PINTEREST SEO- HOW TO FIND KEYWORDS & USE THEM FOR PINTEREST SUCCESS
(UPDATED FOR 2026)
Pinterest can be an amazing traffic driver, it can increase leads and even positively impact sales for your business. One of the keys to success on Pinterest is knowing how to do keyword research.
Having a strong Pinterest SEO strategy can help you connect with your audience and customers online.
Driving traffic can be difficult and often requires patience. Knowing how to do keyword research on Pinterest and where and how to apply them is vital for a strong Pinterest strategy.
Read on for my top tips on how to find Pinterest keywords and how to use them to help grow your blog or business, and drive that much needed traffic!
WHY PINTEREST SEO IS IMPORTANT FOR A SUCCESSFUL PINTEREST STRATEGY
- Pinterest is a visual search engine, and optimizing your content for SEO can help your pins appear higher in search results. This increases the visibility of your content, making it easier for users to find and engage with.
- Higher visibility and ranking on Pinterest can drive more traffic to your website. Pinterest users are often looking for ideas and inspiration, which means that they are more likely to click through to your website if your content appears relevant and interesting to them.
- Optimising your content for SEO can help you target the right audience. By using the right keywords, you can make sure that your content is seen by people who are interested in your niche or topic. It’s about getting the right traffic, the kind that converts.
- Unlike some platforms, Pinterest content has a longer lifespan. Pins can continue to appear in search results and be shared by users for weeks, months, or even years after they are first published. This means that optimising your content for SEO can have long-term benefits for your brand and website. Pinterest is much more like Google than Instagram.
Read how to get started on Pinterest here. This will provide a good overview of what Pinterest is and how to set up your Pinterest account and profile.
What is Pinterest SEO and keyword research?
What is SEO?
Firstly, what is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimisation. This is a way for your site to be found organically through search engines like Google. SEO uses a variety of techniques but the predominant strategy is using keywords that your audience is searching for.
Pinterest SEO works in a similar way but because of how Pinterest is built (ie. boards, pins, profiles) we can use SEO/keywords a bit differently and hugely effectively. I did write about keywords and SEO in my Pinterest Guide but I’ll expand and further clarify my points.
One of the many reasons SEO is important on Pinterest is because Pinterest is a search engine, similar to Google. People use Pinterest to search for a wide range of topics and ideas from finding a new hairstyle to building a man cave. To utilise this we want to do our very best to appear in search when people type in their query.
Knowing how and why people use Pinterest really help us to understand how our pins have the potential to help or add value to their lives. Done in an organic and meaningful way we can connect with the right people.
Creating beautiful, eye-catching pins and then anchoring the image with strong SEO/keywords relevant to your target audience are the absolute best ways to get found on Pinterest.
Where to put your keywords on Pinterest
A single pin’s SEO is affected by the pin’s description, the board the pin is in (that includes the quality of the pins next to that one pin), the Pinterest profile, and the quality of the domain it’s pinned from (among other things).
The main things that we can focus on so we can reach the right audience are: pin description, board description, Pinterest profile and also the pin image.
Let’s start with your Pinterest profile. Let the pinner know how you can be of value to them. Write a description that’s helpful and keyword rich. It’s really less about you and more about what you can offer. Try to strike a good balance between appropriate keywords for your audience and an organic, natural sounding bio. If you start changing content or provide new services for example update your profile accordingly.
Board descriptions are also important for SEO. The more context and detail you can provide Pinterest with the better! When a pin is pinned to a board, data from that board will get attached to that pin.
Providing the best possible SEO initially will give a pin its best chance to get discovered and saved (repinned). So write a board description that describes what it contains. Broad descriptions are good (e.g ‘beauty’) but remember to include niche descriptions reflective of your brand and the audience you want to reach (e.g ‘small batch, ethical beauty products’).
How to Find Pinterest Keywords
After you’ve arranged your boards it’s time to audit your board titles and descriptions. Boards should have concise titles with keywords your audience actually use. You might find these search terms (or keywords) are different to how you would describe your business.
For example, if you’re a travel blogger with a focus on ethical travel you might name one of your boards ‘Ecotourism and Sustainable Travel Tips’ or ‘Ecotourist Destinations’. Those search terms are quite distinct from a budget package holiday search.
If you’re unsure how to keyword search I’ve written a post about Pinterest SEO and keywords here.
After you’ve added the relevant keywords to your board titles do the same for the board descriptions. Are they keyword optimised? Does your board description sound natural, like you were explaining the contents to another person?
It’s important not to keyword stuff. Pinterest is focused on providing good user experience. Keeping that at the forefront of everything you do will keep you right on Pinterest.
- Use your updated (if necessary) keywords in pin titles, pin descriptions, board titles and board descriptions.
- Use keywords in a conversational, natural way. A short paragraph or two explaining what the pin is about, who it is for, the need it is answering and so on.
- To prevent keyword stuffing use a few relevant keywords per pin. If you find you are using too many keywords on one board title & description, create a new board. This will allow you to target more keywords.
Other places to find keywords on Pinterest
Pinterest also have their own keyword research tool called “Pinterest Trends”. Pinterest Trends is similar to Google Trends; you can find search volume depending on time of year and related phrases.
Pinterest Trends is also really useful for planning content. Knowing when searches become popular gives you plenty of time in advance to prepare and share your content on Pinterest. Pinterest have recently updated Pinterest Trends and it now has a wealth of useful information to help you succeed on Pinterest.
Pinterest ads is also another useful resource for finding keywords related to your business niche. This is for advanced keyword research. If you do not have the time you will still find all the keywords you need from search and Trends. If you are planning to run Pinterest ads definitely use their keyword tool for that.
How to Use Keywords in Pinterest Descriptions
Start by thinking about who your ideal audience/customer is. Get really specific. What kind of search terms would they use to find your product/service?
It’s not only about using keywords such as “ceramic mug”, be descriptive and provide the pinner with ideas how a ceramic mug might fit into their lifestyles.
Maybe something like “this beautiful handmade ceramic mug in natural tones with flecks of gold leaf would really enhance that precious morning coffee before the day starts…”.
That conjures a peaceful moment in my mind, a bit of time to myself and would nicely fit in with the slow living lifestyle.
Alternatively you could caption your pin to target a different audience, perhaps making most of the season or event such as Christmas. Draw attention to the key features and then suggest how the mug would be the perfect Christmas present, for example.
Keywords are what will connect you with your audience/customer. It’s absolutely worth your time to do Pinterest keyword research.
Add A Call To Action to Your Pinterest Pins
As well as optimising your pins for search you should also make your pins actionable by providing a call to action (CTA) in them. Make the CTA soft such as “explore”, harsher CTAs have been found by Pinterest to negatively impact a pin’s performance. Gently does it!
Nice pin images with no text overlay tend to get more saves on Pinterest. While pins that provide more context and pique interest with textual overlay on the tend to drive more traffic. Saves are important as they are an integral part of Pinterest’s algorithm.
Testing out different pin images, textual overlays and calls to actions are an important step in your Pinterest marketing strategy. Through patience you will figure out what your own customers/audience respond to. What works for one account may not work for another. Lots of testing and analysing is required.
Some Quick Pinterest Keyword SEO Tips
- Don’t keyword stuff! This will have a negative impact on your pin’s performance. Create organic and authentic pin descriptions (this goes for board and profile too!).
- Provide thoughtful pin descriptions that give the pinner an idea of what they can do with the pin. How can your pin enhance their life? It doesn’t need to be earth shattering.
- Think seasonally. Can you tailor your pin description (and boards) to tie in with the season? Is your pin timely or fit with an occasion such as a wedding or birth of a child?
- Make your pins, boards and profile keyword rich and optimised. The more information Pinterest has about just one pin will make the pin perform so much better
- Change your pin descriptions for the same piece of content. Utilising different keywords will help spread your content and reach new people.