Maximizing SEO and E-Commerce Potential on Pinterest

Out of all the big social media sites today, Pinterest is definitely the underdog, aggressively competing with sites like Facebook and Twitter in the social space since its launch in 2010. What’s contributed to Pinterest’s success in such a short time? It receives a high level of traffic and engagement from customers while providing an opportunity for businesses to show off products and services in a visually stimulating way. There are plenty of pay-offs for businesses and organizations using the e-commerce potential on Pinterest, especially with regard to referral traffic and SEO. We’ll walk through a few simple steps you can take to ensure you’re maximizing successful optimization strategies on Pinterest.

Setting Up a Profile is Not Enough

So you’ve decided to have a presence on Pinterest. Creating a profile with your organization’s name, logo, and basic information isn’t enough! Pinterest profiles attract new followers by uploading new “pins” and regularly updating boards. Pinterest users do not react to self-promotion but through authentic dialogue. Start a conversation by posting your best, visually stimulating images.

It’s Raining Men on Pinterest

Pinterest has predominately been used by women, but new research shows that men are catching up. According to Pinterest’s blog post from Jan 2015, men are the fastest growing demographic on the social site. When posting content, make sure to post for males, too, if it makes sense to your business or organization.

Cross Check with This SEO Checklist

Take a look at this amazing infographic from Visual.ly that includes a Pinterest SEO checklist to help users find our content. Powerfully optimize your Pinterest profile with:

• Optimized Username – Make sure your username matches as closely as possible with your actual company name so users can find you.
• Keywords in “About You” – Include keywords that pertain to your products and services in the “About You” section of your Pinterest profile. Just make sure it the words flow naturally!
• Keywords in Boards – Boards are a great place to fit in keywords, too, and makes it very easy for user to know what type of content it’s holding.
• Keywords in Pins – Same holds true for pins, which users can actually search for by typing in keywords in the search bar on the site homepage.
• Use the Right Colors and Graphics – Pinterest can actually tell if pins are consistent within a board or under a particular category. Make sure the images you’re using are top notch and visually appealing. Pixelated pictures won’t do!
• Use Rich Pins if You Can – You can create rich pins that fit into specific categories. This provides more value to users, which makes it show up higher in search results on the site.
• Verify Your Site – Speaking of rankings, Pinterest gives more authority to verified accounts.  This means you are more likely to appear in search results if take a bit of time going through the verification process.

Keep in mind:

• While it’s good to include keywords in the description of pins, boards, and your profile, try and keep it short and sweet! Several lines of text are likely to lose visitor interest (Pinterest is a visual site, after all).
• Pay close attention to the categories offered on Pinterest. Some popular ones include Food& Drink, DIY & Crafts, Home Décor, Women’s Fashion, and other.
• Having a presence on Pinterest is important, but it’s more important that you have a working site and product pages to link pins to. This will create a seamless buying process.
• Best time to post your pins: Saturday mornings or weekdays between 2-4:00 pm
• Keep the sales pitches to a minimum. Remember, it’s all about starting a conversation. Incorporate keywords in descriptions but make it sound natural. Staying original and authentic will bring you the most success on the site.