Pinterest keeps emerging as a driving force when it comes to social lifestyle and ecommerce brands, with its unique nature and the multitude of opportunities it can bring along within the digital realm. With its visually appealing and highly shareable content, the social media platform presents a powerful opportunity for driving traffic to your website in a way that is nuanced, organic and pure.
SEO for Pinterest remains a somewhat unexplored and underrated strategy, yet it has proven to be highly effective and a vital component in making and getting the most out of the platform itself. By optimising your presence on Pinterest, you can drive more links and traffic to your website and simultaneously improve and enhance your overall online visibility and awareness.
Although SEO may mostly be associated with Google, it can be used on Pinterest to make your brand and content more discoverable on the platform. The same principles to search engine optimisation apply to social engine optimisation, and Pinterest SEO capabilities have proved a smart move, as it pretty much eliminates the need to use search engines, and instead divert directly to the social media platform for the discovery and resolution of any inquiry.
Best Practices for Driving Clicks & Traffic Through Pinterest SEO
Keyword Research is Key
It all starts with the right kind of keywords. If you know what your customers or potential consumers are searching for, then you can utilise those keywords to drive them to your pins. You can even go ahead and include some of your popular keywords in your pin title, as within the Pinterest world, it’s one of the most important and strategic text-based content.
Optimise Your Profile
Think of your Pinterest profile as your chance to make a good first impression, as it will be the first thing that users stumble upon during their research. Use your space wisely with a keyword-rich overview of what your brand or business is all about. Make sure your profile is complete with a clear, high-quality and compelling profile picture, an informative bio and a link to your website. You have 500 characters to utilise for your About section, so include as many keywords as you can naturally into your copy to enhance your profile’s searchability.
Create SEO-Friendly Boards
Pinterest is not just about pinning your content, but also about curating it along the way to ensure a better visibility and greater interest from users. Always keep SEO in mind when organising your pins into boards because it’s another great opportunity to drive clicks and traffic. The more specific and keyword-conscious your boards are, the more they’ll be able to differentiate themselves from the competition and drive more attention and interest. Same goes for your board descriptions, as by keeping them keyword-rich, you provide extra content to your users and the Pinterest algorithm, which will strategically help your boards appear in search results more often and attract users interested in your content.
Create High-Quality, Click-Worthy Pins
Pinterest is all about its visual appeal, which is exactly what differentiates the platform from other social media. So, invest time and effort in crafting eye-catching, high-quality pins that will be worth your users’ clicks by standing out in their feeds. By also including a clear call-to-action in your pin descriptions, you give your users extra encouragement and push to click through to your website or landing page.
Pin Consistently & Strategically
Organise your pins into boards with SEO in mind. Pinterest is not just about adding your pins, creating your boards and then just letting the platform’s algorithm do its work for you. On the contrary, it requires consistent and strategic attention to your profile to make sure that it continually resonates with audiences, stays on top of any seasonal trends, and remains relevant to audiences’ needs and wants.
Also, keep in mind that once one of your pins performs well, it indicates to the platform’s algorithm that other content from your profile with similar characteristics may also excel, thereby enhancing the visibility of your older pins. As per Pinterest's recommendation, a best practice is to publish your content at least weekly in order to keep your account fresh, engaging and interesting.
Write Killer Pin Descriptions
As mentioned above, the description of your pin is a great way to utilise SEO to your benefit. When describing your pins, make sure to use keywords that will appeal and relate to your target audience, and be as descriptive as possible in order to entice their interest. If something is ‘new’ or ‘problem-solving’, communicate that in a straightforward way in your description. Including instructions on product usage or care, or even tips, can go a long way in grabbing their attention and making your pins irresistible.
Utilise Rich Pins
Take advantage of Pinterest’s rich pins feature, which allows you to provide additional information beyond the standard pin. Rich pins can include details such as product information, recipe ingredients or article metadata, as they can also extract information from a web page and sync automatically. They essentially allow you to provide more context to your users and therefore enhance the value of your pins and make them more appealing and intriguing.