Did you know Pinterest is not a social media platform? Nope. It’s a visual search engine! Which is why Pinterest SEO is one of the most important parts of a successful Pinterest strategy for your business or blog.
If you are going to use a Pinterest business account you need to dial in your keyword strategy for the Pinterest search engine. This takes a bit of planning and forethought, but putting in the effort at the front end will pay off in the long haul!
First things first, here’s what you need to know about Pinterest SEO. Over 433 million people use Pinterest every month to find ideas, products and inspiration. Instead of just sitting back and waiting to be entertained, Pinners are actively planning and looking for ideas or products. In fact, 80% of weekly Pinners have discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest and 82% of Pinterest’s active users claim to have bought products they found on the platform. And one of my very favorite facts about Pinterest is that 97% of searches are unbranded! This means with a solid SEO strategy, you get to go head to head with the bigger brands in your industry in the search.
In this post we are going to show you how to develop and execute your Pinterest SEO strategy so you can start getting exponentially more traffic from Pinterest.
1. Know Your Goals
Just like any good marketing strategy, you should always start with a clear view of what you want Pinterest to do for your business. And don’t just say “increase sales”! Although we definitely do want to do that! We need to take a step back and think about HOW we will increase sales. What pages on your website will you promote? What content can you create? What metrics will you use to know if you’re successful? Increasing the bottom line is of course the overall objective of all marketing, but before you start with any new strategy, you should have an idea of how it fits in with your overall marketing strategy.
2. Know Your Audience
Before you start pinning for your business, you need a clear understanding of who your audience is on Pinterest. Take time to understand who the Pinner is and what they value, then try and see how this correlates with your business. What products do you want to promote? What does your business do that’s a good fit for the Pinterest audience? Pinterest is a unique platform. it’s not Instagram or TikTok, the users engage with the platform in a totally unique way, so knowing how and who they are will greatly benefit your Pinterest SEO.
3. Make a list of Your Top 50 Pinterest Keywords
Now that we know what we want to achieve and who we are trying to reach, we can start the research phase. Whenever we start with a new client we create a Keyword Report with the client’s top 50 keywords, and I recommend you do the same. Take time to find your top search terms and make a list so you can come back to it later. Check out our guide for How to Find the Pinterest Keywords that Will Bring You the Most Traffic to get started! This list is not exhaustive but it will guide you and be a good resource going forward.
Example of one of our Client’s Keyword Report
5. Optimize Your Account
Now that you have a good list of keywords, use that list to optimize and set-up your business account. All Pinterest board names and descriptions should be keyword focused. Check your bio and name to make sure you have keywords there too. Here’s our guide for Where to Put Pinterest Keywords.
Need help getting your Pinterest business account set-up? We offer a Pinterest Set-Up & Strategy Package to make sure everything is in tip top shape!
6. Create a Content Strategy
You don’t need a blog or content strategy to use Pinterest for business, but it definitely helps. Pinterest traffic is generally cold traffic, which means it’s probably the first time they’ve been to your website. A blog or valuable piece of content builds trust and takes your visitor deeper into your marketing funnel. We recommend using your keyword list to inform your content strategy. What keywords do you see that would make great blog posts? Hint: they are usually super simple things! What email opt-ins could you create? And how can you plan content for the seasons that are coming up? Pinners are planners, so they generally start searching for the next season months before it happens.
7. Optimize your Pins
Last but certainly not least, you need to make sure every single pin you post is keyword optimized. This means you have keywords in the pin title and several in the pin description. Take time to make sure the right keywords are going with the right pin, and also double check any current Pinterest trends that you should be including. Pinterest also has a visual reader that can decipher images and attach keywords to them, so if you’re creating pins, you want to have photos that showcase what you are promoting. For example, if you sell wedding dresses, all your pins should have wedding dresses in the photos so Pinterest can categorize them better.
Pinterest marketing is like a snowball. It’s a long term investment where results build over time. So as you develop your Pinterest SEO strategy, remember that this is a marathon not a sprint. Stay consistent and don’t give up!
If you want help getting started or managing your Pinterest, we would love to help! We offer services in Monthly Pinterest Management, Pinterest Set-Up & Strategy and Pinterest Advertising. Please reach out if you have any questions!
Happy Pinning!
