Related read: How To Make Your Blog Pinterest Friendly
Currently, Pinterest is one of the top ways I generate traffic to my blog. Typically, I get almost half of my traffic from Pinterest. So it goes without saying that Pinterest can be a great tool for building your blog and garnering traffic to your content. One way to help with this is to have an optimized Pinterest profile.
I've used Pinterest to grow A Relaxed Gal for years, testing different board structures, profile updates, and Pin designs. While individual Pins generate the majority of traffic, I've found that maintaining a clear, keyword-focused profile makes it easier for new visitors to understand exactly what my content offers.
A profile is optimized when it's targeted and speaks to the audience it's trying to attract. This is mostly done by the keywords used.
If you also have a picture of yourself on your blog, you can use the same profile picture there. That’s just another way to make a visual connection for your readers.
(This post includes some affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.)
What is a Pinterest profile?
This is essentially the home page for your Pinterest account. It's where information about you and the content you share is found. A Pinterest profile is comprised of a profile picture; a profile name; a short bio; saved images, also called Pins; and Boards.
A profile is optimized when it's targeted and speaks to the audience it's trying to attract. This is mostly done by the keywords used.
The importance of an optimized Pinterest profile
Making sure you've optimized your Pinterest profile is important because it helps a lot with Pinterest search. The thing is, Pinterest is more of a search engine like Google and not really a social media platform. People are searching on Pinterest for inspiration, ideas, and even products. So using the right keywords is key (no pun intended).
Therefore, having your Pinterest profile optimized helps with
- Search engine discovery: Using keywords in your bio and even display name helps Pinterest match your account to what people search for
- Algorithmic clarity: The keywords used in your optimized profile let the Pinterest algorithm know exactly who you are and what niche you serve. This helps you reach the audience you want to speak to.
- Brand partnerships: When you have a profile that is tailored to your audience and what they are interested in, it can help with attracting brands looking for creators in that space.
How to optimize your Pinterest profile
Here are five things I did to optimize my Pinterest profile that you can do as well.
1. Choose a recognizable profile photo
This is probably the easiest thing to do. Using the same profile picture you use for your other social accounts and blog gives your audience a quick visual way to connect all of your online accounts together.
If you also have a picture of yourself on your blog, you can use the same profile picture there. That’s just another way to make a visual connection for your readers.
A few tips for this are to try to avoid using a tiny logo that would be hard to read and have high contrast in your photo so it stands out.
Here is my current Pinterest bio: "Sharing relaxed hair care tips, beauty product reviews, affordable skincare, and lifestyle ideas for busy women who want to live great." It uses some keywords for my content, "affordable skincare" and "relaxed hair care." This tells you more and is better than having something like "Hair and beauty lover".
2. Write a keyword-rich profile name
Many people tend to not think about the importance of the profile name. I have to admit I didn't when I first started on Pinterest. While not seen on your pins in people's home feed, Pinterest specifically recommends relevant keywords in bios to help with profile discovery.
Having keywords in your profile name can also be a quick snapshot to let people know what your content is about. My blog name is A Relaxed Gal. So when I started Pinterest, that's the profile name I used. Over time, I've adjusted it to include keywords about my content. Now my Pinterest profile name is "A Relaxed Gal | Relaxed Hair | Oily Skin Care | Lifestyle" which is aligned to the content I share.
You can update your profile name by clicking the edit profile button.
3. Write a bio explaining what you share
When writing your profile bio, using a similar tone to the one you use on your site's about page and other social account profiles is another great way to create brand connections. Additionally, include keywords related to the content you share to help with profile discovery. You can update your bio by clicking the edit profile button.
Here is my current Pinterest bio: "Sharing relaxed hair care tips, beauty product reviews, affordable skincare, and lifestyle ideas for busy women who want to live great." It uses some keywords for my content, "affordable skincare" and "relaxed hair care." This tells you more and is better than having something like "Hair and beauty lover".
4. Claim your website
Yes, even this can help with having a well-optimized Pinterest profile. When you claim your site on Pinterest, you are linking your domain directly to your content. This makes it easier for Pinterest users to get to and browse your site because:
- Your profile picture shows on all of the pins saved from your site
- You get advanced analytics allowing you to track total impressions, clicks, and engagement data for all content originating from your site domain
- You get rich pin support, which is an auto-sync of live metadata such as article tiles directly onto your Pins.
- Access to run promoted ad campaigns
Related read: How I'm Winning At Pinterest And You Can Too
5. Create keyword-focused boards
When creating your Pinterest boards, make sure they are relevant to your content topics. So if your content is focused on recipes, having boards about funny animal pics would probably feel off-brand for pinners.You'll also want to make sure you're using keyword terms in your board titles and descriptions, as that helps to provide context for Pinterest's algorithm. You can update your board titles and descriptions from your profile by going to Saved → Click on the board you want to update → Click the three dots on the right → Click Edit info and savings.
If you’ve been on Pinterest for a while and find that your boards are off-topic, don’t worry. You can always make those boards private so pinners no longer see them. You can also consolidate boards if you feel like you've created too many subtopics.
As you can see in the image below, I brand my pins by having a set of templates that use my brand colors and brand fonts. Doing this helps my Pinterest followers easily and quickly recognize pins from my blog.
All of these things are pretty easy to implement but can have a big impact on your Pinterest Profile. Now these aren't set-it-and-forget things either. It's helpful to check your profile at least once a quarter to see if there's anything that could or should be updated.
If you’ve been on Pinterest for a while and find that your boards are off-topic, don’t worry. You can always make those boards private so pinners no longer see them. You can also consolidate boards if you feel like you've created too many subtopics.
6. Use a consistent brand style
Another great way to visually brand your Pinterest profile is by creating branded templates for your pins. A well-branded pin uses your brand colors, brand fonts, site name, and logo to make it stand out in a pinner's feed. You can use a tool like Canva for this.As you can see in the image below, I brand my pins by having a set of templates that use my brand colors and brand fonts. Doing this helps my Pinterest followers easily and quickly recognize pins from my blog.
Share in the comments below what you’re planning to do to brand your Pinterest profile.
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