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I adore Pinterest, but it is not perfect. While Pinterest is an excellent way to grow your visibility online, there are some problems with Pinterest that can make you crazy if you let them. Check out what those problems are and some suggestions on how not to be crazy when using Pinterest!
Oh, Pinterest analytics. They are definitely first in the problems with Pinterest. With the ups and downs, the confusion about how to interpret them, and the delayed reporting, they can drive a person mad.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The best way to handle the craziness of Pinterest analytics is to recognize that they’re crazy. If you know your analytics will have wild swings and are not the most reliable measure of your traffic, you can avoid a lot of stress and headaches.
One thing to remember is that the average monthly views number (that coveted number on a business profile) means very little. All that number tells you is the number of people that saw anything you ever pinned on Pinterest during the month. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pin from your website or someone else’s website. If you pin it, it adds to your impressions and those impressions add to your monthly views.
Of course, many of the people who view your profile don’t understand Pinterest the way we do, so you do want a higher number. Other than that, don’t worry about the monthly views too much.
Worrying too much about graphs like this will make you crazy!
Another tip for dealing with analytics on Pinterest is to not look at them more than once a week. They do have some benefits, which I’ll talk about in a different post, but you should use Google Analytics to really understand how Pinterest is impacting your business. It’s a much more reliable method of viewing traffic to your website (I’ll talk about why in another post) and can show lots of information about your Pinterest traffic.
Bonus Tip: If you really want to dig deep into your traffic from Pinterest, get the Pinterest dashboard from Kristie Hill. It’s free for subscribing to her email list. I don’t get anything for you signing up; I just wanted to share this amazing tool. Plus, Kristie is a Pinterest/SEO queen, so you definitely want to get her emails!
Number two of the problems with Pinterest that can make you crazy is how they update Pinterest a lot. While I love that they’re constantly trying to improve the site, these updates can cause glitches on the website, in the app, with your pins, and/or in your analytics. There will be times that you want to pull your hair out.
The best way to handle the glitches when they happen is to take a break from Pinterest. It might take a few minutes, a few hours, or a day before it’s working correctly again, but Pinterest has never broken completely. Sometimes logging out and logging back in fixes the problem, and sometimes switching from the app to website or vice versa works. I seriously just leave it alone for a few hours and it’s all better.
Bonus Tip: If Pinterest is having a glitch and you are concerned about pinning consistently, Tailwind is the way to go. I love Tailwind for many reasons, as I talk about this post, and this is definitely one of them. If you haven’t signed up for Tailwind, you can get a free month (Affiliate link) to check it out. You can use the Tailwind Chrome extension and Tribes to schedule pins when Pinterest is glitchy. It’s so helpful!
One of the major problems with Pinterest (seriously!) is stolen pins. This happens when people go onto Pinterest, choose a pin they like, and change the url where the pin directs traffic. These stolen pins frequently redirect to spam sites. Pinterest does take this problem very seriously, but they haven’t figured out how to solve it.
The best way to stop stolen pins from making you crazy is to not worry about them. If you spent all your time on Pinterest looking for stolen pins, you would be at it forever! It’s better for your business to focus on creating good content, appealing pins, and quality keyworded descriptions. If you do those things, your business will grow.
[bctt tweet=”If you spent all your time on Pinterest looking for stolen pins, you would be at it forever! It’s better for your business to focus on creating good content, appealing pins, and quality keyworded descriptions.” username=”mvirtualassists”]
Bonus tip: If you happen to come across one of your pins that was stolen, you can go through the process to report the pin to Pinterest. They will remove it. As you are completing the form to report it, choose copyright infringement and make sure to choose Strike for what you want to be done with the pin. If you choose the Remove All option, it will take down all of the pins with that image, including your own and any repins. You definitely don’t want that.
Bonus Tip #2: When you are repinning on Pinterest, it’s a good idea to check that the pin directs to where it’s supposed to go. It only takes a second or two to click on the pin and head to the website. You’ll learn quickly how to spot stolen pins and avoid repinning them.
A post on problems with Pinterest would not be complete without talking about the misinformation about Pinterest that’s out there. There are a few reasons for this misinformation. One of the causes is Pinterest is not always terribly open about preferred practices and how best to use Pinterest. They are trying to be more transparent, but that can actually lead to more problems because even people within the Pinterest organization sometimes say different things. It can drive a person to drink…
Another cause of misinformation about Pinterest is frequently making changes to the Pinterest algorithm and best practices. This leads to outdated information very quickly. When you add the fact that Pinterest pins last forever (not really, but they last a LONG time), it’s quite easy to find and follow old advice.
The best way to avoid misinformation is to verify any tips you find. I’ve found Facebook Groups and Pinterest masters to be the best places to find real information. My top recommendation for finding current and correct information on Pinterest is the Simple Pin Media podcast. Kate Ahl does a great job of explaining everything Pinterest and invites experts from different niches to share their Pinterest wisdom.
I also love the Simple Pin Pinterest Strategy Group on Facebook because the people in it are crazy helpful and know a lot. It’s also a very active group, so there are always new ideas and things to learn.
Bonus tip: If you decide to take an online course about Pinterest, be sure it is updated! The last major change to Pinterest best practices was June of 2018, so make sure it’s been updated since then.
Depending on what you’re looking for in a Pinterest course, Melissa at Blog Clarity has a course that’s highly recommended. Although I haven’t taken it yet, I’ve heard it’s THE Pinterest course to take. It’s definitely on my list!
Sidenote: I felt like a Pinterest superstar when Melissa followed my account. #truestory
If you’re looking for courses specifically on Promoted Pins, Monica Froese of Redefining Mom is my go-to gal. I’ve taken several of her courses, and she’s very knowledgeable about Pinterest and marketing and marketing on Pinterest. She also does a great job of explaining things for those of us who do not understand anything about marketing and is always willing to answer a question. Plus one of her main brand colors is purple (my favorite color ever!), so she has to be cool. 😉
As I stated before, Pinterest isn’t perfect and there are problems with it. Of course, that’s true with any network, platform, or app. When you consider data breaches, follow-unfollow bots, and how long it takes to get visible on some search engines (I’m looking at you, Google!), the very best tip to keep from going crazy is don’t put all of your efforts into one traffic source. Use SEO best practices, work your Pinterest strategy, and try to maintain an active social media presence. Keep focusing on your business, stay consistent in your marketing across platforms, and you’ll see results. It might not be as fast as you would like, but you’ll get there.
If you’ve decided that you would rather not deal with the problems with Pinterest, let me help! I offer Pinterest management services that might be just what you need. Whether you’re looking for strategy help, pin design, Pinterest SEO, or scheduling, you can find details about the packages I offer on my services page. I would love to talk with you!
And, if you need more tips for Pinterest, check out my Pinterest Tips board. There’s great stuff there.
Now it’s your turn – What problems with Pinterest make you nuts? Do you have tips to avoid the crazy? Share them below or on my Facebook page. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
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