What is Pinterest keyword research?
Pinterest keyword research is finding what is searched for inside Pinterest and optimizing your content for the best exposure.
If you don’t do a good job of your keyword research on Pinterest you will find it very hard to succeed.
Using Keywords in descriptions and board titles also makes it easier for the Pinterest algorithm to classify your content correctly.
Pinterest is a visual search engine and not a social media platform.
There can be some communal sharing on group boards, but Pinterest boards are collections of related visual links.
You can perform Pinterest keyword research by using similar methods to those on Google. Using keywords is the basis of both search engines.
Why Are Keywords Important on Pinterest?
Keywords tell search engines the topic of your content. Keywords are more critical with a visual medium like Pinterest.
Pinterest has got an algorithm that will try to make sense of the visual elements of a pin, but it will always be more hit and miss than a text-based medium.
You have fewer places for Pinterest to find your keywords, so using the right keywords becomes vital.
Once you have completed your keyword research you will then have an idea which Pinterest terms to target and create great Pinterest pins.
Pinterest gives website owners the chance to gain traffic by getting Pinterest followers.
Pinterest keyword research methods
1: Pinterest search bar
The search bar is a sensible place to start with Pinterest keyboard research.
Enter a keyword into the search bar (make sure All Pins in selected in the drop-down menu), and Pinterest will auto-suggest a series of keywords.
The search bar recommendations are similar to Google auto-suggest. The keywords suggested are popular searches on Pinterest.
- Great for finding popular keywords on Pinterest
2: Pinterest Related Searches
Related search will appear as a block of similar topic suggestions after you complete a search in the toolbar.
Make sure you are searching all pins in the search bar.
Do not select a pin from your results, scroll down until you see a related search results block.
These are useful for finding long-tail keywords suggestions on topics close to your query.
Clicking on one of the related search links opens up a new results page.
The resulting search page will have another related search block or a ‘shop for similar block.’
- Great for related searches
- Helps to find longer tail keywords
3: Pinterest Category Search Method
When using the category method of keyword research it works best on a desktop browser in incognito mode.
Mouse to the bottom of the page and select Explore, a list of categories will appear alongside a More button.
After selecting a category, differing results are shown depending on what Pinterest thinks is the searcher’s intent.
Some of the added results include:
- Top Pinterest searches for …
- Featured articles about …
- Related Categories
- Ideas Posts
- Top Pinterest searches
4: Pinterest Category (Continued) – Pin Search
Rather than exploring a category, you can also search for individual terms.
Selecting a pin will enable you to see related keywords in the results.
This method works very well at finding Pinterest keywords for more obscure keyword niches.
As well as the related keywords there is also a breadcrumb list of topics above the pin title.
- Great for finding smaller niche keywords
5: Find ‘More like This’ Suggested Topics
When you click on any pin you will find lots of suggested Pins alongside other ‘ideas you may love.’
The related topics that are suggested are often broad category suggestions, these are great to explore and drill down for niche Pinterest keyword search suggestions.
- Useful for broadening your categories.
6: Pinterest topics sitemap
The Pinterest topic sitemap is a more obscure Pinterest keyword research method. The sitemap has a rather unorganized look to it, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the way topics are listed.
With 26 pages of topics, each with over 600 hundred keywords, you need to narrow down the results for them to be useable.
Thankfully you can narrow the results using keyboard shortcuts.
To bring up a search box type Control + F on a PC or Command + F on a Mac.
If your keyword appears on the topic page it will be highlighted. You will have to cycle through each page, searching on each one.
- Slightly labour intensive
- Massive set of Pinterest keywords
Pinterest Keyword Research – Summary
The best type of Pinterest keyword research you perform will depend on your circumstances.
If you are at a very early stage of creating a website then starting to explore Pinterest categories is a good starting point.
Using the Pinterest sitemap to check for popular topics using your keywords often throws up unexpected results.
