TikTok recently made some major changes to how its search and recommendation systems work. This has significantly impacted users’ abilities to find specific videos and accounts through search. Many users have noticed it’s become much harder to search for things on TikTok and find relevant results.
TikTok algorithm changes
In early 2022, TikTok updated its recommendation algorithm to show more varied content to users. Previously, the algorithm heavily favored showing users extremely similar videos to what they had already watched and engaged with. This created “rabbitholes” where users would see the same types of videos over and over.
While rabbitholes keep users endlessly scrolling and engaged, TikTok wanted to broaden users’ horizons. So the algorithm update aimed to mix up recommendations more. Additionally, TikTok confirmed changes were made specifically to search around the same time.
Now when users search on TikTok, they’re less likely to only see results closely matching their viewing history and interests. TikTok wants search to show a wider range of content and accounts that may be relevant, even if the user hasn’t seen that type of content before.
How TikTok search changed
Previously, TikTok search heavily prioritized showing you results based on your existing feed and engagement history. This meant search results were highly personalized for each user.
For example, let’s say User A watched lots of cat videos and User B watched lots of dog videos. If User A and User B both searched “funny animal videos,” User A would likely see mostly cat videos in the results while User B would see mostly dog videos. The results for the exact same search query would be tailored to each user.
Now, the search algorithm still takes your viewing history into account, but places less emphasis on it. So User A and User B may see a mix of both cat and dog videos in their “funny animal video” results.
Additionally, search has been changed to surface more content from a wide range of accounts. In the past, you’d often only see results from creators you already follow or regularly view. But now search aims to showcase videos from a more diverse group of accounts, regardless of whether you actively follow them.
Why TikTok changed search
TikTok made these changes to search and recommendations for a few key reasons:
- Encourage discovery of new types of content and creators
- Avoid getting stuck in overly narrowed “rabbitholes”
- Show more variety and prevent repetition
- Mirror the open-ended experience of browsing the “For You” feed
Essentially, TikTok wants to guide users towards exploring new interests, accounts, and video genres they may enjoy but haven’t discovered yet. This helps keep the app experience feeling fresh vs repetitive.
TikTok likely also wants to give more accounts a chance at being found in search. With highly personalized results, the same top accounts tended to dominate. So widening search serves smaller creators too.
The pros and cons of the new TikTok search
The changes to search have had both positive and negative impacts on the TikTok user experience.
Pros
- See new types of videos you may like
- Find new accounts to follow who you haven’t seen before
- Less repetitive results when searching for the same keywords
- Smaller creators have a better chance of being found
Cons
- Harder to find specific videos again that you want to rewatch
- Irrelevant results when searching for niche interests or fandoms
- Feels less intuitive and predictable compared to old search
- Some users dislike having less personalization in search
So it’s a tradeoff – you gain variety but lose precision. Casual users may enjoy the updates. But power users who relied on search for specific interests report frustration with search becoming ineffective for that goal.
Tips for using TikTok search now
It takes some adjusting to the new TikTok search algorithm. But these tips can help find better results:
- Use very specific keywords – generic terms show unpredictable results
- Add usernames of creators to your search if looking for their content
- Use hashtags very selectively to filter results
- Scroll down and “Not Interested” irrelevant results to improve suggestions
- Spend time liking and engaging with desired content to refine recommendations
Essentially, tailoring searches as much as possible yields better results. And consistently providing feedback by tapping “Not Interested” and deeply engaging with desired content will gradually improve search and recommendations.
It requires patience as you re-train the algorithm. But search should become more accurate over time after the initial adjustment period.
The future of TikTok search
It’s unlikely TikTok will revert back to hyper-personalized search results in the future. Broadening search and recommendations aligns with their larger goals.
However, TikTok may continue tweaking the algorithms powering search to find a better balance between variety and relevance. There are also rumors TikTok may add options to filter or refine searches, which would improve the experience.
For now, adapting search behaviors to maximize the chances of finding desired content is the best approach as TikTok search continues to evolve.
