Pinterest is a visual search media site with a very special way of incorporating SEO. When you do SEO and content development the right way on Pinterest, you attract an active audience of viewers and Pinners interested and ready to buy. It is rapidly becoming the first place ecommerce stores and bloggers need to check out for traffic.
I feel like I should repeat this a few times whenever I write a post or share a video. It is amazing how many people have an outdated view of what Pinterest is and what it can do.
I shared a number of ways Pinterest has updated its algorithm and other areas in my last post. This one adds to that post with a more focused look at how to get the best SEO results from your keywords and other content strategically.
Optimize Your Pinterest Profile
Pinterest introduced new profiles for everyone using the platform. Let’s break down he actions steps you need to take to update and optimize for growth.
Description
The description is now shown in larger font, separate from the website URL and location. Since this element is now given more focus, it’s important to use it to clearly communicate what viewers can expect to see from your brand and products on Pinterest.
When writing your profile description:
- Use clear and simple language
- Use keywords people will actively use to find your content
- Provide value to your audience in your writing
Have someone read and review your profile description. Do they understand what you’re offering or trying to communicate to your audience?
Profile Image
Do you have a sharp looking business logo? How about a professional headshot you use for your bio or presentations? Use one of these for your profile image.
The goal is to have your profile image mirror the identity of your business; something easily recognizable. Avoid using product images your audience doesn’t understand or desire.
When you upload an image (to your website or your Pinterest account), avoid keeping the standard file name. It’s so much better to change it to something relevant with some keywords in it.
Optimizing your images this way helps with overall SEO and increases the odds of you showing up in Google Images.
Cover Image
Cover images are now made up of a collage of your pins by default. You’ll be able to choose the latest pins from a specific board or the latest pins from your whole account. When deciding which option to choose, keep in mind the profile cover image is the first thing viewers see.
Keyword Research
The easiest way to do keyword research is to utilize Pinterest itself. Search terms that are aimed at your audience and industry and conduct a search on Pinterest. Once you start typing, the site will begin to auto-suggest terms to help you narrow or consider options for your search.
Look to include the best of them for your audience in your pin descriptions, board titles, image text and profile.
When establishing your keyword list, keep in mind the competition for some words will be high (e.g. photography and facial moisturizer.) Shorter keywords in general will also have more competition. You will likely rank higher if you are able to select long-tail keywords.
Use Keyword Rich Descriptions
Write a description after uploading a pin or re-pinning. Make certain it is interesting, include one or more of your researched keywords and add a few hashtags so Pinterest users will see all the pins that share that same hashtag.
Pinterest has found pins with hashtags get more distribution, especially on the the first day they are pinned.
Here is an example of an effective pin description:
Looking for the best home décor upgrades for your home? These wonderful wall design upgrade options will make it the most pleasing room in the house: #LightUpYourLife #LivingRoomCurtains #PicturePerfectWalls
Optimize Your Boards
Optimize your boards with intelligent keywords so they can be found in the search bar. Implement keywords in the title of your board as well as the descriptions. These steps will help you effectively create a better navigational flow, providing viewers exactly what they were searching for.
Organize Your Boards
Make it as easy as possible for your followers to keep track of you. Organize your Pinterest boards so it’s effortless to find your content. You can move pins in bulk from one board to another, delete pins, move boards around and change your board cover image.
While you organize your boards, pay attention to making them look better, which will help motivate people to follow you.
It’s All in the Pin
You can’t just upload any old graphic to Pinterest and throw it into the mix. There are many steps to take in order to get your Pins noticed and drive leads to your website.
Optimize Pin Size
Not only will you need high-quality and creative images, you’ll also need to know the proper dimensions for your Pins. You’ll find a wide range of pin sizes throughout Pinterest, but the site prefers 600x900px for pins - or at least a 2:3 ratio.
If you’ve been a long-time Pinner, you might have seen large pins stretching down the feed, but Pinterest is not going to reward Pins that deviate too far from the ideal size. The smart feed will actively display pins that fit a 2:3 ratio and tell a story, encouraging pinners to click through to find captivating content.
Text Matters
Pinterest reads and recognizes your text more than you imagine. Add overlay text on images to encourage clicks, saves and shares when it makes sense to do so.
When adding text overlays, you’ll want to:
- Select simple typefaces
- Use only a few words that entice people to click
- Make important words easy to read
- Place text over a clean background
Test the legibility of your images on mobile before you publish, since a majority of Pinterest users are on mobile devices.
Pinterest Image Colors
Pins with a few dominant colors get more repins than pins with one single dominant color. It’s important to not get carried away though – you can turn off viewers if it is too harsh or complex.
Choose photos that have a bright color and a lot of contrast. When selecting a photo for your pin, keep the image upbeat and relevant to your website and audience.
Pin Often
Show Pinterest you are an engaged user by pinning, liking, commenting and interacting daily. Based on data by Social Report, it’s best to pin 3 or more times per day to get optimal results.
This may sound like a lot but remember not all the content needs to be yours. Repinning popular content from reputable sources also builds engagement and improves your marketing positioning.
Use social media management tools to help you post on a regular basis. Tailwind is a scheduling tool specifically designed for Pinterest (and also on Instagram).
Tailwind allows you to:
- Schedule pins at optimal times (which means more screen time, more repins, and more business)
- Upload several images quickly
- Measure and analyze how your pins are performing
- Reach new audiences by having hashtags suggested to you by the Hashtag Finder
Click here to get 100 FREE pins on me with Pinterest Best Tool Tailwind. *affiliate link.
Measuring Success
You’ll want to track key metrics of how people interact with your brand on Pinterest. You need good data to successfully refine and improve your Pinterest marketing efforts and make a stronger connection your customers.
Use Pinterest Business Tools
You have a free Pinterest business account, right? If not, get that done right away. It’s easy to do and Pinterest walks you through the step-by-step process. You can get Pinterest business tools such as Pinterest Analytics, Rich Pins, and helpful add-ons for your website like save buttons, widget builders, and tags.
A Pinterest tag is a piece of code you place in the back end of your website to track visitors and the actions they take after viewing a promoted pin. With the information you collect, you’ll be able to measure return on advertising spent and craft niche audiences to target with your promoted pins.
Pinterest Analytics
This tool allows business account Pinners to see what pins and boards get the most likes, repins, and comments. You’ll be able to easily gather data about your audience, such as their gender, where they live, what topics and businesses they are most interested in, and how they save your content.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics can help you dive deeper and better understand your customers’ interests. It shows you the traffic you are getting from your pins that were saved by others. You can’t get this information from Pinterest Analytics. Google Analytics help you understand how much traffic your pins are driving.
User Engagement Metrics
Your Pinterest for Business profile will show how engaged users are with your content. You’ll be able to see a stats icon on each pin. This gives you a snippet of that pin’s total engagements, including how many times your pin has appeared on Pinterest and the number of clicks and saves it earned.
This will make it easy for you to see which pins are successful, so you can create better pins in the future! If you’re looking to improve your metrics and increase your number of views, get out there and promote your pins!
Happy Pinning.
