The Foundation of Pinterest SEO

What is Pinterest SEO and Why Do We Need it?

Here’s the think Pinterest is a search engine… I feel like I start every single blog post like that, but it’s the doggone truth. Knowing that is imperative to knowing how to create a Pinterest SEO strategy that actually works. Pinterest is a visual Google not a community-building, chatty catch social media platform. I’m not sure how much you know about Google SEO (I’m just learning about Google this year), but Pinterest SEO is similar to that.

How Pinterest is similar to Google

Both Google and Pinterest require an SEO-optimized foundation and consistent, additional SEO-optimized content to get the content shared found by the right people. The goal for implementing both is to rank higher in search results.

For example, if someone is searching on Google for “how to grow their Pinterest business account,” I am hoping to rank high so that people can see and then click on my relevant content. From there I hope they hop around on my website and ultimately join my community or purchase something from me.

Google SEO	Pinterest SEO
The goal is to get your blog posts and website pages to rank high in search queries	The goal is to get your Pins (with links to your blog posts) to rank high in search queries
Need to add keywords to your main web pages	Need to add keywords to your main profile & boards
Have to phrase keywords carefully to match what people are searching	Have to phrase keywords carefully to match what people are searching
Need to create consistent blog posts to tell Google you’re active	Need to create consistent Pins to tell Pinterest you’re active
Need to add keywords to every blog post (from the title, to the links you share)	Need to add keywords to every Pin (from the graphic to the title to the description you share)
Have to experiment with keywords and content to reach bigger growth	Have to experiment with keywords and Pins to reach bigger growth
Will take 6+ months to see results after implementing a SEO strategy	Will take 6+ months to see results after implementing a SEO strategy

The Foundation of Pinterest SEO: Optimizing Your Profile

Here’s the thing, you need an optimized Pinterest profile first. You can try to quickly throw up a Pin without keyword research or an optimized board to Pin it to, but ultimately, you’ll be lacking a lot of simple opportunities to tell Pinterest what your content is about.

Why Your Pinterest Profile Matters for SEO

Each section of your profile from your profile name down to your board descriptions helps categorize your content for Pinterest. The more you can categorize your content by using the right keywords and key phrases, the easier it is for Pinterest to connect your Pin to the correct search queries. It needs to really understand what your content is about in order to have it show up in the right search results. If it doesn’t understand what your content is about, your Pin will either

1. not be shown at all or
2. be shown in the incorrect search queries making it something that won’t get engagement.

If your Pins consistently don’t get engagement, Pinterest starts to think your content is not worth prioritizing… that’s not the signal we want to send!

Key Elements of a Fully Optimized Pinterest Profile

Now that we know why we need a fully optimized Pinterest profile, how can you make sure your profile is currently set up correctly OR re-optimize it (because it’s never too late to fix Pinterest profile SEO issues). A fully optimized profile includes:

• Making sure it’s a business account or switching from personal to business
• Choosing the right profile name and handle
• Writing a keyword-rich bio (bonus points if it contains a call to action)
• Selecting a profile picture that aligns with the rest of your online presence
• Claiming your website and enabling rich pins
• Claiming your Instagram account, but do not toggle on auto-publish
• Creating board names that align with the main keywords you’re targeting and cover the full extent of the content you plan to share to Pinterest
• Writing a keyword-rich board descriptions
• Adding a header image that is both on brand and useful to your Pinterest goals

Common Mistake for Pinterest Profiles

I want to reiterate that if you see something on here that you’ve done or that is currently up on your profile, don’t stress! You can always go back and fix it (and tools to help you optimize your profile are coming up next).

• Nothing is congruent with Instagram- different handle, different profile photo. No consistency just wipes out any potential brand awareness that might transfer over.
• No keywords in the profile name… so much to say about that, but you need ’em!
• Board names have emojis or “fluffy” names that are not searchable.
• Bio is about connection and showing personality rather than encouraging the next step.
• Boards include extra ones that the creator is using personally but are not business-related
• Board covers are prioritized… they’re not wrong. Just not necessary.
• Boards are either to broad or too niche. A healthy mix of both is preferable.

Building a Pinterest Strategy Starting with Profile Optimization

Now that we know what Pinterest SEO is, why we need a strategy for our Pinterest profiles first AND what an SEO-optimized Pinterest profile contains… let’s get into how to to implement for your business.

Setting Clear Goals for Your Pinterest Account

This step always sounds cheesy, but truly it’s so important. I always start discovery calls by asking what my potential client’s goals for Pinterest are. That’s because Pinterest can accomplish a lot, but it is best used when the goals are clear and consistent for 6-12 months. I like to keep things aligned and go after the same keywords for a minimum of 3 months with clients and minimum of 6 months for people who are running their own Pinterest business account.

Here’s why: Pinterest SEO needs to be tested and then tweaked. You can’t tell what’s “working” on Pinterest if you don’t know what “working” means. Determine what you want Pinterest to do for your business, and if it’s multiple goals from the below list, determine in what order:

• drive traffic to your blog or website
• drive traffic to your affiliate platforms
• drive traffic to your email list landing page/freebie/opt-in
• drive traffic to your digital product sales page

Once you have determined this you are able to go forth and optimize that profile, baby. If you need support doing it, we’ve got great options for you.

DIY your own profile with our Bare Pinimum Profile Set Up E-book. This has endless examples for bloggers in multiple niches (fashion, beauty, food, travel & home decor) to help you set your account up correctly on your own.

If you’re an overly-busy blogger hoping to hand over this step to someone else, we have options for that too. All of our done for you Pinterest management services start with a profile optimization.

Common Pinterest SEO Questions and Answers

How Long Does It Take to See Results from Pinterest SEO?

If you’re running your own account, I’d say a minimum of 6 months to see results. That’s 6 months of posting consistently with a fully optimized Pinterest profile.

If you have a professional run your account, it can take a little less time, but still a minimum of 3 months before you should really determine whether it’s working or not.

When Do You Need to Change your Pinterest SEO Strategy?

If after 6-9 months you’re not seeing results (results= outbound clicks/traffic to your site growing), then it may be time to reevaluate your Pinterest strategy.

You might also need to relook at it if you change anything major in. your business: niches, goals, products for sale, etc. That might warrant a foundational Pinterest update. You can always go in and re-optimize your profile and reorient it to the new goals. You just have to shift from the foundation up and wait 3-6 more months for Pinterest to recalibrate.