aims to serve you the best high-value content so that you stay on the app rather than stray elsewhere. So viewers have the option to press the “not interested” button on the bottom right of their screen to make sure future content to appear on their “For You” page is more curated to their taste. It also takes note of videos you skip through to come to the same conclusion.

What content doesTikTok not show?

TikTok will exclude certain content from appearing on your feed in an attempt to optimise your experience as a user. Examples of what’s excluded are:

• Videos you’ve already watched

• Duplicate content

• Content you’ve flagged as “Not Interested”

• Potentially harmful or upsetting content

• Spam content

• Any content that goes against community guidelines

Understanding the algorithm is an important way of making TikTok work best for you and your business so next time you produce content it will be helpful to take these factors into account.

Factors that do not influence the algorithm are follower count (sorry) and if you’ve previously had high-performing videos. We will cover exactly how to use the algorithm to your advantage in our next blog.