Sponsored content is set to start appearing in search results on TikTok, with the company announcing it will be placing ads alongside content that appears when something is searched.
When a user proceeds to click on an ad, they can continue scrolling to view search results in a feed like format. Ads will be pulled from other videos the brand in running.
Ads will appear next to organic content, with a semitransparent “sponsored” label on the thumbnail. Ads currently appear as videos in between organic content on ‘For You’ feeds, with the same label.
This decision was just another in the making, unavoidable. Earlier this year, the same thing happened with Instagram, with sponsored content appeared related to a search. The ads appear when a user clicks on a post and starts scrolling.
Ads taking over search pages could prove the valuable hold TikTok has on advertisers, with young people increasingly using the app as a Google replacement, looking for product recommendations, restaurants, or shows to watch.
Previously, TikTok struggled with moderating content appearing prominently in search results, and last year, the platform pulled several videos promoting prescription drug use as weight loss ads, after it was found by researchers.
