Pinterest SEO Guide: How to Stand Out on This Platform Shoppers Love

Pinterest has become a popular social media platform for brands to connect with influencers and consumers. This image-focused site allows users to discover and save images from the internet onto boards, making it ideal for shoppers who enjoy planninZg and researching.

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t limited to search engines like Google; it’s also relevant on social media networks like Pinterest. While Pinterest SEO doesn’t require as much technical expertise, there are still effective strategies to improve your brand visibility and increase the likelihood of appearing in the algorithm, resulting in more pins and favorites. This guide will walk you through Pinterest SEO techniques.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social media network that revolves around creating photo boards. It shares similarities with Instagram, as photos take center stage on the platform. Every post on Pinterest is accompanied by a photo or video. When users search for something on Pinterest, they come across individual posts as well as boards created by other users. Businesses can utilize Pinterest to showcase individual items or curate collections of products that complement each other, making it particularly suitable for fashion-related content.

On Pinterest, both businesses and users have the ability to like, favorite, and message others, just like any other social media network.

What is Pinterest SEO?

When we talk about Pinterest SEO, we mean optimizing your Pinterest profile to increase its visibility in users’ recommended feeds and present your brand in the best possible way.

Unlike blogs or other websites, technical optimization isn’t a major concern for a Pinterest profile. Instead, our focus is on on-page SEO and creating a profile that grabs users’ attention. In social media SEO, engagement plays a crucial role, so we aim to promote it as much as we can.

Learn Before You Go

Pinterest is a social media site primarily focused on sharing photos, which means that SEO strategies for Pinterest differ significantly from those used for blogs or text-based platforms like Facebook.

Before creating your Pinterest profile, it’s valuable to learn from others in your niche. Take the time to observe and analyze profiles that have a strong presence. If you’re a brand, it’s especially useful to examine what your competitors are doing to achieve success on Pinterest.

In this particular instance, let’s say we’re seeking inspiration or our men’s wear brand, St. Germain. In this case, we can look to other luxury style brands like Loro Piana (TM) for ideas and insights.

 

Profile Setup

The initial step in Pinterest SEO is setting up your profile. It’s crucial to create a professional profile that revolves around a specific brand or theme. For instance, if you run an online clothing store, ensure that your profile is tailored to attract users searching for clothing. It’s important to avoid a profile that conveys conflicting messages. Here are the key components to set up an outstanding profile:

Profile Image:

Ensure that you have a high-quality image with the appropriate resolution for your Pinterest profile.

Pinterest displays profile pictures in a circular format and automatically adjusts the image to fit the circle. Therefore, it’s essential to place any significant details, such as your business name or the product you’re promoting, at the center of the image.

Additionally, Pinterest takes into account the file name of your profile picture to understand your page better. We recommend renaming your profile picture to something relevant to your business. For instance, if you operate an online men’s fashion store, consider using your brand name or a descriptive term related to what you’re selling, like “affordable polos for men.”

The profile description is a crucial element of your Pinterest profile. It not only influences the feed where your brand appears but also determines whether users will choose to follow or visit your brand.

You have a limit of 500 characters for your profile description, but it’s advisable to keep it concise. Include your brand name and a few relevant keywords you want to be associated with. In the context of a clothing example, you could write:

“St. Germain Men’s Wear: Online boutique for the modern man seeking casual yet distinguished style. Explore our high-quality range of tops, bottoms, and outerwear. #Menswear

Discover our complete collection of quality staples at our online boutique. (Link)”

Note that the description doesn’t use the full 500-character limit. This is because Pinterest is optimized for mobile, and users typically don’t spend much time reading profiles. It’s essential to convey your message succinctly. However, in the given description, I managed to include the hashtag #Menswear and mention “men’s wear” to ensure both users and Pinterest understand the focus of my profile

Another Idea:

In my example, I opted for a longer description to ensure I didn’t have to sacrifice keywords. Users can click “more” to expand the description; I chose to have more keywords rather than say everything in one view.

Alternatively, you can choose to sacrifice some keywords and instead write a concise description that provides readers with the full information without the need to click “more.” Both approaches have their merits, and you can decide which one aligns better with your profile’s goals and the preferences of your target audience.

Loro Piana (TM) does this in their description.

Cover Image:

We recommend selecting a visually captivating cover image that encapsulates your brand. For instance, St. Germain Men’s Wear could choose an image featuring a man leisurely dressed in luxurious earth-toned casual wear, such as a beige polo shirt, off-white chinos, and brown loafers. This image would convey the brand’s focus on smart casual attire for men while showcasing some of the available products.

Moreover, feel free to change your cover image regularly to align with specific items you want to promote.

Similar to your profile picture, ensure that the file name of your cover image is appropriately descriptive.

Research

Cursory Searching

Now that you have set up your profile, it’s important to familiarize yourself with how your niche is represented on Pinterest. Conduct some initial searches and take note of the profiles that frequently appear, the posting style, and the boards that resonate with you. This initial exploration will provide you with a cursory understanding of the platform and help you become more acquainted with it.

Keyword Research

Perform searches for posts and boards relevant to your niche on Pinterest. Pay attention to the specific keywords used for certain posts or boards, as Pinterest emphasizes the use of keywords to describe content. Additionally, take note of any hashtags you come across.

It’s important to recognize that Pinterest has its own unique way of presenting content, distinct from blogging. Therefore, we suggest conducting a significant portion of your keyword research by simply browsing Pinterest and making note of the hashtags and key phrases commonly used. This approach will allow you to gain insights into the language and trends specific to the platform.

Writing Posts (Pinning)

Pinterest values simplicity, allowing the photos to take center stage and convey the message. When writing a post, it’s important to keep it simple while incorporating relevant keywords. Hashtags (#) also play a role in helping your posts appear in search results for specific topics.

Continuing with our example of St. Germain Men’s Wear, you could create a post like: “Our spring catalog highlights lightweight and breathable fabrics such as Linen, Merino wool, and Silk. Explore our collection of men’s bottoms, tops, and outerwear perfect for warmer weather. #Menswear #Spring”

This post effectively communicates the key details about the spring catalog while incorporating relevant keywords (#Menswear, #Spring) to increase visibility and reach on Pinterest.

Photos

Posts on Pinterest should strongly emphasize the image, so it’s crucial to select a professional image that closely aligns with your written content. If possible, consider investing in resources like a professional photographer and editor to ensure high-quality visuals. Alternatively, you can opt to establish in-house capabilities by acquiring a good camera, developing image editing skills, and utilizing software such as Adobe Photoshop.

Having well-crafted visuals enhances the overall appeal and professionalism of your posts on Pinterest, increasing the likelihood of capturing users’ attention and engagement.

Some tips for using great images:

· Make sure image is clear and professional – hire a photographer or buy a better camera if needed.

· Consider using more colors. Research shows images that have a few colors and high contrast tend to perform better.

· If images are lower contrast, make sure they are clear and high resolution. Make sure there is a focused subject matter.

· Make sure your image is focused on a particular subject. Pinterest is about generating ideas and its easier for people to organize thoughts hwne there is a singular focus.

· Use text in images. Pinterest can read image text and use that for its search algorithm.

· Use backgrounds that make sense. Creative backgrounds can draw users in but make sure they aren’t distracting.

Boards

An Intro to Boards

Boards on Pinterest are collections of posts and images that can represent various themes or ideas. When curated effectively, they can help convey a specific concept. For instance, you can create a board dedicated to earth tone color outfits, where the posts feature outfits showcasing earth tone colors. The aim is to inspire viewers by providing them with ideas and inspiration related to the theme.

Furthermore, boards can also serve as shopping lists for consumers. For example, a board titled “Spring Pants for Men” can feature posts showcasing pants made of breathable fabrics like linen and cotton. This allows users to gather ideas for their spring wardrobe and make informed purchasing decisions.

By organizing posts and images into boards, you can create a visually appealing and cohesive collection that resonates with users, whether it’s for inspiration or shopping purposes.

Constructing Boards

There are various ways your business can utilize boards on Pinterest. A highly effective approach is to categorize your products by creating dedicated boards, such as a board specifically for men’s bottoms. This helps users easily navigate and explore your offerings. Additionally, you can create boards that showcase ideas using your products or feature customer-generated content, such as images of customers wearing your clothing. The possibilities for board usage are extensive, allowing you to showcase your brand’s versatility and engage with your audience.

It’s important to consider the Pinterest algorithm, which rewards boards that align with popular search keywords. While boards centered around niche topics like “linen in the Mediterranean” may not receive as much search traffic, boards featuring popular search terms like “spring outfit ideas” are more likely to attract user attention. As a general guideline, larger brands with greater exposure may find it easier to gain visibility with more creative boards. Therefore, it’s recommended to focus on well-searched topics while you work on building your following.

By strategically curating boards that resonate with your target audience and align with popular search terms, you can maximize your brand’s visibility and generate interest and engagement on Pinterest.

Researching Boards

When it comes to building boards on Pinterest, conducting cursory searches, following relevant boards, and keeping an eye on your competitors’ boards can be valuable research strategies.

By performing cursory searches within your niche, you can discover popular boards and gain insights into the types of content and keywords that are resonating with users. This allows you to stay informed about the latest trends and preferences in your industry.

Another effective approach is to add boards related to your niche to your feed. By following these boards, you can observe the content being shared and gain inspiration for your own boards. This helps you stay connected with the interests and preferences of your target audience.

Additionally, keeping an eye on your competitors’ boards can provide valuable insights into their strategies and the type of content they are curating. While it’s important to maintain your own unique approach, observing your competitors can help you identify opportunities, learn from their successes, and differentiate your own boards.

By utilizing these research techniques, you can gather valuable information, identify trends, and gain inspiration to create boards that engage and resonate with your audience on Pinterest.

Gauging Success – Pinterest Analytics

Social media success can be very difficult to gauge and the goals for each business can be very different. For example, an e-commerce store might primarily gauge success by direct sales so they could track analytics-enabled links for conversion rate. A bigger brand might focus more on branding so “vanity” metrics like shares and likes might be more important.

Pinterest has built-in analytics for measuring engagement within the platform. Some of the tools available to you are:

· Impressions: The number of times your pins were shown on users’ screens.

· Total audience: the number of individuals that viewed your pins in a givne to period.

· Saves: number of times your pin was saved to a board.

· Engagements: Pin clicks or saves.

· Engaged audience: number of people that clicked or saved your post in a period.

· Pin clicks: Total number of clicks on your pins.

· Pin click rate: Measures % of clicks vs impressions you get.

· Outbound link clicks: Number of times an external link is clicked.

· Outbound click rate: % of link clicks vs impressions.

· Video views: Number of video views in a given time period.

· Demographics: Audience info like age, gender, device type, and location.

· Affinity: How much your audience cares about a given topic.

· Conversion insights: Conversion information should you choose to use Pinterest ads.

· Top Converting Pins: The top performing pins based on your preferred conversion goals.

· Page Visits: # of times people visit your site from Pinterest.

· Add to cart: Number of items added to your cart.

· Checkout: Number of successful purchases.

As you can see Pinterest has very granular metrics for tracking success. These tools should give you plenty of insight into how your brand is performing and what the bottlenecks are.

Conclusion

After reading our blog article on Pinterest SEO, you may have realized that Pinterest and social media, in general, have a unique approach to SEO. On Pinterest, the key to promoting your brand lies in creating compelling visual content such as photos and videos. It is crucial to maintain a consistent brand identity and ensure that your pins adhere to a specific theme.

To optimize your presence on Pinterest, focus on incorporating relevant keywords, hashtags, and accurate photo metadata. These elements help Pinterest understand the context and meaning of your images. Additionally, staying active on the platform by pinning daily, liking, and organizing pins on your boards demonstrates your engagement and commitment to Pinterest.

At Amazing SEO, we specialize in providing curated social media services, including creating an exceptional Pinterest board. We can collaborate with your brand to develop a strategic social media calendar, ensuring regular activity on platforms like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more. By utilizing our services, you can enhance your visibility on Pinterest and align with the platform’s algorithm.

Discover our comprehensive range of social media services by visiting our website. We are dedicated to helping your brand thrive on Pinterest and other social media platforms.

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