Pinterest for Bloggers: Maximizing Your Traffic Potential

If you’re a blogger or website owner, you probably already know how important it is to drive traffic to your site. While social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can certainly help, there’s one platform in particular that has proven to be a blogger’s best friend: Pinterest.

As a powerful visual search engine, Pinterest is the go-to platform for people looking for inspiration and ideas on anything from DIY projects and recipes to fashion and travel. And for bloggers, it’s an incredibly valuable source of traffic. In fact, many bloggers report that Pinterest is their number one traffic source.

But how can you tap into the power of Pinterest as a blogger? In this post, Pinterest for Bloggers: Maximizing Your Traffic Potential, we’ll go over some key Pinterest basics that every blogger should know. Whether you’re new to Pinterest or you’ve been using it for a while, these tips will help you make the most of this powerful platform to drive traffic to your site and grow your audience.

Optimize your Pinterest Account

If you’re using Pinterest to drive traffic to your blog or website, it’s important to make sure your account is optimized for success. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been using Pinterest for a while, taking the time to optimize your profile, bio, boards, board descriptions, and pins can make a big difference in how well your content performs on the platform.

One key aspect of optimizing your Pinterest account is developing a cohesive keyword strategy. By using relevant keywords throughout your profile and pins, you can help Pinterest’s algorithm understand what your content is about and make it more likely to show up in search results.

Keyword Strategy

Having an overall keyword strategy is crucial to the success of your Pinterest account. This means using relevant keywords throughout your bio, board titles, and board descriptions that are related to your niche. Similarly, it’s important to incorporate keywords in all of your pin titles and descriptions.

Why are keywords so important? Simply put, they tell Pinterest’s algorithm what your account, boards, and pins are all about. As a search engine, Pinterest relies on keywords to deliver relevant content to its users.

If you want your content to show up in Pinterest searches and reach a wider audience, it’s essential to have a solid keyword strategy in place. In this post, we’ll go over some tips and best practices for incorporating keywords into your Pinterest account, boards, and pins to help you maximize your visibility and reach on the platform.

Create a strong profile and bio

When it comes to your Pinterest bio, clarity is key. Your bio should clearly communicate who you serve and what your niche is, so that people know what type of content they can expect if they follow you. But it’s not just about attracting followers – it’s also about helping Pinterest’s algorithm understand what your content is about so that it can deliver it to the right people.

Here’s an example of a before-and-after bio:

Before: ✨ Inspiring women to pursue joyful lives. Follow for Blogging Resources, Canva Templates + Goal Setting tips! Connect on Instagram: @naomikirons ✨

After: Blogging, design and productivity tips to help newbie bloggers reach your dreams. Follow for Blogging Resources, Canva Tutorials + Goal Setting tips! Connect on Instagram: @naomikirons

As you can see, the updated bio is more specific and strategic. It clearly communicates the blogger’s niche (newbie bloggers) and what type of content they can expect to find on the account (blogging, design, and productivity tips).

By being clear about your niche and the type of content you offer, you can help both your followers and Pinterest’s algorithm understand what your account is all about. This can lead to more followers, more engagement, and more visibility for your content on the platform.

Boards, descriptions and pins

To maximize your Pinterest visibility and drive traffic to your blog, it’s important to incorporate keywords into every aspect of your account – from board titles and descriptions to pin titles and descriptions. Here’s a breakdown of what a solid keyword structure looks like:

Let’s use this post as an example: “How to Start a New Blog in 2023”

Board Title: Blogging for Beginners

Board Description: Looking to start a blog? Our beginner’s guide to blogging has everything you need to know! Get helpful tips and advice for new bloggers on how to start your own blog.

Pin Title: How to Start a Blog for Beginners [2023 Edition]

Pin Description: Ready to start your own blog in 2023? Our step-by-step guide to blogging for beginners has all the tips and advice you need. Learn how to start a successful blog and drive traffic to your website!

By incorporating keywords into your titles and descriptions, you’re giving Pinterest’s algorithm the information it needs to understand what your content is about and deliver it to the right audience. Keep in mind that your goal is to drive traffic to your blog, so it’s important to write copy that is both strategic and engaging. With a solid keyword structure in place, you’ll be well on your way to Pinterest success!

Create a Business Account

If you’re ready to take your Pinterest game to the next level, you have two options: you can either convert your personal account into a business account or start a new business account from scratch.

Personally, I opted to turn my personal account into a business account, but depending on how long you’ve had your account and how much content you’ve already posted, it may be easier to start fresh with a new business account. This way, you can optimize your account right from the start without having to go back and edit existing content.

No matter which option you choose, it’s important to have a business account so you can claim your website and access analytics and insights about your account. Pinterest provides detailed instructions on how to set up a business account on their website, so be sure to check it out if you’re ready to make the switch!

Claim your domain

One of the most important steps after setting up your business account is to claim your website domain on Pinterest. This will give you access to valuable analytics on pins from your website.

Moreover, once you claim your site, any pins created with your domain will feature your bio photo and a follow button for your Pinterest account. This can help increase your visibility and attract more followers.

The process of claiming your domain can be a bit technical, but Pinterest provides helpful instructions to guide you through it. You’ll have two options for verification: uploading an HTML file to your website or adding a DNS record to your domain host.

If you’re using WordPress, there are plugins available that make it easy to upload the HTML file. One such plugin is WPCode, which allows you to insert the code into the header of your website without needing to access your host or cPanel.

If you have any questions about claiming your website domain on Pinterest, feel free to ask in the comments below.

Set up Rich Pins

While setting up rich pins can be a bit technical, it’s worth the effort as they provide more context and information about your content by adding the headline, description, and author from your website.

Before setting up rich pins, make sure you have a business account on Pinterest, as it is a requirement.

To help you through the process, Pinterest offers a helpful guide with step-by-step instructions for connecting your rich pins.

For additional assistance, you can also check out this comprehensive article by Rank Math if you’re still having trouble setting up your rich pins.

Have a Pinterest Strategy

As a blogger, it’s crucial to have a solid Pinterest strategy. In fact, there are entire courses dedicated to perfecting your pinning tactics! One highly recommended resource is Nadalie Bardo’s Pinterest Popular course, which can help you truly harness the power of Pinterest for your blog.

However, it’s important to note that like most social media platforms, Pinterest has evolved over time and is still evolving. This means that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for success on the platform. The key is to have a strategy in place and consistently put it into action.

Here’s a quick look into my current Pinterest strategy once I publish a blog post.

Pinterest Strategy Step One:

Step One of your Pinterest strategy should be to promptly share and Pin your content to Pinterest. For every blog post, it’s a good idea to create at least three pinnable images that you can include within the post.

I use a set of custom templates I designed in Canva to easily create pinable images for my blog posts.

Creating 3-4 pinable images and using them in your blog post comes in very handy. Not only do I have images to create visual appeal in my post, I’ve created them as highly pinable images that are formatted for Pinterest. This makes them super easy for me and for my readers to share them!

Pinterest Strategy Step Two:

Take advantage of Pinterest’s scheduling feature and schedule a pin to post the next day. This can help ensure consistent and timely posting of your content.

To schedule a pin, go to the “Create” option in the top menu and choose “Create Pin”. Upload your image, choose the board to pin it to, add a title, description, alt text, link, and set the date and time for publishing.

With Pinterest’s scheduling feature, you can plan ahead and maintain a regular presence on the platform.

Pinterest Strategy Step Three:

To keep your content fresh, schedule another Pin in Pinterest to post in 7 days. It’s essential to use a different pin image each time you post, as Pinterest prefers fresh pins for each blog post link.

For each post, I create at least three pinnable images in Canva and schedule them to go live on different days. This way, I can reach a broader audience and keep my content fresh.

Pinterest Strategy Step Four:

Utilize Tailwind group boards to increase the reach of your pins. With the 3-4 pinable images created for each blog post, they can be added to relevant Tailwind group boards.

By adding pins to Tailwind you can increase your reach when other members of your group board pin your images.

Pinterest Strategy Step Five:

Join relevant group boards. Group boards are a great way to get more visibility for your pins and reach a wider audience. Look for group boards in your niche and request to join them. Once you’re a member, be sure to follow the board rules and actively participate by sharing your own content as well as content from other members.

Pinterest Strategy Step Six:

Use keywords in your pins and boards. Pinterest is essentially a search engine, so it’s important to use keywords that people are searching for in your pin titles, descriptions, and board titles. This will help your content show up in relevant search results and increase your visibility on the platform.

Pinterest Strategy Step Seven:

Analyze your Pinterest analytics. Once you’ve been using Pinterest for a while, it’s important to track your performance and see what’s working and what’s not. Use Pinterest analytics to see which pins are getting the most engagement and which boards are driving the most traffic to your site. Use this information to adjust your strategy and optimize your content for better results.

Pinterest Strategy Step Eight:

Engage with your audience. Pinterest is a social platform, so it’s important to engage with your followers and other users on the platform. Respond to comments on your pins and follow other users in your niche. This will help you build relationships and grow your audience on Pinterest.

In conclusion, Pinterest can be a powerful tool for bloggers to drive traffic to their website. To use Pinterest effectively, it’s important to set up a business account, claim your website domain, and create rich pins.

Developing a strong Pinterest strategy that includes regularly sharing and scheduling pins, creating multiple pinable images, and adding pins to Tailwind group boards can also help increase visibility and engagement on the platform.

While Pinterest can seem overwhelming at first, with the right approach and tools, it can be a valuable asset in a blogger’s marketing toolbox.

xoxo Naomi