How to Drive Traffic From Pinterest to Your Blog

Pinterest is one of the few platforms that happily sends people off the platform. People search Pinterest for recipes, tutorials, ideas and products, click through to read more — and a single good Pin can keep doing that for months. For bloggers, that makes Pinterest one of the most dependable traffic sources outside Google.

This is the playbook we'd follow to build Pinterest traffic for a blog from scratch.

Step 1: Set up your account properly

A few minutes of setup pays off for years:

• Use a business account. It's free, and it unlocks Pinterest Analytics and the built-in scheduler. You can convert a personal account in your settings.
• Claim your website. Under Settings → Claimed accounts, add your domain and verify it with an HTML tag, a file or a DNS record. Claiming connects your Pins to your site and unlocks analytics for Pins that link to it — including ones other people create.
• Write a clear profile. Your display name and bio should say what you cover, using words people search for — for example "Easy Weeknight Recipes | Sweet Plate" rather than just "Sweet Plate".

Step 2: Find the keywords people search on Pinterest

Pinterest is a search engine, so keywords decide who sees your Pins. Pinterest keywords aren't always the same as Google keywords — people search Pinterest for ideas and inspiration.

Three free ways to find them:

1. The Pinterest search bar. Type a broad topic like "chicken dinner" and note the suggestions that appear as you type. Those are real searches.
2. The guided search bubbles that appear under the search bar after you search. They show how people narrow down a topic.
3. Pinterest Trends, which shows how interest in a term changes through the year — essential for seasonal content.

For each blog post, pick one main keyword and two or three related ones.

Step 3: Design Pins people want to click

On Pinterest, the image does most of the work. A Pin that converts usually has:

• A vertical 2:3 format — 1,000 × 1,500 pixels is the recommended size.
• A clear text overlay that says what the reader gets, readable on a phone ("15-Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp", not "Dinner Tonight!").
• A strong, real image of the result — the dish, the room, the finished project.
• Your brand or URL, small, so people recognise your Pins over time.

Make several different Pin designs for each post. Different images and headlines reach different people, and each new design counts as a fresh Pin.

Step 4: Write titles and descriptions that rank

• Title (up to 100 characters): lead with the main keyword. "Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe – Ready in 15 Minutes".
• Description (up to 500 characters): two or three natural sentences that explain the post and include related keywords. Write for people, not for a list of tags.
• Alt text: describe the image for people using screen readers. It also helps Pinterest understand the Pin.
• Link: point to the exact post, never your homepage.

Step 5: Organise boards around search terms

Boards help Pinterest understand what your Pins are about:

• Name boards with keywords people search: "Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes" instead of "Yum!".
• Keep boards focused. One clear topic per board.
• Save each Pin to its most relevant board first.
• Add a short board description that uses your main keywords naturally.

Step 6: Publish consistently

Pinterest rewards steady publishing of fresh Pins. A good routine for a blog:

• Publish a few fresh Pins every day rather than big weekly batches — see how many Pins per day to post.
• Spread Pins for the same post over days and weeks.
• Publish seasonal content 30–60 days early (our guide to the best time to post on Pinterest has a full calendar).
• Pin every new post as soon as it's published, then add new designs for it over the following weeks.

This is where a scheduler earns its keep. Scheduling your Pins lets you design a week of Pins in one sitting and have them go out steadily.

Step 7: Measure what matters

In Pinterest Analytics, focus on:

• Outbound clicks — visits to your blog. This is the number that matters.
• Saves — people bookmarking your Pin; a strong quality signal.
• Top Pins by outbound clicks — make more Pins like these.

Also tag your links with UTM parameters so you can see Pinterest traffic, time on page and conversions in your site analytics.

Give it time. Pinterest traffic usually builds over months, not days — Pins can take a while to be picked up in search and keep collecting clicks long after.

Common mistakes that kill Pinterest traffic

• Linking to the homepage instead of the specific post.
• Horizontal images that get cropped and lost in the feed.
• Vague Pin titles with no searchable keyword.
• Publishing in bursts — 50 Pins one day, nothing for two weeks.
• Broken or redirected links. Check old Pins after you change URLs.
• Giving up after a month. Pinterest compounds; most of the payoff comes later.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get traffic from Pinterest?

Expect it to build over several months. Some Pins pick up within days, but most accounts see steady growth after three to six months of consistent publishing.

How many Pins should I make for each blog post?

Start with three to five different designs per post, published over several weeks. Then make more for the posts that already get clicks.

Do hashtags work on Pinterest?

Hashtags matter much less on Pinterest than keywords in your title, description and board names. Put your effort into natural, keyword-rich text.

Is Pinterest traffic good for a blog?

Pinterest visitors are usually planning or looking for ideas, so they tend to read the post they clicked for. That makes Pinterest traffic valuable for recipe, DIY, home, travel and lifestyle blogs in particular.