Pinterest Keyword Research: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Pinterest looks like a social network, but it behaves much more like a search engine. People type what they want, such as "easy weeknight dinners" or "boho bedroom ideas", and Pinterest decides which pins to show. Keywords are how it makes that decision. Get them right, and your pins keep finding new people for months.

This guide covers where to find good keywords, how to choose between them and where to place them.

How Pinterest uses keywords

Pinterest reads the text around your pin to understand what it is about. That includes:

• The pin title and description.
• The text on the image itself.
• The name and description of the board you save it to.
• The page your pin links to.

When all of these agree on a topic, Pinterest can confidently show your pin to people searching for it.

Step 1: Use the search bar suggestions

Start typing a broad topic into Pinterest's search bar and pause. The suggestions that appear are real searches people make. Type "meal prep" and you might see options such as "meal prep for the week", "meal prep ideas healthy" or "meal prep lunches".

Write down every suggestion that fits your content. These phrases are your starting keyword list.

Step 2: Follow the guided search tiles

After you search, Pinterest often shows small tiles or chips above the results with extra words to narrow the search. Each one is another keyword that people use. Click through a few of them to discover longer, more specific phrases.

Longer phrases usually have less competition, which makes them great targets for newer accounts.

Step 3: Check which keywords have proven content

A keyword is only worth targeting if people engage with the results. For each phrase on your list, run the search and look at the engagement on the top pins:

• If the top results have strong saves, there is real demand.
• If the top results are weak or years old, there may be an opening for fresh content.

Seeing the numbers directly on the results makes this step fast. With a tool like PinBee, you can sort each search by saves and compare keywords in minutes instead of guessing.

Step 4: Choose one main keyword per pin

Every pin should have one clear main keyword, plus two or three related phrases. Trying to target everything at once confuses both people and Pinterest.

A good main keyword is:

• Specific enough to match what your content delivers.
• Searched often enough to bring traffic.
• Winnable, meaning the top results are not all enormous, years-old pins.

Step 5: Put keywords in the right places

Once you have chosen your keywords, place them naturally:

1. Pin title: lead with the main keyword. "Easy Weeknight Dinners: 15 Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes" is clearer than "My Favourite Recipes".
2. Pin description: write one or two helpful sentences that include the main keyword and a related phrase. Write for people first.
3. Text on the image: keep it short and include the core idea, as Pinterest can read text in images.
4. Board name: save the pin to a board with a clear, keyword-based name, such as "Easy Weeknight Dinners" rather than "Yum".
5. Your web page: make sure the linked page is about the same topic, with the keyword in its title.

Avoid keyword stuffing

Repeating the same phrase over and over, or listing dozens of hashtags, does not help. It makes pins harder to read and can look spammy. A natural title and a clear, helpful description will always work better.

Build a simple keyword tracker

Keep a spreadsheet with a few columns:

Keyword	Main or related	Top pin saves	Content idea
meal prep lunches	Main	High	7 no-reheat lunches
cheap meal prep	Related	Medium	Budget meal prep plan

Review it every few weeks. Seasonal keywords rise and fall, so what works in October may be quiet in March. Planning seasonal content a month or two early gives your pins time to be discovered.

Summary

Pinterest keyword research comes down to four steps: collect real searches from the search bar and guided tiles, check which ones have proven demand, choose one main keyword per pin, and place it naturally in your title, description, image, board and web page. Do this for every pin and your content will keep getting found long after you publish it.