Pinterest Algorithm: How Does It Work in 2024?

Pinterest is still going strong in 2024 — in fact, 89% of people in the US use pins as purchase inspiration. There is a tendency to assume Pinterest is just for wedding planning or home inspiration — and while it is great for these uses, marketers might miss out if they don't include it in their social campaigns — especially if their products or services are visually appealing. 

By 2023, nearly 83% of online users are expected to participate in e-commerce by 2024. Online shopping will continue to grow, and Pinterest plans to keep pace with it, introducing features like Pinterest shopping, which uses tags to pull up a page of related products users can purchase.

This blog provides an in-depth examination of:

• What is the Pinterest algorithm?
• How the Pinterest algorithm works.
• Pinterest algorithm ranking factors. 
• 8 Tips to master the Pinterest algorithm.

What Is the Pinterest Algorithm?

The Pinterest algorithm is a set of rules and conditions impacting pins users see. If you’re interested in beauty, you’ll likely see beauty content geared toward your recent pins, searches and boards. You’re also bound to see pins related to your past pins, along with more recent searches. 

How Does the Pinterest Algorithm Work?

Pinterest is relatively transparent regarding its algorithm, eliminating some of the guesswork. Despite this, they are constantly tweaking it, which is great for users to see more relevant content and have a better overall user experience. Still, it clearly can complicate social marketers' jobs. 

Interestingly, Pinterest uses many of the same tenants as Google to deem what's most relevant. Its algorithm looks at domain authority (DA) or domain quality, pin engagement, user quality and general relevance.

Ranking Factors for the Pinterest Algorithm

Whether you want to showcase the latest beauty product or your brand’s newest feature, you’ll want your content to be seen by people who will engage with your content but, hopefully, also make a purchase at some point. 

Ranking factors include the following:

Domain Quality  

What’s your website’s domain authority? While many content marketers have different opinions on what constitutes a ‘good’ authority score, domain authority scores between 50-60 are generally considered good, while scores above 60 are the best. Pinterest looks at the domain authority of the links you share and factor this into the ranking.

Engagement 

Pinterest is more likely to feature your pins on relevant users' Home' feed based on past levels of engagement. Pinterest analytics are integral to monitoring and recording engagement so you can keep doing what works, change what's not, and better understand your audience's likes and interests and how they interact with your account. 

Pinner Quality 

Pinner quality, or user quality, refers to your account. Do you have a significant amount of followers? Some of the most popular Pinterest accounts have upwards of 5 million followers. In comparison, established brands like Vogue have around 2 million followers. Look for industry benchmarks to see how your account compares to others in your market. 

Another significant aspect of user or account quality that is considered for ranking is the type of content you pin. Pinning popular and trending content is another sign of a quality Pinterest account, so sharing popular, trending pins (that relate to your audience and brand) along with your branded content is vital. If you only focus on producing content, you may decrease your chances of ranking in the Pinterest search.

Topic Relevance 

There are boards for recipes, fashion, tattoos, tools, tech, makeup, and more — chances are your brand is relevant to someone. The best brands on Pinterest create a fantastic narrative with their pins using eye-capturing images and concise while relating to their target demographic.

Tips To Hack the Pinterest Algorithm in 2024

Understanding the algorithm is vital for creating content that resonates with your audience and encourages engagement. Learning which factors Pinterest's algorithm prioritizes will help your brand be more discoverable on the app — here are some tips to better work with the algorithm.

1. Get into Pinterest SEO 

What are users looking for on Pinterest, and how can your new and existing content be rephrased and optimized to reach them? 

While many consider Pinterest a social platform, it’s also a visual discovery or search engine. Use keywords, search the platform using phrases you’d like to rank for and see how the top-ranking pins use copy, keywords, and tags in their pins, titles, and descriptions. 

You can also ensure you optimize your Pinterest account by using keywords related to your brand and audience in your account description or bio. 

2. Utilize Pinterest Features

Pinterest cuts off descriptions at around 75 characters, so don’t just link your website in the description — use the Story Pin feature if you have more than one grouping of products or images you want to promote and use call-to-action tags (swipe-up links for ads) to encourage people to visit your landing page. 

Its Catalog feature is also valuable for marketers — this automatically takes stock of the products on your website feed and features them on the Shop tab so users can view products and visit your site from a single pin or board.

3. Use High-Quality Images

Do you want to click on a grainy, low-resolution image? No, you don’t, and your audience doesn’t either. Use high-quality images with the best pin size to ensure your visuals attract and entice.

4. Use a Pinterest Business Account 

Mistake number 1 is not using a Pinterest business account. If you’re a brand or organization, you can claim your website on Pinterest, which indicates you have a reputable website and are likely a trustworthy source for the content you are pinning — especially if it’s original content.

5. Have Conversations

Engagement is a major ranking factor for Pinterest content — while it’s not a platform known most for two-way conversation, many users comment to ask where a product is from, where they can purchase it, or to say, “I love this.” When you get these comments, reply! 

6. Use Rich Pins

Rich pins synch information from your website and contain extra information that gives the viewer more context and takes up more room on users’ feeds. Rich pins are also dynamic, which means they update when the same content on your website changes, making these pins great for evolving information. Pinners can create Recipes, Articles and Products as rich pins.

7. Use The Right Dimensions

Using the correct dimensions for videos, images, Rich Pins and ads is crucial to ensure your visuals are clear and maximize the given space. Learning how to post videos on Pinterest with the correct aspect ratios, file sizes, and more, as well as photos with the proper specifications and size, helps make your content more engaging.

8. Leverage Trends

‍While Pinterest is a visual search engine, it’s also highly driven by social media trends — try to tap into relevant trends for your industry, conduct keyword research using the app and even sites like Google Trends to get an idea of which industry trends your target demographic is likely to search for. Tapping into these trends with tutorials, Rich product pins and more can help boost your overall Pinterest engagement and encourage users to save your content.

Measuring Pinterest Performance with Dash Hudson

Pinterest account frequency and quality, pin quality, and engagement are crucial when performing well on Pinterest — and getting your brand in front of people who will love it. Dash Hudson’s Pinterest Insights are essential to pull your Pinterest metrics into one convenient platform (along with other social insights). 

The more granular you can get, the better you can understand where your Pinterest marketing strategy is most effective. Dash Hudson’s segmentation tool is valuable for marketers as you can analyze data by boards and categories, see how many people clicked your links, and more — which is very helpful if you use e-commerce features on Pinterest. 

If you want to harness Pinterest’s unique potential, Dash Hudson’s AI insights will help curate photos and videos that will positively impact and resonate with your audience. 

FAQs

Is there an algorithm for Pinterest?

Yes, there’s an algorithm for Pinterest. This algorithm impacts the pins you see in your ‘Home’ feed based on your boards, pins, and searches; and aims to show your content to users who are more likely to engage. 

Why is the Pinterest algorithm so good?

The Pinterest algorithm is so good because it’s constantly being tweaked to align with the user's activity and interests. 

How does Pinterest decide what to show you?

Pinterest determines the pins you see in your ‘Home’ feed based on your boards, pins, and searches.