Pinterest SEO: 12 Tips to Optimise Your Pins for Search (Part 1)

A strong Pinterest SEO strategy is one of the best ways to increase your reach and drive more sales. In fact, SEO on Pinterest is arguably more important than on any other social media platform.

That’s because Pinterest is a powerful visual discovery engine — where content lives on and gets surfaced resurfaced over and over again — for months, not minutes.

In this blog post i'm covering how you can use SEO to grow your brand’s presence on Pinterest, target relevant audiences, and drive clicks and sales for your business:

Why You Should Think of Pinterest as a Search Engine 

Pinterest isn’t a social network — it’s a visual discovery engine, and one of the main destinations people visit to find new ideas and inspiration.

When a Pinner goes to scroll new content on the platform, they land on their Home Feed. The Home Feed shows Pins based on what you’ve previously searched and saved!

Since Pinterest is primarily built for search and discovery, your content gets a much longer shelf-life than it would on other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. It’s important to think of the platform as more than just a social channel.

This is where your search-engine optimisation strategy comes into play.

Pinterest SEO Tip #1: Set Up Your Profile for Success 

One of the quickest and easiest ways to improve your Pinterest SEO is to add keywords to your display name. You’ll want to use words that accurately reflect your brand, but also help you to get discovered in relevant search queries.

In addition to your display name, it’s worth giving your Pinterest username some thought too. Your username serves as your profile’s URL, so make sure you pick one that is direct, concise, and memorable.

It’s also smart to use the same username across all of your social channels and website — this really helps with cross-platform discoverability. See how Courtney Quinn uses ColorMeCourtney as her username on both Instagram and Pinterest.

Not only does this make you more search-friendly, but it will make it easier for social audiences who may already know you to recognize it’s your Pinterest account.

Pinterest SEO Tip #2: Craft the Perfect Bio  

Your bio can be as creative or straightforward as you’d like, as long as you’re using strategic keywords. If you’re not sure where to start, it’s a good idea to draft a bio that explains who you are and what you can do/offer.

Once you have a first draft, go through and highlight the relevant words that someone might search on Pinterest to find your profile. If there aren’t very many, it’s worth going back to the drawing board.

If you want to add a little personality, get creative with a slogan or quote in the second sentence, but keep the first sentence reserved for keywords.

Pinterest SEO Tip #3: Claim Your Website (and Shop!) 

First, you’ll be able to feature your website URL on your profile — which is huge! When you’re able to feature your website URL on your profile, it serves as a keyword of sorts, allowing you to be even more discoverable to Pinners.

Next, it will also help you appear more official, and will help drive more traffic to your site!

There are two ways you can verify yourself on Pinterest — claiming your website and verifying yourself as a merchant.

First up, claim your website.

When you claim your website, you’re indicating to Pinterest that you’re a legitimate business or brand.

As an added bonus, having a verified website on the platform allows gives you access to more metrics in your Pinterest Analytics, which helps you better understand your performance. You can also verify your business as a merchant on Pinterest. You can visit the Pinterest Help Center for more information on becoming a Verified Merchant.

Many accounts also have a blue checkmark that reads “Verified Merchant”. This indicates the brand is able to directly link products they have in stock on their Shop tab. If you have products, getting verified on Pinterest as a Verified Merchant will make it much easier for users to shop your products on Pinterest, resulting in more sales!

Pinterest SEO Tip #4: Follow Other Accounts to Boost Your Visibility 

While Pinterest is more of a discovery platform than a social platform, who you follow on Pinterest is still important. Your following list is a strong indicator to Pinterest, and helps to determine where you’ll appear in users’ suggested boards and profiles to follow.

Following the right people will land you in front of the right eyes, so pick strategically.

After following profiles that are similar to yours, your Pins are more likely to show up in their followers’ suggested Pin recommendations.

TIP: Alongside following brands or individuals who are similar to you, it’s also a good idea to follow influencers and celebrities who are well aligned with your brand. Connecting with high-traffic accounts will help boost your Pins even more!

Did you find these tips helpful? Let me know in the comments below if you'd like more information on how to make your Pinterest page as effective as possible!