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Pinterest is a powerful platform for social media marketing and driving traffic to your website. It, uses bright visuals to draw the eye, leverages our magpie impulses, and allows brands to show off their wares with eye-catching content boards.
One way to enhance your Pinterest marketing strategy is by claiming your website on Pinterest. This not only adds credibility to your Pinterest profile but also unlocks Pinterest’s analytics features. These provide valuable insights about how Pinterest users are interacting with your website content.
With analytics at your fingertips, you can drop the “hit and hope” approach to visual branding.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of claiming your website on Pinterest, step by step.
Table of Contents
Why is it Important to Claim a Website on Pinterest?
Before diving into the “how,” let’s discuss the “why.” Why should you claim your website on Pinterest?
- Credibility: Claiming your website adds authenticity to your Pinterest profile. It tells your audience that you are a legitimate source of information or products.
- Brand Identity: It allows you to curate a visual identity for your brand using both your own products and other visuals that represent your brand values, inspirations, and aspirations.
- Access to Analytics: Pinterest provides valuable analytics and data when you claim your website. You can gain insights into which pins are driving traffic and engagement on your site.
- Promoted Pins: If you plan to run paid advertising on Pinterest, having a claimed website is crucial. Pinterest allows you to promote your pins, and having a verified website increases your chances of approval.
- Rich Pins: Claiming your website enables you to use rich pins, which provide additional information about your pins, making them more engaging and informative.
- Increase Traffic: Claimed websites have a higher chance of appearing in Pinterest’s search results, leading to increased traffic to your site.
- Huge Potential Audience: With 482 million users at time of writing, there’s a vast audience out there to draw to your brand’s board and website.
How To Tell if Your Account is a Business or Personal Account
Before proceeding with claiming your website, ensure that you have a Pinterest business account. If you have a personal account, you can easily switch to a business account within Pinterest settings.
What does “claiming your website” mean on Pinterest?
Claiming your website on Pinterest means proving that you are the owner of the website you want to associate with your Pinterest account.
Pinterest provides several methods to verify this ownership, such as adding an HTML meta tag, uploading an HTML file, or adding a TXT record to your domain host.
Next, we’ll examine those options, and the steps you’ll need to follow for each one.
How To Claim Your Website on Pinterest (4 Simple Methods)
Method 1: Add an HTML Meta Tag on WordPress
Step 1: Go to Settings
Access your WordPress dashboard and go to the “Settings” section.
Step 2: Go to the Section to Claim Accounts
Navigate to the section where you can claim accounts on Pinterest.
Step 3: Copy the HTML Meta Tag
Pinterest will provide you with an HTML meta tag. Copy this tag.
Step 4: Paste the HTML Tag into Your WordPress Site’s header.php File
Paste the HTML tag into the header.php file of your WordPress site. You can find the .php file by following this path: Dashboard > Appearance > Theme File Editor > {Theme} Header. Remember to save the changes.
Step 5: Verify Your Site Back on Pinterest
Return to Pinterest and click the “Verify” button. Pinterest will check for the presence of the HTML tag on your website.
Step 6: View Your List of Claimed Websites on Pinterest
Once verified, you will see your website listed as claimed in your Pinterest settings. You can now remove the HTML tag from your site’s .php header if you wish.
Method 2: Use an HTML File
- Go to the Claimed Account Section on Pinterest. Visit the claimed account section on Pinterest and select “Claim Website.”
- Download the HTML File to Your Computer. Pinterest will provide you with an HTML file. Download this file to your computer.
- Use an FTP Client to Move the HTML File to the Site’s Server. Access your website’s server using an FTP client and upload the HTML file to the root directory of your website. There are numerous FTP clients you can use, including Cyberduck, FileZilla and Dropbox. Your FTP program will ask for a “host address” or “local host.” Enter ftp.yourwebsite.com (where “yourwebsite.com” is the name of your site). You can also use your IP address. Enter your username and password and save. You should now have an FTP link into your website – you can now place the HTML file in either the /public_html/ folder or the /www/ folder (basically the same place).
- Verify the HTML File on Pinterest. Return to Pinterest and click the “Verify” button. Pinterest will confirm the presence of the HTML file on your server.
Method 3: Add a TXT Record to Your Domain Host
- Navigate to the Claimed Accounts Section in Pinterest. Visit the claimed accounts section on Pinterest and select “Claim Website.”
- Copy the TXT Record. Pinterest will provide you with a TXT record. Click on the text below the “Add TXT record” box then Continue.
- Log into Your DNS Provider Account. Access your DNS provider account as administrator. This is the site where you manage your domain settings. Locate the page for updating DNS records (this will vary depending on your provider). The txt records will be listed alongside your domain name. It can be a string of characters up to 255 units long and has no specific format. It will often carry contact information or other site related details.
- Add a New DNS TXT Record. Click on “add a new DNS TXT record” (or similar) and paste the copied TXT record from Pinterest.
- Verify the Connection on Pinterest. Return to Pinterest and click the “Verify” button. Pinterest will confirm the TXT record’s presence in your DNS settings. Note that this method can take up to 72 hours to verify your website, so you may need to wait before completing step 5.
Method 4: Use a Plugin
Personally I use a plugin to help with this so I don’t mess up my theme’s code. You can use different plugins like Yoast or AISEO. I found the easiest to use was the free plugin called Head, Footer and Post Injections.
Verify Your WordPress Website on Pinterest with Yoast SEO
- Install Yoast and Find the Pinterest Section. Install the Yoast SEO plugin on your WordPress site and navigate to the Pinterest section in its settings.
- Grab the HTML Tag from Pinterest. Copy the HTML tag provided by Pinterest.
- Paste the HTML Tag into the Yoast SEO Plugin. Paste the HTML tag into the appropriate field in the Yoast SEO plugin.
- Verify That It Worked on Pinterest. Return to Pinterest and click the “Verify” button. Pinterest will check the Yoast SEO plugin’s integration.
Verify Your WordPress Website for Pinterest Using Jetpack
- Install Jetpack and Find the Site Verification Section. Install the Jetpack plugin on your WordPress site and find the site verification section.
- Go to the Claimed Accounts Module in Pinterest. Access the claimed accounts module on Pinterest and copy the HTML tag.
- Paste the HTML Tag into Jetpack. Paste the HTML tag into the appropriate field in the Jetpack plugin.
- Confirm That the Process Worked on Pinterest. Return to Pinterest and click the “Verify” button. Pinterest will confirm the integration with the Jetpack plugin.
Can You Claim Multiple Websites on Pinterest?
Yes, you can claim multiple websites on Pinterest. Simply repeat the verification process for each website you want to claim, using the respective HTML meta tag, HTML file, or TXT record provided by Pinterest.
One of my clients had 6 blogs she owns that all have a common theme + interest to them. So we claimed them all on her ONE pinterest account. The most I have ever claimed for one account is 9 and I have not been told no yet….
How to Claim a Subdomain on Pinterest
If you want to claim a subdomain, follow the same process as claiming a main domain.
Use the provided verification methods for the subdomain you wish to associate with your Pinterest account.
How to Claim Etsy, YouTube, and Instagram on Pinterest
Pinterest have created a useful guide on how to claim your Instagram account, although this feature is in testing, and available to select users only at present.
If eligible to test this feature, you should see an Instagram logo next in the “claimed accounts” side menu. You can then log directly into Instagram and grant permissions for Pinterest to access profile information and media.
Claiming an Etsy or YouTube account is not currently possible on Pinterest, unfortunately. Hopefully, Pinterest will reinstate this useful feature soon.
How to Unclaim a Website on Pinterest
If you wish to remove a claimed website from your Pinterest account, you can do so by visiting your Pinterest settings and selecting the option to unclaim the website. This can be useful if you change your website or no longer want it associated with your Pinterest profile.
In conclusion, claiming your website on Pinterest is an essential step in establishing your presence on this social media platform and maximizing its potential for driving traffic and engagement to your website.
Whether you choose to add an HTML meta tag, HTML file, or TXT record, following the verification process will enhance your Pinterest marketing strategy and help you reach a wider audience.