Thursday Press #144: Something's not adding up...
[8 AUG 2024]
If Sarah has a 5-day trip to Cape Cod and a history of overpacking, how many bags should she check?
If you guessed 1, you’d be correct.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been very good at word problems.
For the first time in probably 6 years, I’m flying with just a carry on.
And between you and me, bestie, I’m shook.
How do I have so many things? Because I’m an overpacker already and now I’m packing for the ~vibes~ and the beach… yikes.
How am I supposed to fit them all in one bag? Compression packing cubes, 50L duffel that might not fit in the overhead compartment, and sheer determination.
How do I exist as a traveler with a carry on and tote instead of backpack and belt bag? Still figuring that one out, but sheer determination is also playing a role.
Although I was sweating in my place in line behind briefcase-toting businessmen and weekender bag athleisure-clad could-be-content-creators, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer…
Because my bag slid into that overhead bin like it was MADE for it, thank the LORD.
We have yet to see if I’ll be able to pack her in as efficient a manner on the return trip, because somehow my clothes manage to expand by at least 1.25x over the course of a vacation??? TBD.
Now that I know it technically fits, though, I’m a lot less stressed.
But stuffing something to its limits is still never something I’m going to recommend.
Particularly when it comes to your Pinterest descriptions…
Keyword Stuffing on Pinterest: The Bad & The Ugly
Keyword stuffing is the practice of including keywords multiple times in a page (or post), often in an unnatural way, to try and manipulate its ranking in search results.
And for a while, it worked.
If you mentioned your target keyword enough, no matter how robotic or weird it sounded, you could see that first page Google result easy-peasy.
But as search engines have become more intelligent — and as people trying to take advantage of them for their own gains have too — the algorithms changed.
Actual helpful content, naturally written sentences, and relevant information have become much more important in the search engine ranking equation.
It’s a lot easier to conceptualize and notice in blogs, but it’s something that I still see on Pinterest every single day, and it’s not any better of a practice there than in your blogs.
Even though it might seem like a shortcut to success, the spammy behavior isn’t worth it. Here’s why…
Why Keyword Stuffing on Pinterest is Bad
>> It’s not always relevant
A common misconception is that as long as you put your keywords in the title and description, you’ll be able to rank for that search term.
NOPE.
Pinterest is smarter than that.
They want to make sure your content actually matches up to what you’re telling them it’s about.
If you stuff a pin description full of chocolate chip cookie recipe keywords and that pin leads to a blog post about paint colors, guess what — it’s not going to show up when users search for chocolate chip cookie recipes.
>> It’s a turn off for your audience
Imagine you’re browsing a bookstore and someone keeps shouting random words at you
Annoying, right?
Is it going to make you any more likely to want to pick up that book shouting “marketing tips” at you?
Probably not.
While I’ll be the first to tell you that a lot of Pinterest users don’t read pin descriptions all that thoroughly, you still don’t want to hit them with a wall of keywords.
It makes it quite obvious that you’re just trying to rank.
You’re not really telling them how you’ll solve their problem, what they can expect if they click, or why they should even click through in the first place.
What to Do Instead
>> Keep it natural
Write like a human, not an SEO-obsessed robot.
It’s completely possible to incorporate plenty of keywords into natural-sounding sentences and phrases.
You have up to 500 characters to use in your pin description, so make use of it!
>> Be specific
Instead of cramming in every possible keyword that could relate to your business, choose what’s most relevant to that particular pin.
Think about what your audience is actually searching for use specific, long-tail keywords that match their intent.
Why keyword stuffing seems to work
If you click on any pin in the top search results on Pinterest, you’ll probably find some examples of keyword stuffing.
“They’re doing it, so why can’t I?”
Well First name / pal, if your friends all jumped off a cliff would you do it, too?
Just because someone else did it and it seems to work isn’t reason enough for you to do it.
I do get the appeal though.
Oftentimes, the keyword-stuffed pins are benefitting from other things:
It was published a long time ago before Pinterest cracked down more on keyword stuffing
The creator has an established brand authority so they’re not really relying on the Pinterest SEO as much
The pin has so much engagement already that the keywords aren’t that important
So no jumping off of cliffs and no keyword stuffing, k?
If you want to know how to actually use keywords properly on Pinterest, I’ve got some good news for you…
This fall, I’m doing a workshop alllll about Pinterest SEO and how to write pin descriptions that get your pins seen, saved, and making sales.
This is by far the biggest question I get asked, and one I feel uber-qualified to answer, as my clients’ pins consistently rank in Pinterest searches (and stay ranking).
Sign up for the waitlist to be the first to know when the workshop launches (+ get access to that sweet sweet early-bird discount)
Stuffing is only good when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, plush pillows, and quickly hiding miscellaneous messes before someone comes over.
Otherwise, you might find yourself with a compression packing cube that’s splitting its seams and a $60 gate check fee
Fingers crossed that won’t be my journey tomorrow.
Back to soaking up the vibes,