Top 8 Mistakes Bloggers Make with Pinterest

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I’ve been a professional blogger for quite some time. As a result, I often get lots of questions related to blogging for a living. One of those questions is about how I get traffic to my pages. I use Pinterest as one of my strategies to attract readers, as do many of my friends in the blogging community. But, there are sever mistakes bloggers make with Pinterest. That’s why I was so excited when Lauren McManus from Create and Go reached out and offered the guest post you’ll see below.

She let me in on a little secret – many newbie and even seasoned bloggers are using Pinterest the wrong way! Yep, it’s true, and I don’t want to see you do the same thing if you are currently a blogger or are considering becoming a blogger. So, without further ado, let’s get to Lauren’s post so you can keep from making these common mistakes on Pinterest!

Top 8 Mistakes Bloggers Make with Pinterest

Marketing your blog pages on Pinterest is one of the best methods which you can utilize to grow your traffic. If you are a blogger who has no idea how Pinterest works, then you must be definitely shocked. But Pinterest can give you the amount of traffic which you want!

All you need to do is to sign up on the Pinterest platform and create your user profile.

However, you can get stuck and fail to promote your blog pages on Pinterest. You may start wondering why your pins are not being converted into clicks.

Here are the top 8 mistakes bloggers make with Pinterest:

1. Failing to Use Quality Images or Vertical Pin Dimensions

You should utilize high-quality images for them to be well ranked on the Pinterest smart feed. As a general rule, don’t use multiple photos on a single pin since it will end up looking stuffed. Also, each pin should have one specific theme.

You can follow the most popular pinners on Pinterest and copy how they promote their websites. Moreover, make sure you utilize vertical pin dimensions instead of the horizontal ones.

Horizontal pins tend to take up more space than vertical pins. Every pin on Pinterest has to be vertical so that its feed can be user-friendly.

If you utilize horizontal pins, chances are that they won’t be ranked in the search engine – and no one will see them. This is pretty bad, right!?

Furthermore, all your pins should have a 2:3 aspect ratio. Their maximum width should be 300 pixels.

2. Failing to Optimize Your Pins Correctly

Your primary goal as a blogger should be to make your pins rank high in Pinterest’s algorithm. The best method to achieve this goal is to optimize them properly by taking the following steps:

• Utilizing long-tail keywords in your titles and descriptions
• Pinning to the right boards and during the best times
• Having interesting, catchy titles which are clickable
• Using proper pin dimensions
• Having beautiful and attractive pin design templates
If you implement all these steps, millions of potential readers may see your pins! Note that the Pinterest home feed isn’t chronological. It is the best pins which come first, and not the newest ones.

3. Utilizing Shortened Links

You should stop using shortened links in the descriptions of your pins. Never use any URL shortener in your pins, because Pinterest will flag them as spam.

What you need to do for your pin viewers to access your blog pages is to use the right links. No matter how long a link seems to be, use it as it exactly is.

4. Failing to Treat Pinterest as a Search Engine

This is one of the greatest mistakes bloggers make with Pinterest. Most bloggers regard Pinterest as a social media platform when, in reality, it is a search engine.

Pinterest is not a social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It works as a search engine since it has an algorithm which is fondly referred to as the smart feed.

It is this algorithm which determines what Pinterest users see in their home feed. Furthermore, Pinterest possesses a search bar for a specific reason. Whenever an individual searches Pinterest, it will utilize its algorithm to determine which pins will rank first.

If you treat Pinterest as a social media platform, you will be only using it as per your whims. For example, you may post some occasional pins and hope that someone will see them. Of course, you won’t get an instant traffic rise if you utilize Pinterest this way.

Treating Pinterest as a search engine is one of the best ways to grow your blog traffic. You should incorporate everything you know about SEO when promoting your blog pages on Pinterest.

5. Being Inconsistent

Pinterest loves consistency. This platform will automatically promote your content if it feels that you provide value to its users.

One method which Pinterest uses to know if you post valuable content is determining the level of engagement of your account. If you have a growing audience and plenty of reshares and repins, then your account will be ranked high.

Pinterest can also track how often you sign in and pin. If you log in into this platform every day and pin consistently, Pinterest will recognize you. Then, it will reward you by ranking your pins high in its algorithm.

6. Failing to Create a Pinning Schedule

Often, Pinterest will favor quality pinners. You should create a pinning schedule so that you can be consistent in your pinning.

Using software tools like Tailwind will enable you to have a consistent pinning schedule. For instance, Tailwind can help you pin for up to 100 times each day! This way, your pins will get to the top of the search feeds, and many people will view them.

Note from Tracy: Score a free credit with Tailwind when you click here and use my unique link!

7. Failing to Focus on Quality

Just like other internet platforms like Google or Facebook, Pinterest will rank quality content first. Therefore, you should always focus on quality while promoting your blog pages on this platform.

Don’t underestimate how powerful Pinterest’s algorithms are. Pinterest is comparable to the results of Google, and much more visually stimulating.

Pinterest will crack down your account if you upload low-quality pins. Moreover, you should avoid ‘gaming’ its algorithm. Don’t purchase followers, spam content, or manipulate the smart feed.

Here’s an example of a high quality pin:

It’s clear what it’s about, it has a great image, and it links to the page it promises it will.

8. Failing to Create an Excellent Pinterest Profile

Your Pinterest profile should be top-notch, and it should reflect your skills as a professional blogger. Some bloggers can create Pinterest profiles in just five minutes, but they won’t be high-quality.

If you don’t have an excellent profile, Pinterest won’t give your pins the attention they need. Make sure you do the following while creating your profile:

• Claim your blog on Pinterest
• Get approval for setting up rich pins
• Have a clear profile picture
• Include keywords in your name and profile description

Final Thoughts

Pinterest can be time consuming and overwhelming. However, if you steer clear from these mistakes bloggers make with Pinterest, your marketing strategies will start paying off.
In fact, Pinterest can bring you hundreds of thousands of page views or more each month! So what are you waiting for? Get pinning today!