5 Pinterest SEO Tips for High-Traffic Success

What, SEO tips for Pinterest? Absolutely. Learn how to slide your products into active customers boards.

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Did you know that Pinterest reached 36% of U.S. mobile audiences in 2019?

With 442 million monthly active users, it’s a platform that marketers shouldn’t ignore. It’s especially important for those running eCommerce sites. Before buying something, people tend to read reviews and conduct in-depth online research. They pin their resources, so they can get back to them later. 

Imagine future parents planning to buy everything for their baby. They won’t make all purchases within a day. They will compare products and prices, and they will plan their budget. A brand with a decent Pinterest SEO strategy will slide its content into their boards. 

Were you wondering how to use Pinterest to grow your business?

The key is in search engine optimization. That’s right, Pinterest SEO is a thing!

Tips: How to Attract Traffic with Pinterest Search Optimization

1. Become an Authority Pinner

If you promote yourself as an established pinner, the algorithm will keep launching your content on users’ homepages. From that aspect, Pinterest works similarly to Google. It distributes content with greater authority, since it relates authority to quality. 

The question is: how do you build a reputation within the Pinterest community?

• Start by determining your audience. When you use the platform for marketing purposes, it’s not smart to create personal boards for shopping, recipe inspirations, haircuts, and every other interesting theme that you have to mind. You’ll need relevant boards, which will be connected through a particular theme.
• Your pins should be consistent. Try introducing new content to your boards every single day. Instead of uploading a bunch of pins at once, introduce them gradually, so you’ll maintain a consistent activity.
• Your visuals have to be of great quality. Don’t pin content that’s been seen on the platform several times before. Create unique visuals for your website, and take them to Pinterest.  

2. Get Your Website Ready

Your SEO strategy is not just about optimizing the Pinterest profile. Everything starts with your website, since that’s where the pins come from. You can use a website checker tool to measure important parameters:

• Speed
• Content quality
• URL vulnerability
• Image tags, and more

All these parameters affect the overall website score. A site of higher quality delivers a better user experience. It keeps a visitor’s attention for longer, so they are more likely to pin an image, infographic, or another type of visual.

To boost the pinning potential of your website, you should add “pinnable” visuals. If it’s a textual post, you can create graphics that feature the headline. That will make it easier for pinners to recognize the content on their boards. If you’re selling products, feature clear visuals in a proper format (we’ll talk about the ratio in the next point).

It’s also important to add a Pinterest save button on all pages, so you’ll make it easy for your visitors to pin your content. 

3. Learn about the Anatomy of a Pin

The perfect pin is never random. It has to look pretty and it should stand out on a board full of similar content. It takes skill and knowledge to create it. 

• Use bold colors that will make your pins stand out. You shouldn’t be afraid of contrast. It won’t look kitschy when you use it smartly. If you’re struggling with Pinterest aesthetics, you can hire a graphic designer to create pinnable content for your site.
• The standard ratio for pins is 2:3, so an image of 1000 x 1500 px would be adequate. This is especially important for mobile optimization.
• Image titles are an essential aspect of Pinterest SEO. Make them descriptive and informative. Pinterest users may see this content months after they pin it. The title should instantly remind them why they saved it.  

4. Perform Keyword Research

Pinterest users like to save content in two ways:

• They find something interesting on a website and save it on a relevant board, or
• They specifically search Pinterest for the type of content they are looking for

Considering the second point, it’s important to treat the platform as a search engine. By using Pinterest keywords on the visuals you pin on your business profiles, you’ll make the discoverable through the algorithm. 

Start by typing the main keyword of your intended pin in the platform’s search tool. It will automatically give you suggestions for keywords you can use. You can put these keywords in the image description, but you can also use them as hashtags. The official recommendation for users is to limit the number of hashtags below 20. It’s not recommended to use phrases or words that describe the pin’s content as hashtags. 

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5. Inspire Engagement

Pinterest’s algorithm is big on pushing authority forward. If your content gets more pins and comments, the algorithm will distribute it across users’ homepages, and it will include it in promotional emails. 

More engagement will boost your brand’s visibility. That will lead to more visits to your website, which will translate to a better conversion rate. So how do you achieve a better level of engagement?

• Pinterest has its influencers, which are often neglected in marketing campaigns. You can use a variety of social media tools to identify authoritative users. Then, you can contact them to suggest a collaboration. They will pin and promote your content, so its outreach will expand.
• Track the performance of your pins. Engagement is a measurable factor. When you know what boards and specific pins perform well, you’ll focus on producing similar content in the future. When you experiment with different designs, it’s important to see how they work for your target audience. 

Don’t Neglect Pinterest as a Part of Your Overall SEO Strategy

Search engine optimization is not easy, regardless of the platform you target. Marketers tend to focus too much on Google and other search engines, but they forget that social media platforms have their own search tools. Pinterest, in particular, has tons of potential that’s often neglected. 

The tips above will help you develop a successful Pinterest marketing strategy. They are all simple to follow: you’ll start by improving your website and developing a specific marketing plan for this social media platform. Don’t delay taking the first steps forward!