How to Find Keywords on Pinterest 

How to Find Keywords on Pinterest (The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide)

Are you tired of guessing what to post on Pinterest, only to have your beautifully crafted Pins disappear without a trace? The secret to getting your content found by millions of motivated users isn't about luck or a "hack"—it's about a foundational skill that every successful Pinner masters: keyword research.

On a platform where 97% of searches are unbranded, keywords are the invisible bridge connecting your inspiring ideas to the people actively searching for them. Mastering this skill is a game-changer for bloggers, e-commerce sellers, coaches, and any brand looking to drive traffic, increase saves, and build a lasting presence. This guide will walk you through a powerful, step-by-step process to find and use the right keywords on Pinterest, even if you’re a complete beginner.

What Are Pinterest Keywords, Exactly?

In its simplest form, a Pinterest keyword is a word or phrase that a user types into the search bar to find content. These are not just single words, but often "long-tail" phrases that are highly specific to a user's intent. For example, a user isn't just searching for "fashion," they're searching for "fall fashion 2025," "cozy fall outfits," or "sustainable fashion brands."

Pinterest uses these keywords to categorize your Pins, boards, and profile. When you use relevant keywords, you’re essentially helping Pinterest file your content in the right place so it can be served to the right people. This is a crucial distinction from social media, where a post's reach is often limited to your followers. On Pinterest, keywords unlock the potential for your content to be discovered by anyone, anywhere, regardless of whether they follow you. This makes your content evergreen, as a well-optimized Pin can continue to drive traffic for months or even years.

Where Pinterest Uses Keywords

To get the most out of your keyword strategy, you need to understand every place Pinterest looks for keywords. Think of it as a cohesive system where every element reinforces the others.

• Pin Titles: The title is the first thing a user sees. Make it compelling and include your primary keyword at the beginning to grab attention and boost SEO.

• Pin Descriptions: This is your chance to use a few sentences to naturally weave in your primary keyword and a handful of related keywords. Use the full character limit to provide context and tell users what they'll find on the other side of the Pin.

• Board Names: Your board titles should be descriptive and keyword-rich. Avoid generic names like "My Faves" and instead opt for something searchable like "Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes" or "DIY Home Office Decor."

• Board Descriptions: Just like with Pins, use your board descriptions to add more context with keywords about what users can expect to find on that board. This is a mini blog post intro for your board, so use the full 500 characters to your advantage.

• Profile Name and Bio: Your profile is a searchable entity. Include keywords in your display name (e.g., "The Plant-Powered Chef | Vegan Recipes") and a brief, keyword-rich bio to immediately signal your niche to both users and the algorithm.

• Alt Text and Image Filenames: While these are less direct, Pinterest's powerful visual search technology can also "read" the content of an image. Optimizing the file name of your image with keywords before you upload it (e.g., easy-vegan-lasagna-recipe.jpg instead of IMG_1234.jpg) can give your Pin an extra SEO boost.

How to Find Keywords on Pinterest: A Step-by-Step Guide

The best place to find keywords is on Pinterest itself. The platform gives you a treasure trove of data on what its users are actually searching for.

Step 1: The Pinterest Search Bar (The Auto-Suggest Goldmine)

This is your primary and most powerful tool. Act like a user and start by typing a broad keyword related to your niche into the search bar. As you type, Pinterest will auto-suggest popular long-tail keywords that people are searching for. For example, if you type "living room," the search bar might bring up "living room ideas," "living room decor," "living room paint colors 2025," and "small living room layout." These suggestions are based on real user search queries, so you know they are relevant and have search volume. Write down all the relevant keywords in a spreadsheet.

Step 2: Pinterest Guided Search (Finding Related Topics)

After you've hit enter on a search, look at the row of colorful tiles that appear right below the search bar. These "guides" are Pinterest’s way of showing you related sub-topics and keywords that are trending. For "living room decor," the tiles might include "neutral," "modern farmhouse," "cozy," and "storage." Clicking on a tile will refine your search and show you even more related keywords, allowing you to go deeper into a specific niche. This is a fantastic way to find long-tail keywords you might not have thought of otherwise.

Step 3: Pinterest Trends Tool (The Crystal Ball)

For a more strategic approach, use Pinterest Trends. This free tool lets you see how search volume for a specific keyword changes over time. You can see when "DIY Halloween costumes" start climbing in popularity (late summer) or when "healthy smoothie recipes" peak (January). This information is invaluable for planning your content calendar far in advance. You can also compare up to four keywords to see which is more popular, helping you prioritize your content creation efforts.

Step 4: The Pinterest Ads Manager (A Secret Weapon)

Even if you don't plan on running ads, the Ads Manager is a powerful keyword research tool. When you start creating a new campaign, the "Keywords" section will show you a list of related keywords and, in some regions, their monthly search volume. This can give you a different set of data and help you discover high-volume keywords that you might have missed.

Creating Your Keyword Strategy

Once you've gathered a comprehensive list of keywords, it's time to put them to work with a structured strategy.

1. Create a Master Keyword List: Organize all your keywords into a spreadsheet. Categorize them into broad keywords (e.g., "healthy recipes"), medium-tail keywords (e.g., "gluten-free healthy recipes"), and long-tail keywords (e.g., "easy weeknight gluten-free dinner recipes").

2. Optimize Your Profile: Update your display name and bio with your most important, top-level keywords.

3. Build Keyword-Rich Boards: Create new boards and update existing ones with descriptive, keyword-rich titles and descriptions. The more specific, the better.

4. Create a Variety of Content: Use your long-tail keywords to create specific Pins. Instead of a general Pin about "healthy recipes," create one for "easy pasta salad recipes" or "10-minute protein smoothies." This highly targeted content is more likely to be found and saved by a specific audience.

By consistently researching and using the right keywords, you'll ensure your content is not just beautiful to look at, but also easily found by your ideal audience, turning your Pinterest account into a reliable source of traffic and growth for years to come.

Method 1: The Pinterest Search Bar (Autocomplete)

This is your primary and most powerful keyword research tool. Think of it as Pinterest's own version of Google's autocomplete function, but with a visual twist. The suggestions that appear in the drop-down menu are not random; they are real, high-volume search queries from actual Pinterest users.

How to Use It:

1. Open Pinterest and navigate to the search bar at the top of the page.

2. Type in a broad topic related to your niche. For example, if you're a food blogger, you might start with a broad term like "healthy recipes."

3. Watch the suggestions appear. Before you hit enter, a list of popular, related searches will populate in the drop-down menu. You might see "healthy recipes for weight loss," "healthy recipes for dinner," or "healthy breakfast ideas." These are your long-tail keywords.

4. Experiment with different starter words. Try adding modifiers to your broad keyword. For example, try searching "how to," "best," "easy," or "ideas" followed by your topic. Searching "how to organize" will yield different results than "organize ideas." This helps you understand the user's intent are they looking for a tutorial or just inspiration?

This method is so effective because it gives you a direct look into what your audience is actively searching for. It's the most straightforward way to validate your content ideas and ensure you're creating Pins that people want to see.

Method 2: Pinterest Search Bubbles (Guided Keywords)

After you perform a search, Pinterest provides another layer of keyword discovery that is often overlooked: the colored bubbles that appear right under the search bar. These are known as "guided keywords."

How to Use It:

1. Type a broad keyword into the search bar and hit enter. For example, let's use "bathroom decor."

2. Look at the row of colorful bubbles that appear at the top of the search results. These are keyword modifiers that show you related sub-topics and popular search filters. For "bathroom decor," you might see bubbles for "small," "modern," "on a budget," "farmhouse," or "tile."

3. Click on the bubbles to refine your search. Clicking "small" will modify your search to "small bathroom decor." New bubbles will then appear, such as "small bathroom decor ideas," "small bathroom decor on a budget," and "small bathroom organization."

4. Build long-tail keyword combinations. This method is a fantastic way to build out a list of highly specific, long-tail keywords. By combining the primary keyword with the guided keywords, you can create powerful, targeted phrases like "modern farmhouse bathroom decor on a budget" that attract a highly engaged audience.

This is a visual and interactive way to dive deep into a topic, helping you discover niche content ideas that your competitors may have missed.

Method 3: Analyze Top Pins in Your Niche

Want to know what Pinterest's algorithm is rewarding right now? Look at what's already ranking at the top. Analyzing top-performing Pins in your niche is a simple but brilliant way to reverse-engineer success.

How to Use It:

1. Search a primary keyword in your niche (e.g., "healthy breakfast ideas").

2. Scroll through the top results and pay close attention to the Pins that are ranking on the first page. These Pins are there for a reason they are highly relevant and have strong engagement.

3. Click on each of the top Pins and carefully examine its:

   • Pin Title: What keywords are they using? Are they using a question, a listicle format ("5 Best..."), or a bold statement?

   • Pin Description: Read the description to see how they've woven in keywords. Look for patterns in their language and the variety of related terms they're using.

   • Hashtags: Check to see if they're using hashtags, and if so, what are they? Hashtags are another searchable element on Pinterest.

4. Look for patterns. As you analyze multiple top Pins, you'll start to see patterns. You'll notice common keywords, types of text overlays (e.g., "10-Minute Recipe" vs. "Ultimate Guide"), and even image styles. This analysis gives you invaluable insights into what visuals and keywords resonate with your audience and what Pinterest's algorithm is prioritizing at this moment.

Method 4: Use the Pinterest Trends Tool

For a more strategic, long-term approach to keyword research, the free Pinterest Trends tool is a must-use. It’s like a crystal ball for your content calendar.

How to Use It:

1. Navigate to the Pinterest Trends tool on your desktop.

2. Enter a broad topic related to your niche (e.g., "home organization").

3. Analyze the interest over time. The tool will show you a graph of how search volume for that keyword has changed over the past year. This is how you spot seasonal spikes—for "home organization," you'll likely see a massive peak in January, followed by smaller spikes in spring.

4. Spot rising terms. Below the main graph, Pinterest Trends will show you "related terms" and "top trends" in that category. This helps you discover emerging, popular sub-topics before they hit their peak. For example, under "home organization," you might see a rising trend for "pantry organization ideas with labels."

5. Plan your content in advance. By using Pinterest Trends, you can start creating content 45 to 60 days before a trend's peak. If you see that searches for "Christmas cookies" begin to rise in October, you can create and start pinning your Christmas cookie recipes in early November to get ahead of the competition and maximize your reach when the trend is at its highest.

By combining these four powerful methods, you can build a comprehensive and targeted keyword strategy that will not only get your content found but will also help you create evergreen content that drives traffic and engagement for years to come.