Pinterest as Your Google Alternative: The Exact Process to Assess Your Website’s Fit

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Many of you have been asking for more details about my Pinterest strategy since I mentioned it’s becoming my traffic lifeline post-HCU.

You already know I’m getting solid traffic to my websites from Pinterest…

But what you don’t know is how I determined which of my websites had Pinterest potential in the first place.

And today, I’m showing you exactly how I assessed whether one of my old, Google-forgotten websites could find new life on this social platform.

🧪 My Current Pinterest Experiment

I currently have three websites getting consistent traffic from Pinterest:

Two brand-new sites built specifically for this strategy
One oldie but goodie – that Deer 🦌 Website I bought in 2022 (and never mentioned it on my blog 😱)

I wanted to try to build the Pinterest traffic to this old website… But before dumping a bunch of time into it, I needed to know: would my website even have potential there?

Let me walk you through my exact process to figure this out.

🔍 Does Your Website Have Pinterest Potential?

Not every website topic works on Pinterest. Before you start creating pins like crazy, you need to validate whether there’s even search volume for your topics.

Here’s my exact process:

1️⃣ Define Your Website’s Main Topic Pillars

First, I identified the core content pillars on my website. These are the main topics that define what your site is about.

For example, if we take an outdoor living website, I could define these pillars:

Patio ideas
Outdoor shower ideas
Outdoor kitchen ideas

2️⃣ Research Pinterest Search Volume (The Smart Way)

This is where most people go wrong. They assume topics popular on Google will automatically work on Pinterest.

But Pinterest has its own search ecosystem with completely different audiences 🤷‍♀️

I used a tool developed by Tony Hill (aka King of Pinterest) called PinClicks (affiliate link) to see the actual search volume on Pinterest.

(A year ago, Tony appeared on the Authority Hacker podcast, and I immediately liked his no-BS approach – you can watch his interview here.)

PinClicks does something crucial: it shows you actual monthly search volume for Pinterest interests, which helps you identify high-potential topics before creating a single piece of content.

3️⃣ Focus on Pinterest Interests (Not Just Keywords)

Here’s something most Pinterest “gurus” won’t tell you: on Pinterest, you should focus on interests, not just keywords.

What’s the difference?

Pinterest keywords are what people type in the search bar
Pinterest interests are broader categories Pinterest uses to group and recommend content

The critical difference: only interests have reliable search volume data in Pinterest’s system.

Using PinClicks (affiliate link), I discovered the monthly search volume for my example topic pillars:

Patio ideas: 504,410
Outdoor shower ideas: 80,298
Outdoor kitchen ideas: 80,165

That’s a potential reach of 664,873 monthly visitors!

Even capturing 5-10% of that would be transformative for most websites struggling after Google updates.

🧩 But Wait, There’s More To Consider…

Finding high-volume Pinterest interests is just the first step. It’s like identifying keywords with search volume in the SEO world.

But just as with Google, Pinterest keywords have different search intents, and this dramatically affects how you should create content.

Search intent refers to the underlying reason why someone is searching for something. Are they looking for information? Shopping for products? Seeking tutorials?

On Pinterest, intent is even more nuanced because it’s such a visually driven platform. People might be looking for:

Inspiration and ideas
Step-by-step tutorials
Product recommendations
Planning guides

And just like Google, matching your content to the right search intent is crucial for success.

But that’s a topic for my next email. I’ll show you exactly how to determine Pinterest search intent and create pins that match what users actually want.

🔗 Worth checking out this week:

Pinterest Trends Tool: A free way to start exploring Pinterest topics (though not as comprehensive as PinClicks and no search volume)
Tony Hill’s Authority Hacker interview: Learn more about Pinterest strategy from the master himself

🛠️ Want to dive into Pinterest search volumes?

PinClicks is a good way to do it. You can use a 5-day trial to look around and see what it is all about. Then use my coupon Loc25OFF to take 25% off.

Hands down, this tool has completely changed how I approach Pinterest.
Instead of guessing what might work, I now have actual data to make decisions. It’s like having Ahrefs but for Pinterest (and a lot more affordable). I use it every day multiple times a day.

🤔 Now, a question to you…

Do you have any old websites collecting dust after Google updates? Have you considered whether they might have Pinterest potential?

Go to the Comments and hit Reply!

Otherwise, have a wonderful weekend ❤️

P.S. In my next newsletter, I’ll reveal exactly how I determine Pinterest search intent – and my subscribers have received it already 😉 It’s a whole different game from Google SEO, and most people are doing it completely wrong!

P.P.S. I have been playing around with my newsletter style and I feel like this one is the best so far 🤩 Agree? Feel free to share your opinion!