3 Steps to a Better Pinterest Profile

First and foremost, Pinterest isn’t Instagram or Facebook. Once you stop thinking of it as a social media platform and start treating it like a search engine for photos, guides, and information, your understanding of Pinterest will improve – and so will your Pinning game. Unlike Google, Pinterest isn’t all about SEO and keywords – although that’s a part of it as well. It’s a search engine for visuals. No, you don’t have to be a master Photoshopper or graphic designer to drive traffic from Pinterest. But you DO need to have eye-catching and colorful content.

How else makes Pinterest different than Instagram or Facebook? Well, having gazillion of followers doesn’t really matter. OK, go ahead and wipe your forehead now. Thankfully, not having to worry about followers count also means that building a massive following on Pinterest doesn’t need to be your main priority.

Why is having a good Pinterest profile important?

A well-developed and colorful Pinterest profile is the first step in making your Pinterest amazing. A beautiful profile will help you organically attract followers in your niche, but you’ll be appealing to Interest’s strict search algorithm. Pinterest evaluates its users based on a couple things: How many of your users are engaging with the content you pin, and how often a Pinterest user clicks through to your profile from content you’ve pinned and then follows you. If Pinterest thinks people like your pins, they’ll serve your content up more frequently. More exposure to your content, whether it’s original or not, means more chances for users to check out your website.

Step 1: A high quality, eye catching profile picture.

You profile is so important. It needs to communicate your brand, your message, and your personality with a small picture and a catchy tagline. Yea, it’s not easy.

• Avoid plastering logos everywhere. People want to follow people (especially ones they connect with), not brands. They get enough ads in their face all day long.
• Avoid using selfies.They’re not cute, unprofessional, and make you look like an amateur.
• Use a photo that looks good.Most Pinterest users will see a teeny, tiny version of your photo. Photos that have a lot of stuff in the background don’t really work well – it should be a very clear photo, without a bunch of busyness.

Step 2: Create a keyword-rich title.

It’s beyond challenging and frustrating to fit both personality and relevant information into one tiny description. Choose words that best describe you or your company. Make it as catchy as possible.

Step 3: Make high quality boards with keyword friendly titles and cohesive cover photos.

Boards are a key part of success with Pinterest. Your profile should be a collection of boards that are directly related to each other– and nothing else. Keep your personal interest boards private. Below are some tips to keeping your boards fabulous:

• Can you combine boards? People don’t like repetition.
• Do your boards have keyword friendly titles and descriptions? It should 100% transparent what type of content the board contains.
• Do you have cover photos? Each of your boards should have a cover photo. They should be colorful, go well together, and clearly convey the contents of each board. Avoid making them all look exactly the same – variety is far more visually enticing! Instead, use a variety of photos in different colors that blend well together. Make sure to use a high-quality photo for each of your covers.
• Are your boards filled? Make sure there is tons of good content in each of your boards. If you have any boards with fewer than 50 pins, it’s recommended to keep them secret until you find content to fill them up.
• Remove horizontal pins.  Vertical pins are everything on Pinterest, and horizontal pins don’t generally get many re-pins.
• Remove “ugly” pins. Anything that doesn’t look good, delete. You don’t want anything ugly in your boards.

 

By completely these three steps, you’re on your way to creating a killer Pinterest profile that is guaranteed to drive traffic to your site – but keep in mind you have to share content regularly to be visible! Happy Pinning!