When you start thinking about connecting with parents on Pinterest, you need to consider how they use it. Pinterest is closer to a search engine than a social media platform. That means your Pinterest strategy should be more like the one you use on Google or YouTube, rather than Facebook.
Pinterest’s Algorithm
Just like other search engines (Google, Yahoo, YouTube, etc.), the pins that show up for a specific search are chosen by Pinterest’s algorithm. This algorithm is based on the quality of your website, your pins and you as a “pinner” over time. Pinterest also cares about what’s included in your pins and how it answers searchers’ questions.
One of the great things about Pinterest is that pins that perform well on the platform may also rank well in Google’s search results. Focusing on Pinterest SEO gives your blog posts a second chance to show up on Google and drive traffic to your website!
8 Steps for Pins that Rank
- Create a Pinterest business account. You can either start from scratch with these directions or convert your current profile to a business account at pinterest.com/business/convert/. Using a business account allows you to verify your website and access analytics to see how your pins are doing.
- Choose a display name that represents your center. This is important because it’s often what shows up in Google’s results, along with your username.
- Write a description in the “About your profile” section. Make it really relevant to your center and what you’ll be pinning.
- Make your boards visible to search engines. Navigate to “Settings” and click on “Privacy & data.” Make sure you’re not hiding your profile from Google.
- Create a board for every topic you’ll be pinning about. When you want to talk about a new topic, add a new board. Each board should have a great description too.
- Use professional, on brand imagery that fits Pinterest’s best practices. Make sure you own the rights to the images you use!
- Add a title and description to each pin. Think about what searchers are looking for and use keywords to encourage Pinterest to show searchers your pin. Be professional, not spammy. Include a few relevant hashtags to give your pin a greater potential audience.
- Pin consistently to help Pinterest understand that you’re a high-quality resource for child care information. One way to pin on a consistent basis is to pin different images for each of your blog posts. Talk about a different part of your post in each pin so the article appears in more searches.
