TikTok Search Ads Now Reach Local Intent Queries — "Coffee Shop Near Me" Triggers Your Ad

TikTok expanded Search Ads to include local intent keywords — terms that include location modifiers like "near me", "in [city]", or "[neighbourhood] + service". Ads appear as the first result in TikTok's search results page, labelled "Sponsored". Unlike For You Page ads that interrupt passive scrolling, search ads reach users actively looking for what you offer.

TikTok search is growing rapidly among 18–35 year olds. A 2025 study found that 40% of Gen Z users use TikTok as their primary search engine for lifestyle queries including restaurant and salon recommendations. Search ads in this context have significantly higher intent than standard TikTok ads. Early data from beta advertisers shows cost-per-click of $0.30–$0.80 for local service queries — 4–6x cheaper than the equivalent Google Search CPC.

Setup is done via TikTok Ads Manager under "Search Ads Toggle". You can target specific keywords (e.g. "coffee shop [city]") or use broad match to capture semantic variations. TikTok recommends pairing search ads with your organic content — users who click a search ad and then see your organic Tiktok presence are 3x more likely to visit in-store.