Everyone keeps telling you, you need to be on Pinterest so you finally take the plunge but now what?
Don’t panic! Taking the leap to be on Pinterest is the first step and I am so excited that you did!
If you haven’t already heard, Pinterest is a search engine, NOT a social media platform which means you need to optimize your account for search.
So how the heck do you do this? The answer is simple…KEYWORDS!
Okay, maybe you are still freaking out because you have no idea what keywords are and how to find them. So let me break it down for you.
What are keywords?
Keywords are the words or phrases people are searching for. When a user lands on Pinterest, they type a word, or group of words into the search bar.
For example, a user might search for “How to get my baby to sleep” or “Meal prep ideas.” They are looking for solutions to their problems and the goal is to rank in search so you can be that solution for them.
Notice when I type in “how to get baby to sleep” a bunch of other phrases come up? We call those long-tail keywords. A short tail keyword would be baby sleep and the long-tail keywords are all of the other phrases.
You want to use both short and long-tail keywords when you are writing your titles and descriptions.
Remember, Pinterest is a search engine. You need to include keywords in order to be found by your ideal client.
How do I find Keywords that will attract my ideal client?
The first thing you want to do is think about your business as a whole. What are all of the pieces of content you are creating month over month?
Then think about your ideal client. Make sure you have done your market research and are super clear on who your ICA is and what they are searching for.
From there, type in a keyword that you think your ICA is looking for into the search bar. If a list of words come up, great, you’re onto something.
If you find that there aren’t many searches, it means that no one is searching that topic in that way and you have to try something else.
It’s very easy to think we know exactly what our ideal client is searching for, but it is very eye opening sometimes to find that in fact that isn’t a keyword that is ranking at all.
Let’s say you wrote a blog post all about when to introduce water to baby and you go to create your pins and you keep using the phrase “water for baby” but notice in the screenshot above that that is not a keyword anyone is really searching for.
Again, it is so important to do your keyword research.
Where do you find keywords?
My favorite way to find keywords on Pinterest is by simply typing them into the search bar.
If I type in “easy dinner” look at all of the other long-tail keywords that pop up. Those are the keywords I want to target in my titles and descriptions.
My second favorite way to find keywords is through using Pinterest trends.
You type your word into the trends search bar and it populates when the keyword is searched most and it also shows you related terms. You can then type in another keyword and it will compare the two to show what is more popular and when.
My third favorite way to find keywords is to simply look at the pins that are ranking when you first search a keyword.
When I type in “easy dinner” I can see that things like “one pan dishes” and “easy dinners for lazy nights” are ranking. Those will then be keywords I type into the search bar to see what sort of results those are getting.
How do I keep track of all of these keywords?
I’m sure you’re now wondering, “how the heck do I keep track of all of these keywords?”
I have one Google Sheet for each of my clients with all of their keywords. I am always adding and updating this list as I go. It’s important to have everything organized and saved so you’re not constantly recreating the wheel time and time again when you’re creating pins.
If you need help getting started on Pinterest and finding those keywords...
If you just read through this entire blog and you’re still feeling a little bit overwhelmed about keyword research and how to set up an optimized account, I got you!!
During my 1:1 exclusive VIP day, I walk you through step-by-step how to find those keywords that will attract your ideal client for years to come.
You will walk away with a comprehensive keyword list specific to your niche as well as your entire Pinterest account setup and optimized. Everything is done for you!
Be sure to connect with me over on IG as well where I am always sharing tips, tricks, and strategies for Pinterest!
Happy Pinning
-Chelsea