TikTok
Short-video app whose ad platform is a fast-growing place to buy clicks for social-to-search campaigns.
Singapore and Los Angeles · founded 2017 · ads.tiktok.com
What TikTok does
TikTok sells video ads that appear between the clips people scroll through. Arbitrage buyers use it the way they use Meta: a short video ad sends the viewer to an article with related search terms.
Video creates a compliance wrinkle. Google requires RSOC publishers to pass the precise and complete text of the ad that sent each visitor, and for video that includes on-screen text and a transcript of what is said. Trade press reported the rule in late 2025 as a significant burden for buyers who run many video variations.
How it makes money
Advertising sold by auction inside the TikTok app and through its Pangle ad network.
Where it meets invalid traffic
As with Meta, the main risk is creative that over-promises. Audiences skew young and impulsive, so clicks can be cheap but worth less to the search advertiser at the end.
Products
- TikTok Ads Manager
- Pangle
- TikTok Events API