Pinterest is a powerful platform for businesses because it is a visual search and discovery tool for users to discover, plan and solve their needs. So you have a unique opportunity to target your audience specifically but that requires a little upfront work first with profile optimization so can tell Pinterest exactly who your audience is. How do you that? Follow these simple steps to look like a professional.

1. Switch to a Business Account

If you already have a personal Pinterest account you can easily convert your it to a free Pinterest Business account or simply create a new one. Claim your website and once verified, it unlocks analytics, ads, and advanced tools like the Pinterest Trends tool to identify popular searches. Learn details on how to do this here.

2. Optimize Your Profile Details

Username: Choose a clear, memorable username (up to 30 characters) that reflects your brand or niche. Include keywords if possible

Profile Name: Use your brand name or a keyword-rich variation (up to 30 characters) to improve searchability

Profile Picture: Upload a high-quality logo or professional headshot (165×165 pixels, JPG or PNG) for brand recognition. Pro tip: Use the same picture across all platforms, this makes your brand recognizable. 

Bio: Write a concise bio (160 characters) with relevant keywords, a value proposition, and a call-to-action. This is NOT the place to keyword stuff.

Upload a Banner: Think of this as your shop window display– it’s a large horizontal rectangle (800 pixels wide by 450 pixels tall) that allows you to showcase your brand identity, key offerings, or even include a call to action.

3. Enable Rich Pins

Rich pins are an organic pin format that Pinterest uses to help pull data and provide your target audience more context. There are 4 types of Rich Pins: app, article, product, and recipe. Activate rich pins which requires adding meta tags to your site. Need more help, learn more here.

4. Organize & Optimize Your Boards

Board Names: It’s important to keep your profile business minded, so go through your boards and make all unrelated boards secret or change the board titles. Use descriptive , keyword-rich names and avoid nicknames, frilly or silly names for best search results. DO NOT add spaces between letters as you are making your board title unsearchable. Keep it basic and direct, for example, “Healthy Snacks for Kids” or “Modern Farmhouse Home Decor”.

Board Descriptions: this is essential to creating an optimized profile to boost discoverability, so it’s crucial you take some extra time to do this right. Use Pinterest trends to help research your brand’s keywords, you can access this tool here. Do not fall into the trap of keyword stuffing, it’s a BIG NO-NO, along with hashtags as they are not a Pinterest best practice nor are searchable. Just write a few simple, cohesive sentences using 3-4 keywords in each to describe your board. Don’t worry about Board Sections, they are unsearchable– it’s better to create a new board to host more content. Each board should have at least 10 pin graphics so build that up in time.

5. Choose the Right Group Boards:

Pinterest is a constantly changing platform and unfortunately, group boards are not what they once were. As a result they have lost their power to drive traffic. The strategy here is to navigate quality over quantity. When you join a board, you now share audiences and content. Pinterest uses that information to identify your brand and know how to share your content with others. Choose group boards with less contributors, highly trustworthy content, and that are relevant to your brand only.  You can find more about what that entails here.

6. Create High-Quality Pins:

It’s important to create pin graphics that are on brand, simple and easy to read. Pinterest prefers vertical images (2:3 ratio) and overlay text needs to be readable and clear. Include your logo subtly on pins so users can recognize your content and build a reputation. Always include keyword-rich descriptions that describe your post, product or recipe. Be sure that you link your pin graphic to the relevant landing page to drive traffic. If you’d like more a more insight on how to design pin graphics that convert, check out this post. Or I also offer pin design services to help relieve the guesswork for you and design you cohesive pins that match your brand, find out more here.

More tips:

1. Refresh your profile seasonally and always perform an annual audit using Pinterest stats to help you navigate what’s working and what’s not.
2. Use tools like Canva for pin design for easy creation or template inspiration.
3. Stay updated with Pinterest’s best practices and algorithm changes so your profile doesn’t suffer or get caught in spam.

Summary:

With these easy, practical steps you can build a strong foundation to gain organic traffic via Pinterest. To emphasize even more, keywords is so important to a successful profile and strategy. If your feeling overwhelmed, don’t have the time to establish a solid profile or even maintain it, I’d love to help! Check out my services here and hand over your marketing to the expert. Let me know what’s been working for you or drop any questions you may have below.