Successful social media marketing campaigns need more than awesome content if they’re ultimately going to be successful.
Your target audience also needs to be able to find what you’re putting out there, and that simply won’t happen without a good approach to search engine optimization (SEO).
However, the elements of great SEO are a little different for each of the platforms you might use.
With 431 million monthly active users, Pinterest makes a solid addition to any marketer’s ongoing strategy.
Plus, it’s simple, approachable, and great for reaching niche audiences.
Since it’s essential to understand how to leverage SEO strategy to maximize your results, here’s a closer look at some essential Pinterest SEO tips to get ahead.
2. Look for additional ways to optimize your profile
Your bio isn’t the only way to use SEO to boost your visibility on Pinterest. Adding a few well-chosen keywords to your display name can give you a huge Pinterest SEO boost.
Choose the right ones by considering which phrases and key terms someone might search (both on and off Pinterest) to find a business like yours.
Adding one of your primary keywords to your username can be really helpful, as well, especially when it comes to helping you show up in on-platform search results.
You can also maximize cross-platform discoverability by using that same user name across your other social media profiles and your website.
3. Optimize your boards for searchability
Your profile and bio aren’t the only elements that are searchable on Pinterest.
Users can also search the boards you create, so make sure you optimize yours with best Pinterest SEO practices in mind.
Both the names and the descriptions you choose for your boards show up in search results, so do what you can to make them SEO-friendly.
Optimize both with keywords related to the content on the board and your business, niche, or industry. Also, make sure it’s easy to tell what types of pins each board contains at a glance.
Sometimes, people overlook the importance of board organization, but that actually makes a noticeable difference over time. If your boards feel scattered or contain off-topic pins, users (and, let’s be honest, the algorithm) might shrug and move on. Sticking to a clear structure, updating descriptions as your offerings evolve, and archiving what no longer fits helps keep your account relevant and sharable. Give yourself permission to refresh things a couple of times a year—no need to cling to outdated themes just because they once worked.
Another thing: visuals matter on Pinterest more than almost anywhere else. This goes for your board covers, too. A cohesive set of covers can quickly shape the perception of your brand, even for casual browsers. Sure, not everyone will notice right away, but when you land on a profile where everything looks thoughtfully put-together, it just feels more inviting. And a little intention here goes a long way toward encouraging repeat engagement.
4. Create exceptional content
Whether you’re creating content on Pinterest, on your blog, or somewhere else entirely, there’s one thing that’s a constant in good SEO — awesome content.
Search algorithms across the web are much smarter than they used to be. They’re better at figuring out what users really want to look at, and they’re better at telling great-quality content from everything else out there.
That said, the best way to help your Pinterest SEO is to create stellar content so good that people can’t resist engaging with it.
Pinterest users love helpful, unique, visually appealing ideas, so work on developing content like that as it relates to your brand and goals. Craft energetic, valuable captions to match, as well.
5. Follow and engage with other users
As is the case with any social media platform, Pinterest is a community, so it’s important for your brand to interact with others.
Follow plenty of different accounts to get your footing on the platform, but know that it matters who you follow.
The people on your follow list are powerful signals to Pinterest’s algorithm, as they help it decide who they’ll recommend your boards and account to.
So choose accounts to follow that have similarities to yours — other brands in your industry and individual users similar to you.
And the more popular and active those accounts happen to be, the better it will be for your Pinterest SEO.
Engage with and share their content to better encourage them to do the same for you.
6. Don’t leave video pins out of your strategy
Video is red hot everywhere online right now, and with good reason.
Videos are highly engaging, easy to consume, shareable, and dynamic on a level static content isn’t.
Video content also dominates so many of the social media platforms these days, so people expect to see it around. Plus, video pins do great on Pinterest.
The viewership of video pins has gone up an incredible 240 percent year on year, as well, so you’ll definitely want to include Pinterest in your plans for your current video content campaign.
This is especially the case if you’re in DIY, home décor, beauty, food, or entertainment, as those topics do exceptionally well on the platform.
7. Embrace Pinterest ads
Although there’s no substitute for creating truly great content and being a valuable member of the community on your social media platform of choice, you don’t want to ignore the paid advertising options available to you.
Ads can be a great way to boost your Pinterest SEO and expose some of your best material to a new audience.
Pinterest is a discovery platform, so the average user is fairly responsive to promoted posts, especially when they showcase products and ideas that are relevant to them.
Try using paid Pinterest ads to give an important new post a better chance of getting found or give an already-successful post another push toward even higher levels of greatness.
Be creative and keep track of your results to make your next attempt at paid advertising on Pinterest even more successful.
8. Set yourself up as a verified merchant
There are lots of advantages to becoming a verified merchant on Pinterest.
To begin with, you’re telling Pinterest that you’re a legitimate brand and that you take your presence on the site seriously.
You also gain access to additional analytics to help you monitor your efforts and improve your Pinterest SEO.
Becoming a verified merchant makes it easier for users interested in your products or services to shop your offerings right there on the site, as well.
Start the process by claiming your website on Pinterest. This will get you access to the enhanced analytics functions and other related perks — like a checkmark next to your website URL on your profile.
Then apply for Pinterest’s verified merchant program. That will get you access to the enhanced shopping features.
9. Add more detail to your content with rich pins
Pinterest comes packed with fantastic features and exciting ways to add more appeal to your pins while boosting Pinterest SEO, and the ability to create rich pins is one of them.
Rich pins come attached to lots of additional details, including more information about the pin both above and below the pinned image.
They also typically perform much better on-site than standard pins.
Rich pins are also easy to create, as any pin created from your website automatically becomes a rich pin by pulling all that extra information straight from your site.
There are different types of rich pins optimized for products, recipes, articles, and apps. And if any of the original information changes on your website, the rich pin will automatically change to match.
Rich pins are a free feature, as well, so they’re a must for any budget-conscious Pinterest SEO campaign.
10. Keep track of your results
Although a Pinterest SEO strategy is fairly foolproof and low-maintenance in the grand scheme of things, it’s still important to keep careful track of your efforts and their results.
Experiment with creating different types of pins, paid advertising, and so forth. Measure your results.
Make changes as needed, experiment with different approaches, add new keywords to the mix, measure some more, and see where you end up.
It won’t be long before your pins and boards dominate the platform, drive traffic, and win you customers.
11. Keep your Pinterest SEO efforts consistent
Whether you’re looking to boost SEO on your own website or gain more traction on your go-to social media platforms, consistency is incredibly important.
Modern algorithms reward content creators who consistently contribute high-quality content with more exposure.
Plus, the more you use a platform the more the algorithm learns about you, your content, and the people who engage with you.
Pinterest isn’t the kind of platform where you might overwhelm users by posting too much or too often, so the more time you’re willing to invest in Pinterest SEO and great content, the better.
Just be sure to keep your brand messaging (and your overall efforts) consistent. Come up with a content production schedule to make things easier.
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