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Pinterest works similarly to other search engines and Pinterest SEO and Pinterest keyword reach is more important than ever. As the platform has evolved and changed its capabilities, just throwing content up on the site isn’t going to work anymore. SEO on Pinterest involves using relevant keywords on the platform to help identify what your content is about and make it more accessible. Whether you are a blogger or a business owner, utilizing Pinterest keywords correctly can help increase your search visibility and grow your traffic and engagement on the platform.
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The Importance of Pinterest Keywords
It’s important to think about how many users are searching for content. People go to Pinterest to discover new ideas, plan decisions, and find solutions so you want to make it easy to search for your content. There are over 300 million users on the platform, which means there are even more pins than that. If you don’t optimize your pins then the chances of someone finding them are slim. You can think of keywords as a complex labeling system. If you aren’t labeling your content then Pinterest will have to guess what the content is about and who it could be relevant to.
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Where to Put Your Pinterest Keywords
There are five different places where you should be utilizing your Pinterest keywords. These include:
- Descriptions
- Titles
- Board Descriptions
- Board Titles
- Profile Descriptions
The two most important ones are the titles and descriptions of the pins. Your descriptions and titles help Pinterest match your pins to the searches performed by users so if you are able to pick the right words then you can rank higher in the search.
The platform wants to show relevant content to users when searching, so why not make it easier for them by providing information on exactly what your pin is about?
Doing Pinterest Keyword Research
Knowing where to place your keywords won’t help you much if you don’t have a set of keywords you know are trending so you are going to need to spend some time doing some Pinterest keyword research. You want to make sure you have good keyword phrases and words to choose from. The best way to do this is by logging into Pinterest and looking at your ideal members. Start searching for what your audience is typing in order to find valuable content. Write down the autofill suggestions, as well as the category add-ons that show just below the search bar after you have already hit enter.
Build a list of words that relate directly to what your content or blog posts are about. This exercise can help you get into the mindset of your customers. Think about the words they use, not the words you are using. You are an expert so it helps to remember that normal people aren’t searching the same way you would.
For example, if you have a blog post about chocolate cake, by typing that into Pinterest, you will see these suggestions:
- Chocolate cake recipe
- Chocolate cake easy
- Chocolate cake decoration
- Chocolate cake birthday
- Chocolate cake recipe easy
- Chocolate cake design
- Chocolate cake mix cookies
If you hit enter, you will find even more keywords. Your free keyword research tool is actually Pinterest. You don’t even need a fancy app.
Keyword Strategies to Help with SEO
Having different goals in mind can help shape your Pinterest keyword strategy and guide your research. You will want to do research regularly and return to see what is working and what isn’t working.
Speak to your target audience with your pin titles. You know your target audience so start speaking to them. In order to widen your net, try to step out of the box. Use different keyword combinations in order to get in front of a new audience. Don’t exclude any potential readers. In order to diversify your pins, use your pin titles to position the offer a different way to shine some new light on your content.
When you are ready to place your researched keywords into your pins, be careful not to be spammy. You don’t want to sacrifice descriptive words for keywords. It should come together naturally if you have picked the right ones. In order to check your Pinterest analytics to see which pins are performing the best, you should wait about two to four weeks before making any changes. Review which pins did the best, record any similarities, and see if you are ranking for any of your keyword phrases. If you want to take a deep dive, look to see who is saving your pins.
Start with your new pins. If you are uploading five pins for one blog post, try a different title for each of the pins. Once you have done new ones, start to edit existing titles. By updating existing titles, your pins may get more engagement.