How to Do Pinterest Keyword Research

Unlock more traffic and engagement on Pinterest by treating it like the visual search engine it truly is. Success on the platform starts with understanding exactly what your audience is searching for and putting your content right in their path. This guide will walk you through a complete, step-by-step process for powerful Pinterest keyword research, showing you exactly where to find high-traffic keywords and how to use them to get your Pins in front of the right people.

Understanding Why Pinterest Keyword Research is Different

One of the biggest mistakes creators make is treating Pinterest like another social media feed. It's not. While it has social features, at its core, Pinterest is a visual discovery engine. People come to Pinterest to find ideas, plan for the future, and discover products. They aren't just scrolling to see what their friends are up to, they are actively searching for solutions and inspiration. Think of a user's mindset: they are in a mode of discovery, planning a wedding, looking for weeknight dinner ideas, or designing a home office.

This "planning" mindset changes everything about keyword research. On Google, search intent is often immediate and informational ("how to fix a leaky faucet right now"). On Pinterest, intent is aspirational and future-focused ("dream rustic bathroom designs").

Your goal is to find the exact words and phrases your ideal customer is plugging into that search bar when they are in this planning phase. When you find them, you can title your Pins, write your descriptions, and name your boards to match their search queries perfectly. This signals to the Pinterest algorithm that your content is a relevant result, driving organic traffic to your profile and website for months or even years to come.

Where to Find High-Traffic Keywords on Pinterest

Pinterest gives you all the tools you need to find great keywords, hidden in plain sight. You don't need expensive third-party software to build a powerful keyword strategy. Here are the four best places to uncover what your audience is searching for.

Method 1: The Pinterest Search Bar (Your Best Friend)

The simplest and most direct way to start your search is using the Pinterest search bar itself. It's an absolute goldmine for keyword ideas because its suggestions are based on actual, popular user searches.

Here's how to use it step-by-step:

1. Start with a broad topic. Type a one or two-word general keyword related to your niche into the search bar. For example, if you're a food blogger, you might start with "chicken recipes."
2. Analyze the autocomplete suggestions. Before you even hit Enter, Pinterest will suggest a list of popular related searches. These are long-tail keywords that real people are using. From "chicken recipes," you might see suggestions like "chicken recipes for dinner," "chicken recipes healthy," or "chicken recipes easy." These are your first set of valuable keywords.
3. Use the Keyword Bubbles (Guided Search). After you search for your broad term, look for the colored bubbles that appear just below the search bar. These are Pinterest's way of helping users narrow down their search. They're collections of related keywords that show you exactly how people are refining their queries. For "chicken recipes," you might see bubbles like "slow cooker," "casserole," "healthy," "simple," or "for family."
4. Click and combine. Click these bubbles to drill down further. When you click "healthy," new bubbles might appear like "low carb," "weight watchers," or "with vegetables." You can combine these to find super-specific, long-tail keywords like "healthy low carb chicken breast recipes for dinner." That's a highly targeted keyword that indicates strong user intent.

Repeat this process for all your main topic ideas, logging the best keyword combinations in a spreadsheet or document. This process alone can build a massive list of relevant terms for your content.

Method 2: Dive into Pinterest Trends

Pinterest Trends is a powerful, native tool that lets you see a keyword's popularity over time. It's incredibly valuable for spotting seasonal trends, seeing which topics are on the rise, and comparing the search volume of different keywords.

To use it:

1. Navigate to Pinterest Trends. You can find it by going directly to trends.pinterest.com. Make sure to set the country to your primary target audience (e.g., US, UK, Canada).
2. Enter a keyword and analyze the graph. Type one of your keyword ideas into the search bar. The tool will show you a graph illustrating search interest for that term over the past 12 months. This is perfect for identifying seasonality. For instance, searches for "outdoor patio ideas" will spike in the spring, while "fall decor" will begin to rise in late summer.
3. Compare keywords. You can enter up to four different keywords to compare their search volumes. This helps you prioritize your content. For example, you could compare "keto recipes," "paleo recipes," and "vegan recipes" to see which dietary trend currently has the highest search interest on the platform.
4. Check "Related Trends." Scroll down below the graph to find a list of related search terms. This section often uncovers rising trends and new keyword ideas you might not have thought of. It separates them into topics that are growing in popularity, helping you get ahead of the curve.

Use Pinterest Trends to validate the keywords you found in the search bar and plan your content calendar around seasonal peaks for maximum impact.

Method 3: Research Top-Ranking Pins and Competitors

Your competitors and other successful creators in your niche have already done a lot of the work for you. By analyzing what's already working, you can reverse-engineer a winning keyword strategy.

How to approach competitor research:

• Search your main keywords. Type one of your primary keywords into the search bar and pay close attention to the top 10-20 Pins that appear. These are a mix of organic results and ads, but all are considered highly relevant by Pinterest's algorithm.
• Analyze titles and descriptions. Read the Pin titles and descriptions of these top-ranking Pins. What specific words or phrases do they use? You'll often see your main keyword, plus several related long-tail keywords, woven naturally into the text. They aren't just stuffing keywords, they are writing helpful, compelling copy that includes them.
• Inspect their boards. Click through to the profile of a creator with lots of high-ranking Pins. Look at their board titles and descriptions. A well-optimized profile uses keywords everywhere. A board titled "Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes | Healthy Family Meals" is packed with relevant keywords.
• Look at the text on the Pin image. Pinterest can "read" the text overlay on your images. The best pins often include a keyword directly in the main headline of the graphic itself. Make a note of the phrases you see pop up consistently.

This process gives you insight into which keywords already have proven traction and shows you how to frame them in a way that resonates with Pinners.

Method 4: Mine Keywords From Pinterest Ads

Even if you have no intention of running ads, the Pinterest Ads Manager has a keyword tool you can use for free. It provides specific search volume estimates, which is something the other methods don't offer.

Here's the simple way to access it:

1. Get a Pinterest Business account. You need a business account to access the Ads Manager. It's free to convert from a personal account if you haven't already.
2. Start creating a new campaign. From the top menu, go to Ads > Create Campaign. You won't actually launch anything, so don't worry. Just click through the setup until you reach the "Targeting details" section.
3. Find the "Keywords & Interests" section. Here, you'll find a search bar. Start typing in a keyword, and Pinterest will show you a list of related keywords along with their estimated monthly search volume. This helps you distinguish between terms that get 10,000 searches a month versus those that get 5 million+.

This is the most "data-forward" method available on Pinterest. Use it to confirm that the keywords you've found elsewhere have actual search demand behind them and to prioritize content around the highest-volume topics.

Putting Your Keywords into Action

Once you have a healthy list of keywords sorted by topic, the final step is to strategically place them across your Pinterest account. The more consistently you tell the algorithm what your content is about, the better it can match your Pins to relevant user searches.

Where to Use Your Pinterest Keywords

• Pin Titles: This is the most important place. Lead with your primary keyword for that specific Pin. For example, "Healthy Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe."
• Pin Descriptions: Write a helpful, user-focused paragraph or a few sentences that naturally include your primary keyword and 2-3 secondary or long-tail keywords. Think of it like a mini-blog post. Remember to write for humans first, algorithm second.
• Board Titles & Descriptions: Name your boards using a clear, keyword-rich title (e.g., "Vegan Dessert Recipes" instead of "Sweet Treats"). Fill out the board description using a few sentences that also include related keywords.
• Profile Bio: Your profile name and bio are searchable. Weave your most important, high-level niche keywords into this space to tell Pinterest what your entire account is about.
• Text on Pin Images: As mentioned, Pinterest analyzes text on your graphics. Make sure the headline on your Pin design contains your core keyword.

Final Thoughts

Mastering Pinterest keyword research is about shifting your perspective from just another social media app to a powerful discovery engine where users are actively looking for the help and ideas you provide. By systematically using the search bar, Pinterest Trends, and competitive analysis, you can build a comprehensive strategy that connects your content directly with a motivated, inspired audience.

With a solid keyword strategy in place, consistency is what separates successful accounts from stagnant ones. Implementing a content plan can feel overwhelming, which is why when building our own businesses, we designed a simple scheduling tool, Postbase, to keep ourselves on track. Once you've done the keyword research, our visual calendar makes it straightforward to plan out a month's worth of Pins, ensuring you consistently target all the topics your audience is searching for without the last-minute scramble.