Pinterest SEO in 2026: 17 Proven Strategies to Rank Higher, Get More Saves, and Drive Traffic

Pinterest SEO is the process of optimizing your profile and pins so they rank higher in Pinterest search, helping more people discover your content and drive traffic to your website.

In fact, we’ve used Pinterest SEO to drive hundreds of thousands of monthly visits by optimizing profiles, boards, and pins for search.

In the last 30 days alone, our Pinterest profile generated 159,760 impressions, 12,840 engagements, and 757 outbound clicks, with engagement up 24% and clicks up 18%.

As you can see, if you use Pinterest the right way, it can become one of your most reliable traffic sources.

Pinterest is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 600 million monthly active users worldwide. Yet surprisingly, most SEOs and website owners still ignore this platform.

Did you know that 96% of searches on Pinterest aren’t brand-specific, as people are actively looking for something new.

In this free guide, you’ll learn:

• What Pinterest SEO is (and why it matters)
• Key benefits for bloggers and websites
• Proven ways to boost your reach and traffic

Ready to grow? Let’s dive in.

What Is Pinterest SEO? And Why Does It Matter?

Pinterest SEO is the process of optimizing your profile, boards, and pins so they rank higher in Pinterest search results and bring you consistent organic traffic from Pinterest.

It works just like search engine optimization. By using the right keywords, titles, and descriptions, you help Pinterest understand your content and show it to the right audience. The better your optimization, the more visibility, clicks, and saves your pins get.

Benefits of Pinterest SEO

About 80% of people who use Pinterest every week feel motivated to buy something they discover there. So if you want more shoppers to notice your products, Pinterest is a great place to start.

Here are some more major benefits of Pinterest SEO;

• Increase engagement like saves, shares, and clicks
• Helps you gain more Pinterest followers
• Reach new audiences worldwide
• Rank for high-intent keywords
• Drive steady traffic to your website
• Generate more leads and sales

17 Powerful Ways to Boost Your Reach with Pinterest SEO In 2026

Here are 17 proven strategies to optimize your pins, rank higher in search, and reach a larger audience on Pinterest.

1. Optimize Your Pinterest Profile for Search

Before you start posting Pins, set up your profile properly. Think of your Pinterest profile like your website’s homepage; if it’s not optimized, people (and Pinterest search) won’t find you.

First, create a Pinterest Business account. It’s free and gives access to powerful tools like Pinterest Analytics and Ads Manager, so you can track impressions, saves, and clicks to see what’s actually working.

If you already have a personal Pinterest profile, you can convert it to a Business account from here.

You can quickly see your Pins’ performance, including impressions, Pin saves, outbound clicks, etc.

Here’s what it looks like;

Next, make your profile search-friendly.

Choose a username that includes keywords or your brand name so people can easily recognize and find you.

Add relevant keywords in your bio and clearly explain what value you provide. Tell visitors exactly what they’ll learn or gain from following you.

Then, create 3 to 5 keyword-focused boards right away. Pinterest reads your board titles to understand your niche, so name them strategically.

Example: If you run an SEO blog, your setup could look like:

• Username: AnilSEOTips (or your website name like “BloggersPassion”)
• Bio: “Actionable SEO strategies, traffic hacks & ranking tips for bloggers and small businesses.”
• Boards: SEO for Beginners, Keyword Research Tips, Pinterest SEO Strategies, Content Marketing Hacks

This helps Pinterest instantly understand your topic and rank your profile and boards in search results.

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2. Create and Organize Boards Strategically

On Pinterest, organize your content into separate boards by topic or category related to your website or business. This makes it easier for users to quickly find what they care about and improves your content’s discoverability in Pinterest search.

For example, if you run an SEO blog, you could create boards like “SEO Tips & Tricks,” “Keyword Research Guides,” and “On-Page Optimization Strategies.”

Here’s what the boards on Pinterest look like;

When creating these boards, make sure to include relevant keywords such as “SEO,” “keywords,” “on-page SEO,” and “backlinks” in the descriptions. That way, you can attract followers who are interested in SEO, and it also makes it easier for them to go through your profile.

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3. Design High-Quality & Click-Worthy Images

Pinterest is a visual search engine, so strong visuals matter most.

Use high-resolution and eye-catching images that instantly grab attention.

Add clear text overlays to highlight tips or key information and encourage people to click and save.

Here’s how we do that on our pins;

As you can see, using text as an overlay makes your pins more informative. Also, make sure to create vertical images with a 2:3 ratio, as they tend to perform best on Pinterest.

One of the best tools for creating appealing images on Pinterest is Canva. It has over a ton of free templates that you can use to create any design.

Give it a try: use Canva for FREE for designing appealing Pins for your profile.

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4. Write Keyword-Rich, Search-Optimized Titles

If you want your pins to appear in search results, you need properly optimized titles.

Pinterest relies heavily on titles to understand what your pin is about. So instead of vague titles like “Marketing Tips”, use something more targeted like “Pinterest SEO Tips for Bloggers” or “Beginner’s Guide to Keyword Research.”

Here’s the important thing to remember: Pinterest’s title character limit is 100 characters.

If your title is too long, it gets cut off and that can reduce clarity and clicks.

Here are a few quick tips for writing magnetic titles for your Pins.

Use power words: Power words are persuasive terms that spark emotion and motivate people to take action. Adding them to your Pin titles helps you instantly grab attention, create curiosity, and drive more clicks.

Here are a few power words you can include while creating titles for your Pinterest content.

• Free
• New
• Easy
• Quick
• Guaranteed
• Incredible 
• Results
• Secrets
• Surprise
• Amazing

Use a headline generator tool: Many headline generators can generate tons of headlines for you based on a keyword. Just give a topic or keyword, and they’ll give you headlines.

Here’s an example headline generated by Portent tool;

Here are a few free headline generators;

• CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
• Portent Headline Analyzer
• Headline Studio by CoSchedule

Use ChatGPT: You can also use AI tools like ChatGPT to quickly generate unique titles for your Pins. You can give simple prompts, such as “Give me enticing titles for my pins on the [topic].”

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5. Craft Compelling Pin Descriptions

Using relevant keywords strategically in your pins, including board descriptions, pin descriptions, etc., can help your content appear in Pinterest search results when users search for these terms.

For example: If you’re sharing an SEO checklist pin, you could write:

“Struggling to rank on Google? This step-by-step SEO checklist for beginners covers keyword research, on-page optimization, and free tools to boost traffic. Save this pin and read the full guide now!”

Here’s one of our Pin descriptions that generated over 1.13K clicks so far.

Here are some quick tips to optimize your pin descriptions;

• Be specific, not generic. Instead of broad phrases like “SEO tools,” use “SEO tools for small businesses” or “free keyword research tools for beginners.” Specific keywords attract people who actually want what you’re offering.
• Make sure to write engaging, click-worthy descriptions for your pins. 
• Always include a call to action in your pin descriptions. They can entice people to take immediate action. For example, you could use CTAs like “Learn more!”, “Visit the site” or “Check out this tutorial!”

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6. Add Relevant and Targeted Hashtags

Think of hashtags as keywords for Pinterest. They help your pins appear in search results and reach people actively looking for that specific content.

Use clear and highly relevant hashtags that match your topic instead of broad or random ones.

For example, if you’re sharing an SEO checklist, use tags like #SEOTips, #KeywordResearch, #BloggingTips, #DigitalMarketing rather than generic ones like #success or #business.

Hashtags can definitely boost your reach but stuffing too many into a pin does more harm than good. It can make your content look spammy and cluttered, which turns users away.

You don’t need every hashtag under the sun. Stick to 5–10 relevant hashtags per pin and focus on quality over quantity.

To find the right ones, use Pinterest’s search bar to discover keyword suggestions, or check the Trending section to see what topics and hashtags are popular right now.

Here are some of the most popular hashtags on Pinterest in 2026:

• #pinterest
• #diy
• #lifestyle
• #love
• #photography
• #art
• #fashion
• #travel

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7. Enable and Use Rich Pins

Rich Pins are a type of pin that automatically pulls metadata from the website pages they link to. 

Simply put, Rich Pins display additional information about your website’s content, such as a product’s price or a recipe’s rating. 

Rich Pins can make your pins more visually appealing and help you improve your Pinterest SEO. The major types of rich Pins include the following;

• Recipe-rich Pins: These are helpful for food bloggers. They’ll show information such as serving size, cook time, ratings, dietary preferences, etc.
• Article-rich Pins: These are essential for all website owners because they show the headline, description, and the article’s author.
• Product-rich Pins: These are useful for affiliate marketers and product creators. These pins include pricing, product availability, and product information.

Rich pins can improve the click-through rate of your Pins as they show additional information about your content (or links).

Also, the best part about using rich pins is that if something changes on your website, the rich Pin automatically updates to display that change. That way, Pinterest users will see the up-to-date version of the pin.

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8. Engage Actively with Your Pinterest Community

Sharing content on Pinterest is not enough. You should also focus on building an audience from day one. Only then will your content reach more people and improve your SEO.

Some of the best ways to engage with others to build a following on Pinterest include;

• Repin content from other Pinterest users
• Respond to all the comments that you receive on your own pins
• Leave thoughtful comments on others’ pins and 
• Participate in discussions from other boards 

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9. Maintain a Consistent Pinning Schedule

Pinterest users like FRESH content and new ideas. To keep your content fresh in your followers’ feeds, it’s important to maintain a consistent pinning schedule.

For example, if you have a blog about fashion or lifestyle, you might try posting 2-3 pins per day. This will help your followers see your content regularly without being overwhelmed by too much at once.

Make sure to follow and analyze other successful competitors’ Pinterest profiles to see how often they’re posting. It will give you an idea of the optimal posting frequency for your niche.

You can use Pinterest’s scheduling feature to post pins at the best time. Plan your pins in advance and automate their posting to optimize posting times.

Best Time to Post on Pinterest:

Days	Best Time to Post on Pinterest
Sunday	12:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM
Monday	2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM
Tuesday	2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM
Wednesday	2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM
Thursday	2:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM
Friday	2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Saturday	11:00 AM, 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 11:00 PM

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10. Track and Analyze Your Pinterest Performance

Pinterest offers Analytics that help you easily identify how your content is performing, so you’ll know what’s working and what’s not. 

Using it, you can easily analyze various important metrics such as views, clicks, and saves.

To get started, go to Pinterest Analytics and monitor your Pin performance.

Here’s what it looks like;

If you scroll down a bit, you’ll find the top pins where you can find overall clicks, impressions, saves, etc.

These analytics can help you understand your audience’s preferences and interests. 

For example, if you notice that your pins featuring DIY home decor projects consistently generate more views and saves, you can conclude that this type of content works well in your niche. You can use the Analytics data from Pinterest to refine your SEO strategy.

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11. Drive Traffic by Linking Back to Your Website

Pinterest is not just for increasing your social media followers and getting more views on pins. It’s an excellent traffic source for websites.

Every Pin you publish should guide users to a relevant page on your website. That’s how you turn clicks into readers, subscribers, or customers.

For example, if you run an SEO blog, create a Pin around an “SEO Checklist” and link it to a detailed post that shares the full checklist, practical strategies, and step-by-step tips.

The key here is to link only to relevant, highly informative posts. 

Here’s an example of how we use links within pins;

As you can see above, we’re not only sharing useful pins with tips but also linking back to the original post where people can find more details.

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12. Collaborate with Creators and Niche Influencers

Working with other creators in your niche is one of the fastest ways to grow on Pinterest.

There are a ton of Pinterest Group boards that you can join for free and share your pins. These groups allow you to connect with hundreds of people who have similar interests as yours.

For example, if you post about fitness, you can collaborate with a healthy recipe creator and build a board like “Workout + Meal Plan Ideas” to attract both audiences.

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13. Stay Updated with the Latest Pinterest Trends

Pinterest is constantly evolving. The best way to grow your following and improve your Pinterest SEO to reach more people is to keep up with what’s popular. 

You can use Pinterest Trends to find out what’s trending.

Once you’ve identified a popular trend in your niche, create posts about these trending topics to connect with your audience.

For instance, if the topic “career ideas” is trending in your niche, you can create a board titled “Best Career Ideas for Students & Beginners” and fill it with helpful Pins like career tips, skill-building guides, and job inspiration to attract more traffic and saves. That’s how you stay up-to-date with new Pinterest trends.

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14. Use Guided Search to Discover Keywords

Pinterest offers “guided search,” which helps users quickly find new ideas on a topic. It can also help discover what’s popular and trending.

In simple terms, Pinterest automatically suggests semantically related keyword phrases in the guided search.

If you want to improve Pinterest SEO, you MUST use guided search to understand what users are looking for.

To get started with the guided search on Pinterest, simply enter search terms related to your niche into the search bar. 

For example, if people search for “DIY home decor,” the Pinterest search guide will show them relevant users who cover DIY, keywords like DIY hacks and DIY projects, etc.

Have a look;

Similarly, if someone’s looking for cooking recipes, some popular guided searches in this category include “easy weeknight dinners,” “healthy desserts,” and “vegetarian recipes.”

Using the Pinterest search bar, you can quickly discover what “Pinterest users” are looking for (around your target keywords).

Once you find those broad keywords, you should dig deeper and find more related phrases. You can use those phrases when creating your Pins in essential fields like the description and title.

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15. Focus on Boosting User Engagement Signals

Almost every social media network (including Pinterest) takes user engagement into consideration.

So, your Pinterest success is driven by how people interact with what you post.

User engagement metrics include;

• Pin clicks
• Pin saves
• Outbound clicks
• Carousel card swipes
• Pin save rate (The total saves of your Pins divided by the total number of times your Pins were on screen)
• 10-second plays and more

If the Pinterest algorithm sees better user engagement on your Pinterest profile for pins, they often show up higher in search results for specific keywords.

You can easily find out the user engagement of your Pinterest account by using Pinterest analytics.

Here’s what it looks like;

As you can see, you can view the overall engagement of your Pins over time and identify which Pins are getting the MAXIMUM engagement. That way, you can create similar content to get more out of Pinterest search engine optimization.

Here are some tips on how to increase user engagement on Pinterest.

• Create boards that are relevant to your target audience. You must know your target audience. Find out exactly what they want so you can create content that appeals to their needs. When people visit your Pinterest profile, they should be able to find the types of pins they’re interested in quickly.
• Pin regularly. The more pins you have, the more likely people are to find your content.
• Respond to each and every comment you get on your Pins. Most Pinterest users don’t leave comments regularly. When they comment, reply so they’re encouraged to leave more comments on other Pins.
• Use a consistent branding style while posting your Pins. Use the same font color and size that matches your website’s brand (or business). This will help people recognize your pins and remember your brand.
• Lastly, make sure to tag other Pinterest users or brands in certain pins. You can also use relevant keywords in your pin titles and descriptions so that people can find your content easily.

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16. Use Tools for Smart Keyword Research

Pinterest works like a visual search engine, so smart keyword research is the key to getting your Pins discovered.

You can use tools to find the real keywords your audience is already typing.

Our top tools recommendations are;

• Ubersuggest
• Semrush

If you’re looking for a free keyword tool, Ubersuggest is a great option that provides powerful Pinterest keyword insights.

Just enter a topic, and Ubersuggest generates dozens (sometimes hundreds) of related keyword ideas along with search volume, SEO difficulty, trends, and content suggestions.

For example, if you search for a keyword like “healthy meal prep”, Ubersuggest gives you keyword ideas like this;

Semrush is an all-in-one SEO toolkit that gives you access to over 50 tools under one platform.

Why do you need Semrush for Pinterest SEO?

Its powerful Keyword Magic Tool gives you access to over 26 billion keywords (yes, billion). This means you can discover exactly what people are searching for and create Pins that match their intent.

Semrush’s keyword tool offers a ton of keyword data, including monthly search volume, 12-month search trends, keyword difficulty, keyword intent, number of organic results, and much more.

Let’s say you want to find relevant keyword terms for the topic “DIY home decor”.

Here’s what the keyword research tool looks like;

As you can see above, for the keyword “DIY home decor,” the Semrush keyword tool suggests over 1,800 keywords, including the specific hidden keywords highlighted above.

Usually, you won’t find such keyword ideas from most tools. So if you’re looking to find hidden keyword ideas to rank your Pins in the Pinterest search, Semrush is a must-try.

If you want to try it out for free, you can grab its free trial using the following link. 

Activate 14 Days Free Trial of Semrush

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17. Join and Pin to Relevant Group Boards

Pinterest has thousands of group boards managed by other creators, similar to Facebook Groups. You can promote your Pins, engage with their members, and build your following.

By joining the right boards, you can promote your content, engage with active members, and grow your followers organically.

Simply search for boards using relevant keywords, request access, and start contributing valuable Pins consistently.

Here’s an example;

There are multiple ways to find and pin to Pinterest boards, including;

• You can quickly conduct a Pinterest Board search by entering relevant keywords to your niche (from the Pinterest search bar).
• You can identify your competitors and see if they’ve joined any boards. Go to their Pinterest page and click “Saved” to see their Boards.
• You can check out Facebook groups for Pinterest Board Owners. Simply search for “Pinterest group boards” on Facebook to find them.
• You can use platforms like Pingroupie.com to easily find popular group boards.

Once you’ve identified similar Pinterest groups, here are a few things you can do.

• Follow active people who’re contributing to those boards. Repin their stuff. Comment on their pins.
• Get to know their websites. Find out how they’re using Pinterest boards to promote their blog or website. You can also reach out to them for help.
• Make a list of ALL the popular Pins on each board you join. You can create similar Pins to promote to reach a wider audience. It also helps you grow your following, which ultimately improves your Pinterest profile’s visibility.

Related Posts:

• Pinterest Marketing Strategy
• How to Make Money on Pinterest
• How To Use Pinterest For Blogging

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Final thoughts on the Pinterest search engine

Pinterest SEO in 2026 is about treating Pinterest like a search engine, not just a social platform.

Creating appealing pins, pinning regularly, and using relevant keywords in your Pins are best practices for improving your Pinterest SEO.

Here are the main takeaways:

• Optimize your profile, boards, and pins with relevant keywords
• Create high-quality pins that drive clicks
• Stay consistent with pinning and track your analytics
• Focus on engagement signals like saves, shares, and clicks
• Use keyword research and trends to reach new audiences

Found this guide useful? Planning to apply these tips? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below.

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FAQs on Pinterest SEO for Beginners

Here are some FAQs about Pinterest search engine optimization.