If you’ve ever compared your TikTok search results with a friend and noticed major differences, you’re not alone. There are several reasons why the TikTok algorithm curates a unique feed for each user based on their interests, location, and search history.
Personalized Recommendations
The main reason your TikTok search results differ from others is because the algorithm aims to show you content it thinks you’ll enjoy watching and engaging with. It learns your interests based on the videos you like, share, comment on, and watch repeatedly. Over time, it builds a profile of your tastes.
This means when you search for a broad term like “dance challenge”, you’ll be shown dance challenge videos tailored to your interests. So if you often watch game-inspired dances, you might see more of those in results. While someone else who watches makeup-related dances may see different results for the same search.
Location Targeting
TikTok also factors your location into search results. Videos from creators near you or relevant to your area may appear higher up. This localization of content is why searching on TikTok while traveling can surface videos unique to that city or country.
So if you and a friend both search “coffee”, but are in different cities, the top results will showcase local coffee shops, trends, and creators relevant to each of your locations.
Language Settings
The language your TikTok account is set to also affects search results. Videos displayed will be in languages you understand. Changing the language setting expands search results to include relevant content in that language.
So your friend who has TikTok set to Spanish will get Spanish videos for searches. While for you, with English set as the language, searches will bring up primarily English language content.
Watch History
TikTok leverages your video watch history to refine search results. It looks at videos you’ve previously watched and engagement to determine your interests. Someone who watches lots of cooking videos will get tailored recipe search results.
A friend whose viewing history is mostly cat videos will see different search results for the same query. Their results will skew towards funny cat videos they are more likely to enjoy based on their past viewing behavior.
Account Interactions
Who you follow and interact with on TikTok also impacts search results. Videos from the creators you follow and regularly engage with are prioritized in recommendations. So your friend who follows lots of musicians may see more music videos in searches.
And since you interact with small business advice creators, searches related to entrepreneurship will display videos from those creators higher up. Your different interactions tailor searches to each of your interests.
Cookies and Data Tracking
Being logged into your account allows TikTok to track data about your usage and searches to further customize results. It stores this in cookies, which affect the recommendations you’ll see while signed in. Using TikTok in browser incognito mode gives more generic results.
So if your friend is logged into their account and you search in incognito mode, you’ll both see different results – tailored recommendations for them, and more generic popular videos for your search.
Trends and Popularity
Trending topics and currently viral videos also play a role in search. What’s popular on the platform in general may appear at the top of search results, before the personalized recommendations.
So you may both see the same trending dance challenges or meme videos at the top for related searches. But the personalized results under those will differ based on each of your interests and histories.
Testing Search Differences
An easy way to test the search difference is to do identical searches on your account and a friend’s account. Comparing the top results side-by-side shows you the impact of personalization. You can also search broad terms like “food” in incognito mode vs logged in to see generic vs tailored results.
Searching on a mobile device vs desktop can also bring up different results for the same query. Mobile relies more heavily on personalization while desktop prioritizes trending popularity. Testing across platforms shows the algorithm at work.
Controlling Your Search Experience
If you want to shape your TikTok search experience, actively engage with videos that match your true interests. Like, share, comment on, and watch them fully. This trains the algorithm. You can also follow hashtags and creators relevant to your preferred content areas.
Alternatively, if your search results have veered off course, take a break from TikTok for a few days to reset the algorithm. You can also clear your watch history and likes which will remove some of the data tailoring your searches.
While TikTok search can feel random at times, understanding how your personalized recommendations are curated by the algorithm gives you more control over your viewing experience.
