Pinterest SEO: 7 Tips From A Pinterest Engineer [#SMX]

Pinterest SEO: 7 Tips From A Pinterest Engineer [#SMX]

Pinterest search optimization. In April, Pinterest overhauled its search engine, introducing Guided Search. Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann said Guided Search would help users sift through the 30 billion pins (that had been made at the time) to find things they didn’t know they were looking for.

So how does a marketer move to the top of that mix? Anna Majkowska, a software manager on Pinterest’s search team, said it’s not too complicated, easier than optimizing for Google. She shared advice during the panel, which we paraphrased and turned into a list:

1. Optimize Your Profile

For obvious reasons, make sure your business’ name is in the account name and user name.
 Write a strong description about your business; include a good number of searchable keywords, but make sure it reads well.

2. Verify Your Website

Verified Pinterest accounts have more authority in Pinterest search. This page has instructions about how to complete the process.

3. Install Pin It Buttons

Encouraging users to pin content from your website primes the Pinterest search pump. The more good pins you get, the better your authority and the higher your posts will rank.

4. Write Strong Descriptions

Make sure to fill the descriptions with searchable keywords that describe the product or page. But avoid sounding spammy, because the descriptions serve as captions. They are rarely changed by Pinterest users sharing them, but are less likely to be repinned or clicked upon if they aren’t appealing to humans. Also avoid using hashtags, which serve no Pinterest purpose. Too many, Majkowska said, and your content might be demoted in Pinterest search. 

5. Check Your Links

Make sure Pinterest isn’t sending traffic to deleted or expired pages. 404 errors hurt a site’s search ranking and anger users. If you have a product that’s out of stock, add related items to the page.

6. Get More Followers

Add the follow button to your site, on as many pages as possible. Promote your Pinterest account on other social accounts. “The way it works is the more followers you have, the higher authority of your profile and your boards, and the more likely your Pins will rank highly in Pinterest search,” Majkowska said.

7. Find Your Niches

Although Pinterest is dominated by pins about fashion, travel and cooking, there are opportunities to target other topics. BuzzFeed has had great success with spreading its humor content, for instance. “Some people think Pinterest is just fashion cooking and weddings,” Majkowska said, “which actually can be beneficial for people who try to optimize for other categories.”

8. Bonus (Non-Search) Tip

Pinterest is still testing its Promoted Pin advertising product with a limited number of businesses, but those not in the test can start preparing by testing similar promotion on other social networks, Richter of iProspect suggested.