Pinterest SEO is a set of strategic practices to make your profile and content more visible on Pinterest, with the goal of driving more traffic to your website and boosting engagement. These strategies involve optimising your Pinterest content including pins and boards, using keywords, high-quality images and profile optimisation.
Though many users see Pinterest as underrated compared to TikTok or Instagram, it still has 465 million active monthly users, making it the perfect place to advertise a brand or product, especially when it comes to ecommerce and attracting active shoppers.
What is Pinterest SEO?
To put it simply, Pinterest SEO is the process of optimising your content to make it discoverable on the platform. However, there are two ways you can optimise Pinterest content.
The first option is what most people think of when they hear the term SEO, google rankings. With search engines, you use traditional SEO techniques to optimise features such as page titles, descriptions, and images to boost Google search rankings, this includes both Google Shopping and Google Images.
The second solution is through social engine optimisation, where you implement practices to give your content a better chance of appearing on Pinterest directly. This is an effective and modern solution due to the spike in social commerce and customers buying products directly through social media platforms.
8 Tips for improving your Pinterest SEO
Optimising your account
Before you start posting content or selling products on your feed, you will want to focus on optimising your account which includes creating and exploring the business account options. When optimising your Pinterest account, make sure to utilise the features available such as analytics and ads manager. You can optimise your account through:
- Your profile name
- Description and bio
- Username
- Website and external links
- Keywords and phrases
Claiming your website
By linking to your website through your Pinterest account, your profile picture and profile link appear on all Pins associated with your website and brand, allowing for more exposure and more engagement. You can claim your website by adding a HTML tag, uploading an HTML file or adding a DNS TXT record.
Keyword research and implementation
Similar to traditional organic SEO, Pinterest SEO has its foundations in keyword research, making use of trending words, phrases and questions. When it comes to using keywords on Pinterest, they will be used for things such as boards and Pins, using the terms your target audience is searching for.
Like many other social platforms, Pinterest is also considered its own search engine, making it ideal for keyword research. Simply enter a broad keyword related to your business into the search bar and you will get several recommendations pop up.
Board names
Whether you want to focus on a whole board or just specific content within that board, focusing on the board name and making it super relevant is crucial for increasing discoverability and customer understanding.
The best way to decide on your board name is to look at the keyword research done beforehand, combining both long-tail keywords and more specific ones.
Optimising pin titles
Your Pin’s title is one of the first things a user will see so it needs to capture attention, describe exactly what the pin entails and include keywords for SEO. Although getting the right keywords in there is important, avoid stuffing too many for the sake of it and aim to naturally fit your top keyword in.
You will also want to prioritise the first 30 characters in the title as it could get truncated in users’ feeds. It’s best to include the most important keywords at the beginning of your Pin’s title to ensure these are being seen and noticed.
Optimising pin descriptions
Once a user has clicked on your pin, they will be faced with a pin description that will also help to boost your pin on the main feed. These descriptions need to be engaging, and effective and encourage the user to take the next action, whether that be to buy a product, go to your website or fill in a form.
Pin descriptions typically have three main elements:
- A question: Starting with a question can draw people’s attention and instantly connect with the problem they’re facing or query they have
- Descriptive adjectives: Use strong, descriptive language to intensify the content involved
- Call to action: Invite people to learn more about your product or service through a link or a button
Keep up to date with Pinterest trends
Pinterest trends show you in real-time what Pinners across a range of regions or countries are searching for. You can then optimise your content for the top search terms to improve your content’s discoverability and meet the needs of current users. There are a range of filters and customisations you can apply to Pinterest trends, meaning you can look for exactly what you need, from specific locations and audiences. Filters include genre, age, location, keywords, interest and trend type.
Include a call to action
Using verbs such as “discover,” “sign up,” or “save for later” for your CTA’s can boost engagement with your pins and encourage users to take the next step in your customer journey. Pinterest recommends including a CTA in your pin description or title for users to share your pin or follow your board.
Ecommerce SEO by Imaginaire
With years of experience in e-commerce SEO, Imaginaire has a team of skilled professionals who can help build your presence online. Using on-page and off-page SEO, we will work with you to create a strategy that is right for your customer and business growth.
Find out more here or give us a call to discuss things in more detail.
