Pinterest isn’t just another social media platform.

It’s a visual search engine that processes billions of searches every day, and if you understand how it actually works under the hood, you can get way more traffic to your blog or website.

Most Pinterest creators are flying blind…

They create pins based on guesswork and wonder why their traffic isn’t growing.

But Pinterest has a very specific system for deciding which pins get shown to which people.

And once you understand this system, everything changes.

The Pinterest Ranking Machine (How Pins Get Discovered)

Think of Pinterest’s search system like a giant funnel with multiple stages.

Every time someone searches for something, Pinterest has to sort through over 100 billion saved pins to find the best ones.

Here’s how it actually works:

Stage 1: The First Cut (Retrieval)

Pinterest starts by narrowing down billions of pins to just a few thousand candidates that might be relevant to the search.

This is like having a massive library and pulling out just the books that might contain what you’re looking for.

Stage 2: Quick Sorting (Pre-Ranking)

Now Pinterest takes those few thousand pins and does a quick evaluation using basic signals.

Think of this as scanning the book covers and first few pages to see which ones look most promising.

Stage 3: The Final Decision (Full Ranking)

The remaining pins get put through Pinterest’s main ranking algorithm called “Pinnability.”

This is where Pinterest looks at hundreds of different factors to predict how likely someone is to engage with your pin.

The pins with the highest scores get the top spots in search results.

The Secret Sauce: Topic Cohesion

Here’s something most Pinterest creators don’t know…

Pinterest has a scoring system called “topic cohesion” that measures how well your pin matches the page you’re linking to.

If your pin is about chocolate chip cookies but your blog post is about gardening tips, Pinterest will penalize you hard.

They do this in two ways:

Text Cohesion: Pinterest compares the keywords in your pin title and description with the actual content on your webpage.

Image Cohesion: They also check if your pin image is similar to images on your linked page.

When your cohesion score is high, Pinterest promotes your pin to more people.

When it’s low, they might even remove the visit button or hide your pin from search results entirely.

Why Keyword Research Tools Matter for Pinterest SEO

Most Pinterest creators rely on Pinterest’s search bar suggestions or generic keyword tools designed for Google.

But here’s the problem…

Pinterest operates completely differently than Google, and their internal vocabulary is massive and specific.

Pinterest has over 20 million official interest keywords that they use to categorize content and match it to users.

If you’re not using these exact terms, you’re essentially hoping Pinterest will guess what your pin is about.

The PinClicks Advantage

PinClicks is the only tool that gives you direct access to Pinterest’s complete vocabulary database.

When you search for keywords in PinClicks, you’re seeing:

• Pinterest’s official interest keywords (not guesses)
• Actual search volume from Pinterest (not estimates)
• Pinterest’s search suggestions pulled automatically
• Related terms from Pinterest’s internal taxonomy

This means when you optimize a pin using PinClicks data, you’re speaking Pinterest’s language fluently.

The algorithm doesn’t have to guess what your pin is about – you’ve told it exactly using the terms it recognizes.

How This Impacts Your Rankings

When Pinterest can quickly and accurately categorize your pin using their official vocabulary, several things happen:

1. Your pin gets matched to the right user interest clusters faster
2. It appears in more relevant search results
3. It gets shown to people who have demonstrated interest in those specific official terms
4. The topic cohesion score improves because Pinterest understands your content clearly

I’ve seen creators increase their Pinterest traffic by 300-400% just by switching from guessing at keywords to using Pinterest’s official interest vocabulary through PinClicks.

1. Make Everything Match

Your pin image, title, description, and landing page need to be about the same topic.

Don’t create a pin about “easy dinner recipes” that links to a page about meal planning.

Keep it specific and aligned.

2. Use Pinterest’s Official Interest Keywords

Pinterest has something called an “Interest Taxonomy” – basically a giant categorization system with over 20 million official keywords.

They want to understand exactly what your pin is about so they can show it to the right people.

Here’s where most Pinterest creators mess up…

They use whatever keywords sound good to them instead of the specific terms Pinterest actually recognizes.

This is like speaking a different language than Pinterest’s algorithm.

The PinClicks Solution

PinClicks has access to Pinterest’s entire vocabulary database of over 20 million official interest keywords.

These are the exact terms Pinterest uses internally to categorize content and match pins to users.

When you use PinClicks for keyword research, you’re not guessing – you’re using Pinterest’s own language.

Plus, PinClicks pulls search volume data directly from Pinterest and grabs Pinterest’s search suggestions automatically, so you can see exactly what people are actually searching for.

Use these official interest keywords in:

• Pin title and description
• Board name and description
• Your webpage title and meta description
• Alt text on images

Instead of generic terms like “amazing dinner ideas,” PinClicks will show you Pinterest’s official terms like “30-minute weeknight dinners” or “easy family meal prep.”

The difference in traffic can be huge because you’re speaking Pinterest’s language instead of hoping they figure out what you mean.

3. Create Focused Boards

Pinterest sees your boards as curated collections that help them understand relationships between pins.

When you save a pin about “farmhouse kitchen decor” to a board called “Modern Home Ideas,” you’re confusing the algorithm.

Instead, create specific boards like:

• Farmhouse Kitchen Decor
• Modern Living Room Ideas
• Small Bathroom Storage

This helps Pinterest’s system called “Pixie” understand exactly what your pins are about and show them to people interested in those specific topics.

The Pinterest Graph (Why Board Strategy Matters)

Pinterest works like a massive web connecting pins and boards.

When someone saves your pin to their board, they’re telling Pinterest that your pin “goes with” all the other pins on that board.

This creates what Pinterest calls “neighborhoods” of related content.

If your pin ends up in a tight, focused neighborhood (like a board specifically about chocolate chip cookies), it’s more likely to be recommended to people interested in baking.

But if it ends up on a scattered board with pins about everything from recipes to home decor to travel, the signal gets diluted.

Pro tip: Look for boards in your niche that have 50-200 pins all about the same specific topic. These focused boards send stronger signals to Pinterest’s algorithm.

The Engagement Signals That Matter Most

Pinterest’s final ranking system (Pinnability) tries to predict how likely someone is to engage with your pin.

But not all engagement is created equal…

High-Value Signals:

• Saves (repins) to boards
• Clicks to your website (especially if people stay 35+ seconds)
• Multiple interactions from the same user

Lower-Value Signals:

• Quick close-ups
• Brief clicks with immediate bounces

The algorithm prioritizes pins that inspire people to save them or spend meaningful time on the linked website.

This means your pin needs to be something people actually want to reference later, not just scroll past.

The Freshness Factor

Pinterest actively promotes new content to prevent older pins from dominating search results.

Pins that are less than 7 days old get a ranking boost, which is why consistent posting is so important.

Pinterest’s real-time indexing system (called Manas Realtime) means your new pins can appear in search results within seconds of posting.

Strategy: Post at least one new pin daily to continuously benefit from this freshness boost.

User Personalization (Why the Same Pin Ranks Differently for Different People)

Pinterest creates detailed profiles of each user based on their past behavior.

They use a system called “PinnerSage” that groups each user’s interests into clusters.

So a single person might have interest clusters for:

• Home decorating
• Healthy recipes
• Travel planning
• Fitness routines

When someone searches, Pinterest matches the search intent with their known interest clusters AND the characteristics of available pins.

This is why a pin about “budget home decor” might rank #1 for someone who frequently saves home decorating content, but not appear at all for someone whose interests are focused on fitness and travel.

Geographic and Demographic Targeting

Pinterest also personalizes results based on:

• Location (country, region, city)
• Language preferences
• Inferred demographics
• Device type

If you’re targeting a specific audience (like “apartment decorating ideas for college students”), make sure your pin titles and descriptions clearly indicate this so Pinterest can boost your visibility to the right people.

Putting It All Together: Your Pinterest SEO Checklist

Before Creating Any Pin:

1. ✓ Choose a specific, searchable topic
2. ✓ Research keywords using PinClicks to find Pinterest’s official interest terms and search volume
3. ✓ Create a high-quality, clear image
4. ✓ Write a descriptive title with your main keyword from Pinterest’s vocabulary
5. ✓ Add a detailed description using multiple related interest keywords from PinClicks
6. ✓ Choose a focused, niche-specific board
7. ✓ Make sure your landing page matches your pin topic exactly

After Publishing:

1. ✓ Monitor which pins get the most saves and clicks
2. ✓ Create similar content to your top performers
3. ✓ Update underperforming pins with better descriptions
4. ✓ Remove or fix pins with low topic cohesion scores

The Bottom Line

Pinterest’s search algorithm rewards creators who understand their system and consistently provide value to users.

Focus on creating pins that match your landing pages, use specific keywords, get saved to relevant boards, and inspire real engagement.

The creators who consistently apply these principles are the ones who see their Pinterest traffic grow month after month, while others struggle to get their pins seen.

It’s not about gaming the system – it’s about understanding how Pinterest wants to serve its users and aligning your strategy accordingly.

Once you start thinking like Pinterest’s algorithm, you’ll see exactly why some pins take off while others get buried on page 50 of search results.