Using Pinterest Keywords to Increase your Visibility:
If you want to ensure that your Pinterest Pins are reaching the right audience but are unsure which keywords to use to maximize sales, then this blog post is for you!
Let's be real - if you're running a business and not on Pinterest, then you're missing out on a massive opportunity to drive results. However, for those who are new to the platform, getting set up and figuring out how to attract your ideal clients can seem overwhelming.
But don’t worry! The answer to finding and attracting the right audience lies in using keywords on Pinterest in a smart and strategic way. Every word you share on the platform is searchable, so the key is to make sure your content is being shown to the right people.
We all know using the right keywords is essential for getting your content in front of your ideal customer, but with so many Pins and posts on Pinterest, it can be tough to figure out which ones to use.
That's where I come in! In this post, I'll be sharing all the insider tips on where to find the best keywords for your Pins and how to use them in all the right places. Trust me when I say it's not just in your Pin title and description! By using relevant keywords and making them easy for Pinterest to find, you'll be well on your way to showing up in search results and reaching your ideal audience.
In this post we are going to take a deep dive into using Pinterest keywords to increase your visibility on the platform. Let's do this!
What are Pinterest Keywords?
Pinterest keywords are descriptive terms that teach Pinterest what your image is about. Pinterest is a visual search engine that displays images called Pins to users searching for specific topics. Your keywords should always be relevant to your image and to the blog post, it is linking to.
Using the right keywords in your Pin titles and descriptions will help Pinterest learn about your content, but those aren’t the only places Pinterest looks for information. There are a lot of other places you can add keywords to increase your pins’ chances of going viral.
How do you find the best Pinterest keywords?
You don’t need an expensive keyword research tool. Pinterest gives you all the information you need for free if you know where to look.
Open your Pinterest business account and open the search bar. Today it is opened with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner. Pinterest does change its layout often, so it may have moved by the time you read this.
Then type your broad keyword phrase into the search bar. Pinterest will begin to suggest more words to add to your keyword string. These are gold!
The platform only suggests Pinterest keywords that are trending in searches right now. Pinterest is telling you exactly what words to use.
Pinterest will suggest keywords in a few places.
It will autosuggest them as you type in a dropdown below the search bar. These are the most relevant searches for your keywords. Make a note of any that apply to your pin image.
After you hit enter and search your keyword phrase, Pinterest will suggest keyword modifiers again. This time they will appear in colored boxes below the search bar. Again, write down any new phrases that apply to your pins’ topic.
Last, if the search topic is broad enough, Pinterest keywords will be suggested in a section of word blocks within the pins in the feed. Usually, these are the same as the ones in the colored bars, but it never hurts to check for any new ones.
PRO TIP:
If you are new to Pinterest it will be tough to get your pin to the top of the feed in a broad keyword search. You will want to use these suggested keywords to narrow down your topic and increase visibility.
Your Pin may not show up in the feed for a keyword such as Affiliate Marketing but it could appear in a search for Affiliate Marketing For Mom Bloggers since there would be fewer pins matching that keyword description.
To find the most niched-down Pinterest keywords, keep adding keywords to your search phrase until the results show only pins and no colored boxes with suggested keywords. Then select the search bar to see if any new keywords dropdown. These keywords will be very focused, yet still trending in search, or they wouldn’t be suggested to you.
How to use Pinterest Keywords?
To get the best results and increase your chances of appearing in Pinterest search, you will use your keywords in a variety of places, not just one. Pinterest keywords should be used in your Pin’s title, description, hashtags, file title, image overlay, board title, and board description.
Does that sound like a lot? Don’t worry. I’ll walk you through all the places to use your Pinterest keywords below.
1) Pin Title:
Use the most relevant keywords to your pin in the title. You only have 100 characters available, so make them count. Typically, only the first 40 characters will show up in the Pinterest feed. Don’t start a pin title with words that don’t help your Pinterest SEO. So instead of a title that begins with “Here are the 5 ways to…” just get to the point. Those words have no Pinterest keyword value and are just taking up space.
2) Pin Description:
When writing out your pin titles, it's important to be clear, concise, and enticing. Use keywords relevant to your niche topic and highlight the benefits or value it offers. Be sure to include keywords into all your pin titles. Try to populate the pin description with at least 3 of your most relevant keyword phrases – including the one you used in your Pin Title.
Write complete sentences and avoid keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is when you write a bunch of keyword phrases in a row with no grammar or punctuation. That’s a no-no.
The Pin Description holds up to 500 characters and we want to save some of them for hashtags (see #3 below). Your description will be 3 to 4 sentences that use 3 to 5 of your relevant keyword phrases naturally.
3) Hashtags:
Hashtags are still relevant on Pinterest and can give your pins an extra boost. Most people think that hashtags are only for social media marketing, but that’s not true. Using the right hashtags on Pinterest can bring more visibility to your pins, getting you more blog traffic.
Very few people know to include them in their descriptions, so using them can put your pin at the top of the feed quickly. Add your hashtags to the end of your pin description. Do not add them into your sentences or place them between sentences.
I recommend using 3 to 5 relevant keyword phrases as hashtags. The Pinterest keywords you used in your title should be the first one. The other 3 to 4 should be the most relevant keywords to your topic.
Hashtags used to be recommended in your board titles, but that is no longer the case. Use hashtags in your pin descriptions only – nowhere else.
4) File Title:
Pinterest reads everything it can find on your Pin to learn about it. This includes the file name of the image you upload as a Pin.
Whether you upload your Pin image from your blog, website, or directly from your computer, it has a file name associated with it. This could be a .jpg or .png file. The extension doesn’t matter. What you name the file does.
So many people skip this step. They make a gorgeous new Pin image in Canva and download it to their computer with a random file name like pin.jpg or 001.png.
This is a huge missed opportunity!
Simply naming that same pin with your keywords gives it an extra bit of credibility in Pinterest’s eyes. It confirms that your image relates to your Pin’s title and description. Every pin you upload to your blog or directly to Pinterest needs a file name optimized with Pinterest keywords. Don’t forget this one!
PRO TIP:
Don’t forget about using keywords in the alt text on your blog images. Every pin you upload to your blog should not only have an optimized file title, but it should also have a keyword-optimized alternate text description. Pinterest is smart and can read this too.
5) Image Overlay:
The best Pinterest pins consist of an image and a text overlay. Bonus points if that text overlay is so well written that it’s irresistible not to click.
Many people do not know that Pinterest can read the words they write on their Pins. Even fewer don’t know that Pinterest can see the photo as well. Pinterest wants to only offer the most relevant images to its users. It takes all the information from your Pin and decides if everything is related to the search.
Use your keywords in your image text. Make those words stand out bigger than the rest of the words on your pin. You want Pinterest to know they are the most important.
Limit the use of script fonts for your keywords on your Pins. Often they are hard to read. If Pinterest can’t read them, then they are useless from an SEO perspective.
PRO TIP:
Only use relevant photos on your Pins. Using images that have nothing to do with your pin could confuse Pinterest and limit your Pin’s visibility.
Highly recommend taking your own photos or upgrade to Canva Pro. Canva Pro includes millions of premium photos not available to free users. It’s hands-down the cheapest way to get unlimited photos each month.
6) Board Title:
Another place Pinterest learns about your Pin is from the first board you pin it to. In 2020, the Pinterest algorithm changed significantly. It started looking much more closely at the relationship between a pin and the board it was pinned to.
Always pin your images to boards with titles and keywords relevant to your topic. If you write about affiliate marketing, you will want to make sure you’ve created a board with those words in the title.
If the topic is new for you, create a Pinterest board with the same keywords you used in your Pin title. You can create a new board while you are uploading your pin.
7) Board Description:
The board description is your place to add as many relevant Pinterest keywords as you can find. If you just created this new board, make sure to use all of the keywords you used in your new pin description and hashtags.
I like to use broad topic keywords in my Board titles and then use 10 or 15 relevant autosuggest keywords in the description. Again, you want to write the description naturally and avoid keyword stuffing.
You have a lot of room here, so use any many as will be relevant to your content. Don’t use hashtags in your board descriptions. Boards cannot be searched by hashtags, so they would be wasting valuable space where you could add more keyword phrases instead.