How to Use Keywords on Pinterest! A Pinterest Keyword guide.
How to Use Keywords on Pinterest!
A Pinterest Keyword guide.
Let’s talk about the power of Pinterest Keywords!
Picture this – as a user on Pinterest, you’re planning a bridal shower for your best friend and are looking for some ideas to design the perfect tropical themed weekend. You search ‘tropical bridal shower’ on Pinterest and the results appear. Your screen is filled with palm trees and cocktails and sunshine – but some of the best images are actually much further down the page. If you hadn’t scrolled that far down, you wouldn’t have even seen them. These great images haven’t implemented a good keyword strategy and as a result, they don’t show up high in the search results.
That, my friends, is the power of Pinterest Keywords.
Unfortunately, many Pinterest users and small businesses are using Pinterest to showcase their amazing products with great pins and images, but without employing a good strategy when it comes to Pinterest Keywords. In essence they are losing out on a huge amount of potential engagement.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN:
Pinterest is a search engine.
What short tail keywords are.
What long tail keywords are.
A Pinterest keyword Guide.
How you can use Pinterest to find the best Keywords!
Consistency is KEY!
Pinterest is a search engine just like Google.
Pinterest, after all, is a visual search engine; powered by pictures and inspiration. And the best way to get your images spotted is for them to be both great – and near the top of the search results page. The only way that Pinterest can know what your image is of, is for you to tell it. Only then will Pinterest rate your image high enough for it to be shown towards the top of the search page. And we all know how great it feels to be at the top!
So how do we use Pinterest keywords to our advantage?
Short Tail Pinterest Keywords.
These are keywords that really are just words; providing a fairly generic idea of what the image is of. These are the kinds of words that people will be searching if they don’t know specifically what they’re looking for – think “wedding flowers” or “wedding cakes”. They’re easy to use, but generally have very high competition and can thus be hard to rank highly for. This means that even if you include them in your Pinterest Keywords, it doesn’t mean your pin will show near the top – the competition is simply too big.
Long Tail Pinterest Keywords.
These are slightly longer and more detailed, generally leading to a more specific type of product or idea. By being longer, they are less likely to be directly searched for, but you can rest assured that anyone searching for these Pinterest keywords is likely to be interested in the product you’re offering – providing what you’re offering does indeed match the search. Examples could include “wild blue wedding flowers” or “pink wedding cake” – and remember, they may be less popular in searches but they are also less likely to have the competition.
A Pinterest Keyword Guide.
In short, the Pinterest keywords you choose to use will reflect the target audience you are hoping to attract. The first step to ensuring your Pinterest keywords will perform successfully is to spend some time working out which keywords best describe your product AND are regularly searched for. The balance here is so important, and it may take both time and trial and error.
STEP ONE: Understand your customers. Are they searching for a problem that they want a solution to? Are you providing that solution? Are you hoping to inspire them with something beautiful? Put yourself in your target audience’s shoes for a moment. What would you search for?
STEP TWO: Try and try again. Build up a list of potential Pinterest keywords and try them all out. See what works best, then use them again. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut here, but a simple case of trial and error should eventually help you build up a comprehensive list of the keywords that work best for you.
STEP THREE: Where will you use your keywords? It’s important to remember that Pinterest is like google – it can’t see the picture you’re posting, so all of its knowledge around your pin is based on the text you accompany that pin with. Whether it’s the image title, description or alt text, the continuity of your Pinterest keywords is what Pinterest will be looking for here. If your pin relates directly to content on your website, link the keywords to showcase your legitimacy and business expertise. Make sure your Pinterest boards are titled accordingly and in line with your Pinterest keywords, and – where appropriate – use hashtags! Lastly, replicate some of the best keywords on your profile itself. It doesn’t hurt to link back to your profile and business name occasionally!
How you can use Pinterest to find the best Keywords!
You might be wondering how you can work out which keywords will work best for your brand and your Pinterest profile. Well, in our experience there are a couple of ways you can do this – the first is obviously the trial and error method mentioned above.
Another option is to try Pinterest’s auto-suggest, which deals largely in those short tail generic keywords that will result in a huge number of search results – and a great deal of competition. The potential with these can be huge but ensuring your Pin is seen is difficult.
On the other hand, Pinterest also offers a guided search function which will help you to find the long tail keywords that will drive a more targeted audience your way. Guided search was created for those exploring Pinterest but can also introduce you to some great ideas based on what you’re already posting and searching for. Strip Pinterest back to what it was created for, and let other Pinners inspire you.
Next to keywords is also important to choose the right Hashtags for your Pinterest pins. Click the button below and discover more about using Pinterest hashtags and how they differ from Instagram hashtags.
Consistency is KEY!
The trick when it comes to Pinterest Keywords is to create a strategy and stick to it. By all means, spend some time in the mind of your customer – work out what they are looking for and how you think they will get there. Once you have the foundations of a plan in mind, it’s time to build your strategy. There are plenty of tools available to make this easier, including the Keyword planner and other features such as Guided Search.
If you are looking for further support and guidance around creating the perfect Pinterest Keywords strategy for your brand, look no further. My Pinterest management packages focus on a tailored approach to designing and building up your Pinterest presence in line with your existing brand and customer presence. By optimizing your Pinterest, together we can guide your business to success, increased conversion and plenty of new customers.