Pinterest has rapidly established itself as a major source of referral traffic.
People share, or "pin," images from your website on Pinterest, and those images then become clickable links back to your site. Clearly, you want people to share your images on Pinterest and provide that free advertising. So how can you maximize the number of shares and the number of people who click on each image? Below are three things you can do to optimize your images for Pinterest and get people pinning--and pining--for your business. 
1. Include Text on Images.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it helps if at least some of the words get across the specific message you are trying to say.
Each image on Pinterest comes with a text description. You should include the description that you would like to appear on Pinterest in the name and alternate text of the image as it appears on your website. At the very least, include such descriptions on images that people are most likely to pin.
Pinterest users, however, have the ability to type in whatever description they want. You can still make sure your message gets across by including the description on the image itself. For example, if you want to promote a blog post about "10 Ways to Save Money," you can create an image for that post that includes the text "10 Ways to Save Money" as part of the graphic. People will then know at a glance what the pin is about. And although including text on an image might not always make sense, such images are often among the most popular on Pinterest.
2. Include your name or URL on your images.
If someone pins an image from your site, the image will link back to the page where it is located. However, if someone saves your image and then uploads it to Pinterest as their own, you lose that link and no longer get credited as the source of the image.
Because of this, it is a good idea to insert your web address, or at least your name or logo, into the graphic itself. That way, people still know where to find the featured product or content regardless of whether or not it is directly linked.
3. Encourage people to share your images on Pinterest.
That's right: ask. People are more likely to share content on social media if you suggest they do so.
This may be even more important for Pinterest shares than it is for other social media platforms. Photos published online carry an implicit copyright, which makes some people nervous about copying them to Pinterest. Let them know that they are more than welcome to share your content.
Including a "Pin it" button also serves this purpose, and makes your content easier to share on social media.
By following these three pointers--and, of course, having quality images and content to share--you can make Pinterest a bigger part of your overall marketing picture.
*Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
