We all like Pinterest and we agree that it’s a sweet place online, or at least that’s what all these articles about the amazing benefits of this new social network are making me think. It’s also no secret that Pinterest is hypnotizing social media marketers and SEOs around the world, and that’s exactly why I was getting a little worried.
I’ve been an SEO long enough to know that every time a new social network offering dofollow links arrives, tons of “new users” show up and start posting links without any intentions of adding value to the community.
After gaining the attention of link builders all over the WWW, Pinterest decided to make some changes: as of right now, both the link on the Pin and the link to the source of the image have been set to nofollow.
Even though Pinterest keeps offering tons of benefits for social SEO, I’m sure this latest change will discourage many SEOs out there who weren’t interested in that, and would have shamelessly thrown tons of links only to suck the link juice out of a perfectly healthy platform. And thinking about these juice suckers going away makes me happy, because we don’t need thousands of dead profiles floating around.
If you are an SEO and you’re reading this, don’t scratch Pinterest off of your list. Spend some time there, get to know the community and try to find the possible points of connection to your business. Here you have some useful and inspiring articles that could come in handy before starting to work on your strategy:
- All You Need to Know About Pinterest by Aaron Lee
- 10 Pinterest ideas with SEO benefits by Steve Masters
- The ‘Pinterest for brands‘ series by Tia Fisher
Think outside the SEO box: having a link to your site traveling around the web because the image you’ve shared is really good + you’ve targeted your market perfectly + you’ve included the keywords in a natural way, will make real people follow your link, and not just a bunch of heartless Google bots.
In Social We Trust 
Gisele,
I now see the problem with WordPress. A bit off topic but I am writing this from my work PC and our firewall won’t let me login to like your post. In fact, no one can like it unless they are a WordPress user. Crap!
Anyway, I see I have a lot to learn about SEO. A tricky subject for sure. I suppose there are formulas that work but I do understand your comments about making your content work for you and targeting the right audience. That, to me, is the HARD PART and the easy stuff is slamming in keywords.
Thanks for the tips and suggestions.
Hi Ralph,
You’re right about the Like, it’s just for WordPress users, that’s the reason why I activated the option to sharing through other social platforms but I know it’s not the same :/
The best way of learning about SEO is by experimenting with it. Right now for me it’s all about social SEO (http://insight.eyetraffic.com/what-is-social-seo/), and I think you’ll enjoy that way more.
Thanks for passing by :)
I was worried about Pinterest too, it is a shame that we need NoFollow to make a community spam free but it was a good move. I think they had this planned, they got the user base to begin with and used the old bait and switch. Clever.
I like it more now than ever, I love that they have a geek section that I feel is just for me!
I’m still worried about the quality of the content as it seems to have declined a little bit. Or maybe it’s just that I’m sick of cupcakes, dresses, pictures of closets and “funny” pins… But you can always choose which board to follow and that’s the ultimate filter. Thanks for reading, Rhys!
I agree. The same content keeps coming up only a couple of pins apart and it gets old very quickly.
Too much Dr. Who in Geek and not enough geeky gadgets!
Pinterest isn’t entirel nofollow –
I think you didn’t read the post. Here’s what you were probably looking for: “both the link on the Pin and the link to the source of the image have been set to nofollow”. Of course navigation and internal links aren’t nofollow, same goes to the “Profile links” -the little buttons under the profile picture-. Have a nice day!
I’ll be honest the ‘do follow’ links got me on board for an ecommerce client of mine. But I also set up a personal account and have been adding 3-5 pins each day at a minimum. It’s a great platform. SEO wise I won’t be continuing unless new products are created through our client’s site. They are also based in Australia and Pinterest’s AU user base isn’t big enough to warrant the time.
I think we should keep an eye on the evolution of Pinterest. The site is still in Beta and it’s already getting tons of attention, so I cannot imagine how is it going to be once they launch it publicly. Thanks for passing by and leaving your input :)!
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Great post, Gisele. It’s important for us all to realize Pinterest isn’t just a tool, but that it’s a community where we look favorably upon worthwhile content. I think — just like Facebook and Twitter — there’s a place for brands on Pinterest if they’re adding solid content to the community.
Thanks again, Bryden! I believe we should always try to get to know a community before jumping in. It’s not just a matter of SEO benefits, traffic and conversion rates. As I said on one of my other posts, the SEO way of thinking needs to go. You can’t engage and connect with others if you’re just thinking of potential clicks, figures and numbers. And you’re right, Pinterest will benefit those who are adding value to the community :)
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So you are saying use Pinterest but not for SEO backlink purposes?
I’m saying, whatever the reason you want to jump into a new social platform, always think of ways of adding value to the community. Thanks for passing by, David :)
Touche. Great arguments. Keep up the good work.
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