The placement is exclusive, meaning that if an advertiser does not win the auction for the selected keyword, the ad will not be displayed at all for that particular search via this format. The format requires advertisers to enter keywords with the recommendation to use broad match and at least twenty keywords per campaign.
Despite the global rollout, the function is delayed on the Swedish market. Karl Lindberg, founder and CEO of Adrelevance, states that the format is not available for Swedish accounts at this time.
Our TikTok contact person informs us that TopSearch is not live for Sweden and that there is no confirmed launch date. We see the same thing in our TikTok Ads Manager, none of our customers have the option available, says Karl Lindberg.
He sees clear areas of use for the format for the industry when it finally arrives.
It is an exciting feature for large brands and e-commerce companies. It would have been particularly interesting if the function was released in Sweden before Black Week this year, he continues.
The exclusive positioning in the search results is expected to drive up prices and competition for attractive keywords.
The function focuses on capturing high intent, when the user is actively searching for something in the search field. So in that way it resembles Google Ads. But with the difference that there is only one top position, so for popular searches it creates an intense and direct competitive situation in the auction. TopSearch will be used by companies with strong budgets who want to dominate important campaign periods, explains Karl Lindberg.
The use of social platforms for search continues to grow. Karl Lindberg mentions that surveys indicate that almost half of consumers today use TikTok as a search engine. He also identifies specific industries where the pressure on the new ad format is likely to be greatest.
I think Beauty/Skincare/Fashion this could be particularly interesting for and therefore tough competition, concludes Karl Lindberg.