Businesses focused on getting the very best SEO results are increasingly turning to Social Media in their efforts to get ahead.
But, with increasing competition across the most popular platforms, there is one golden nugget in the social media sphere that businesses are not leveraging half as much as they could be.
We’re talking, of course, about Pinterest. And, if you’re not using Pinterest to drive traffic, and boost your rankings, you’re missing out on one of the best SEO offerings out there today.
The Power of Pinterest
In many ways, Social Media has changed the course of the average life.
Today, over three-quarters of Americans have at least one social media profile, and we spend vast portions of our day checking our social interactions.
Add Pinterest into this mix. With an average current monthly total of 110 million active users, Pinterest plays a hybrid role for its users.
Over the last few years, it has expanded its attraction as an engaging social network, but it has also become an immensely powerful visual search engine.
For you and your business, Pinterest can be an extremely effective marketing tool for years to come. And, you can leverage your presence on the site and get the best SEO results to boot.
Now, if you’re wondering how all of this works, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’re sharing all the reasons why using Pinterest for your business isn’t just great for your branding efforts, it’s a vital tool to utilize if you want the best SEO results too.
Ready to get the full scoop?
Great! Let’s do this!
Why Pinterest is the Best SEO Tool You’re Not Using
1. Open A Business Account
The first thing you want to do is open up a business account.
It’s free to sign up, and it’s just as simple to use as a personal page.
Though many of the features are the same as a personal account, they differ in some crucial areas, one of which is extremely helpful for SEO purposes.
Analytics
If you’re going to be using your pins to boost your SEO, you will need access to your analytics.
In order to understand your audience, you need to watch some specific metrics.
With Pinterest analytics, you can see what pins are popular on your profile. But, more importantly, you can explore new metrics about the people who engage with your business.
What do they like? What do they love? What are they searching for?
For the best SEO results, knowing the intent of your users is absolutely vital now, and, because Google is increasingly focusing on the overall experience of its users, it is only going to become more important in the future.
2. Optimize Your Page Name
Before you begin pinning, it’s important to pick the right username.
Why?
Because your URL will serve as your keyword. Not only do you want that name to stand for something, you want to be both easy to search and easy to find on Pinterest.
You can use your business name straight out of the gate if it isn’t already acquired, but do bear in mind that the name you use will reflect the presence you want on the site.
If you have a very long business name, you’ll need to shorten it to get it closer to the optimal username length of between 3-15 characters.
If your business name is taken, or if you want to be a little more inventive, make sure that the name you pick will stand out from the masses.
To do this make sure that it’s clear, absorbing, and memorable.
3. Optimize Your Boards
Optimizing your boards is not an option for SEO purposes, it’s a necessity.
And the right optimization contributes to the bigger picture of your branding and storytelling. Your boards should be appealing on sight, and they must be neatly organized as a standard.
One of the best SEO tricks across any platform is to think like a user.
When choosing a board’s title, aim to use keywords and give it a name that would most likely be searched.
Yes, a funny title is entertaining, and you probably are the greatest comedic secret the world has never seen, but if that title is not what people would search for, it will hinder you more than help you.
4. Optimize Your Pins
To get the best SEO results from Pinterest, you’ve got to make your pins as appealing as possible.
But how exactly do you this?
Thankfully, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. You can create stunning pins by following the best practice of some of the leaders in the field.
Here’s a list of some the best tried and tested tricks:
• Use high-resolution, professional-quality photos at all times
• Let the image speak for itself as much as it can. Use text sparingly and incorporate it into the image
• Don’t over-expose your logo. Allow the pin itself to take do the talking
• Tall, vertical images seem to work best
• Create a branded image for pins that work alongside your website. This will make your images more recognizable, and they’ll carry your URL
5. Optimize Your Descriptions
To optimize your pin descriptions, you have to appreciate why people are on Pinterest in the first place.
They’re here to learn new things, to find answers to their questions. They’re here to become inspired.
As a consequence, Pinterest favors pins that provide a specific and thoughtful description. They want to help their users to find the best image for their search.
For your pins, this means that your descriptions should be user-friendly. Though it’s important to include keywords in the text, this is not an opportunity to stuff keywords in.
The keywords you choose must be of value to the pin and to the user.
And, as before, remember this. The keywords that a user searches for are not necessarily the same words that you would use to describe your pins.
In this scenario, what your business would use doesn’t matter. It’s all about the user.
So, to get the best SEO results, think like a user and use descriptions that the user would look for.
The Beef
Yes, Pinterest really is the best SEO tool you haven’t been using.
It’s like many of the most powerful social networks. If you’re not using it for your business, you’re really missing out.
Perhaps it’s time you gave it a go?
After all, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
