Pinterest is a visual search engine where quality content lives long, delivering targeted traffic and sales over extended periods of time. But with its ever-changing algorithms, optimizing your Pinterest marketing strategy can get complicated.
That‘s why in this comprehensive guide, we‘ll demystify Pinterest SEO best practices to help you algorithm-proof your approach, dominate search and recommendations, and gain an unfair advantage – regardless of follower count.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
How Pinterest SEO Works: Key Ranking Signals
Pinterest SEO works very much like Google, prioritizing authority, expertise, relevance and trustworthiness in determining rankings. By strengthening these core ranking factors, you can fast-track your success.
Establishing Authority and Expertise
As a creator, dedicate time towards building an authoritative profile and niche presence by:
- Curating highly relevant, high-quality content consistently
- Commenting knowledgably on other pins in your niche
- Having an optimized website that loads quickly
- Encouraging users to pin your content through clear CTAs
This establishes you as a subject matter expert Pinner that Pinterest can trust to keep users engaged.
Dialing Up Relevance
Laser focus your Pinterest presence on topics your audience cares about by:
- Regularly evaluating search terms driving visitors to your site for new keyword opportunities
- Grouping content by themes into clearly defined, keyword optimized boards
- Pinning fresh, related content at least once daily to keep boards active
Relevance is key, so stay on pulse with audience interests.
Earning User Trust
While expertise matters, you still need to earn user trust through content quality. Ways to make great first impressions include:
- Carefully handpicking pins from established sites to enrich boards
- Producing engaging, useful DIY tutorials, tips lists, comparisons etc
- Ensuring pinned content delivers on what titles and descriptions promise
By satisfying intent, you build a reputation for valuable contributions.
Now that you know the basics of Pinterest SEO, let‘s dive deeper into smarter keyword targeting and metadata optimization next.
Pinterest Keyword Research Made Simple
Attracting the right searchers begins with identifying keywords and phrases they actually use. Here are 3 easy methods:
1. Investigate Related Boards
Find popular community boards aligned to your niche by:
- Entering keywords without spaces after pinterest.com/topics/ e.g. https://www.pinterest.com/topics/socialmediamarketing/
- Noting down board names and bio descriptions for keyword ideas
This reveals terms and themes people search for.
2. Extract Keywords From Analytics
Your website and social media analytics offer clues into trending searches.
- Go through top referral sources sending Pinterest visitors
- Identify phrases triggering traffic to isolate focus areas
Pay attention to emerging patterns.
3. Leverage Pinterest‘s Ad Platform
Pinterest Ads Manager reveals high-intent keywords including search volumes:
- Select campaign objective and proceed to keyword section
- Enter seed keywords to unlock hundreds of suggestions with metrics
- Shortlist best long-tail phrases aligned to content pillars
Now, optimize pins and boards around these terms.
Pinpoint Image and Board Optimization
With keyword research complete, crystalizing metadata is next. Follow this checklist for foolproof optimization:
Images
- File Name: Primary keyword dash secondary keywords
- Title: 65 characters with target phrase upfront
- Description: 500 characters summarized with keywords early
Boards
- Name: Primary keyword or exact match keyword phrase
- Description: 160 character keyword-rich overview teasing top pins
And don‘t forget landing page optimization for maximizing inbound links!
Now for the when, where and how of strategic pinning.
Strategic Repinning for Explosive Reach
Timing and placement impacts how many see your pins. Tactically repin content using tools like Tailwind:
- Pin new pins to most relevant personal board first with good spacing in between
- Join team boards closely aligned to niches and repin 1-2x week during peak times
- Repin evergreen top-performing pins bi-monthly to keep gaining impressions
- Use smart schedules tailored around when your audience is most active on Pinterest
This amplifies discovery beyond just followers.
Additionally, refresh old pins by editing descriptions, titles and images instead of repinning to retain engagement.
Wrapping Up
By strengthening expertise signals, laser focusing relevance and earning trust through robust optimization, you put yourself ahead on Pinterest SEO. Combine that with strategic repinning and discovery reaches new heights.
Hopefully these tips give you clarity and confidence to step up your Pinterest marketing game. Remember to stay consistent, test new approaches and have fun engaging your community!
Let me know if you have any other Pinterest SEO questions in comments below!
