What do favorite recipes, decorating ideas, and your business have in common? If you’re making the most of social media, the answer is Pinterest. Pinterest has more than 100 million Pinterest already, and it’s growing. If you’re not tapping into this rich social media platform, you should be. If you are, let’s make sure you’re making the most of your efforts.

Naturally you should include a Pinterest icon with your social media follow buttons on your website. But don’t stop there. Let’s look at what you can do on your website and blog to make the most of Pinterest. It’s time to get SEO savvy – on Pinterest!

Tip 1: Before you upload an image to your blog, re-name it

You know that Pinterest is image focused, but words—keywords—matter too. That means you don’t want images titled CS00654.jpg. Instead you want image titles with keyword rich names. So when Pinterest pulls your image title, pinners know what it’s about.

Tip 2: After you upload an image to your blog, update the title, alt and description

Every post should have an image, preferably with text that makes the subject clear so that it stands out on Pinterest. “Sure sure. I already do that,” you say.

But do you help Pinterest and it’s users know what the image is all about – or more importantly, what the website that it links to is all about?

The number one mistake I see website and blog owners make is to not update the Attachment Details – and it’s the simplest way to help your website get found on Pinterest!

If you include a Title, Description and Alt text in your image’s Attachment Details for each image, Pinterest will in turn pull your title for the title of your image in Pinterest, and your Alt OR Description text for the description of the pin. You can use these fields to add a teaser to you post or include a call to action and your URL. The saying goes that a picture is worth a 1000 words, but if I can’t remember if the picture is for a green smoothie or a salad recipe or your latest weight-loss challenge, it’s useless on Pinterest.

It’s quite simple to add this information. When you choose Add Media for your post and upload and image, you’ll have the option to update these fields in the Attachment Details on the right side of your screen.

Bonus tip 3: Create Images with Ease

You want branded, Pinterest-optimized images for every post. You don’t want to have to run back to your designer for every post image, nor do you want to turn making those images into a second job. The solution? Templates.

My favorite tool for creating image templates is Canva. With a template, you can use consistent styling and a watermark of your logo without reinventing the wheel every time, and you can optimize the size for Pinterest. I set my web design clients up with these templates to help them maintain their brand and optimize their use of image on their sites.

Of course there is a ton more you can do to promote your business using Pinterest. Like any social media channel you need to be active and engage. But these three tips help you optimize your website or blog to encourage people to pin or repin your content.

Like this post? Click here to Pin it! And follow me on Pinterest.

What’s your favorite Pinterest tip?

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