Smartest Ways to Organize Pinterest Boards for Better SEO

Most Pinterest accounts I audit start so strong! They’ve got one solid content category, maybe two, and then things go off the rails. Suddenly there are boards about capsule wardrobes, kitchen tile, and quotes that haven’t been relevant since 2014. Meanwhile, their offers? Nowhere to be found.

That disconnect is the problem.

Pinterest is a search engine. And it only works when your boards clearly reflect what your business is about right now, not what it was when you made that “Launch Ideas” board three years ago.

I manage Pinterest accounts for online business owners who are tired of fighting with Meta to get their content seen and still need their content to do the heavy lifting. One of the most effective things we do is clean up and completely organize Pinterest boards. Not for aesthetics, although it does help, but we do it for search and Pinterest SEO.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the smartest ways to organize your Pinterest boards so they align with your current content strategy, improve your Pinterest SEO, and help your profile work harder behind the scenes.

And if you want Pinterest advice that’s honest, strategic, and won’t make you feel like you need a rebrand to get started, join my newsletter below.

Use Straightforward Board Names

Cute board names confuse Pinterest, and if Pinterestbot is confused then your pins aren’t getting shown to anyone no matter how much time you spent designing them.

If you want your content to be indexed correctly, your board names need to match what people are actually searching for. This unfortunately means prioritizing clarity over cleverness in this specific use case. (Sorry, Emelie.) Save the clever humor for the pin description and in your actual content!

When I’m creating boards for clients, we always prioritize clarity over cleverness. A board called “Sales Page Tips” will outperform one called “Get Your Bag🤑” every time. You can always infuse personality into your content or pin designs, but your board names? Keep them a little more boring.

Let me show you what that looks like in real life!

Example: A Web Designer

Say you’re a web designer who builds Squarespace sites for online service providers. You also blog about website strategy, website design, and Squarespace itself. Here’s what your boards should look like:

• Squarespace Design Tips
• Website Design Inspiration
• Web Design Tips for Service Providers
• Squarespace Customization Tips

These board names are:

• Specific
• Keyword-oriented
• Focused on what people are actually typing into search

Compare that to a profile with boards like “Biz Inspo,” “2026 Vibes.” Pinterest doesn’t know what those mean and neither does your Pinterest audience!

If you’re unsure what to name a board, search the phrase on Pinterest and check the autocomplete or suggested topics. That’s your audience telling you exactly what they’re looking for. Keep it simple and just use one of the auto-populated suggestions when in doubt.

P.S.– if you’re wondering what to do with your old boards that don’t fit anymore, we’ll cover that in another post.

Create Boards for Every Main Topic You Cover

This is one of the most common gaps I see in Pinterest setups: creators have tons of content but don’t have boards that reflect all the main things they talk about. (Yes, it also happens on the opposite end where we have too many disjointed and disconnected ones.)

If you want your pins to show up in search, they need to live on boards that match their topics. That means having at least one board for each of your core content categories.

Let’s go back to our web designer example. If they regularly create content about Squarespace, home page optimization and website design hacks for service providers, but they only have boards called “Portfolio” and “Web Design”, they’re missing opportunities.

Here’s how it could look when it’s done well:

• Squarespace Tips
• Squarespace Home Page Design
• Squarespace SEO Basics
• Website Home Page Inspiration
• Website Home Page Hero Designs
• DIY Web Design Tips for Business Owners

Each of these boards targets a distinct search query. I literally pulled these directly off of the Pinterest auto-complete search bar. They also make it easy to pin your content to the right place so Pinterest knows exactly how to categorize it.

You can have up to 500 Pinterest boards, but it’s unlikely that you’d ever need that many with a well intentioned strategy. Quality and clarity beat quantity every time. Most small business owners can start with 6–10 relevant, keyword-friendly boards and grow from there stacking pins brick by brick.

Use Sections Sparingly and Strategically

Pinterest board sections can be helpful and create intuitive navigation in certain instances.

Sections don’t actually improve your SEO. Pinterest doesn’t use them for indexing or ranking, nor are they searchable. They’re purely for visual organization.

Here’s where I use Pinterest board sections in real life:

• Portfolio boards: Separate and categorize your work
• Personal boards: If you’re using personal boards as part of your strategy next to your business, make sure they’re well organized to reflect what you want your audience to know about you

Now let’s go back to our web designer. If they have a board called “Client Portfolio,” it might make sense to break it into sections like:

• Custom Full Build Websites
• One Page Websites
• Website Refresh & Redesigns

Keep it simple. If a board doesn’t need sections, don’t add them. If you’re not sick of hearing me say this, just focus on making the board title clear and the pins inside relevant.

Reorder Boards to Match Your Current Focus

Your top Pinterest boards should reflect what you’re selling right now.

When someone lands on your Pinterest, they’re not going to scroll through 76 boards to find more information. And Pinterest isn’t going to prioritize outdated boards in search results either. You want your most relevant, profitable content right at the top which is beneficial for both for humans and the algorithm.

Good news though, friend: reordering boards is easy. On mobile or desktop first click on your profile picture. You’ll see 2 tabs: “Created” and “Saved” which will give you 2 different views. Click on Saved, which will give you a board view. You can then drag and drop your boards to easily reorganize your content.

When I do this for clients, I always pull their most current offers, programs, and content themes to the top.

And remember, board organization isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Your content and offers evolve. This is especially relevant if your content has seasonal or holiday content. Make it easy for people to find what they need!

Ready to Clean Up Your Pinterest?

Organizing your Pinterest boards isn’t glamorous, but it is one of the faster ways to get your content working harder. And once your boards are set up with SEO in mind, every pin you create has a clearer path to reach the right audience.

If this post made you realize your Pinterest profile could use a tune-up, jump in line because I’m headed to my own Pinterest next! I do a lot of these for clients routinely, it’s a great way to start each quarter fresh.

If you want help making Pinterest make sense and talking about workflows and simplicity, you’ll want to drop your email below and hop in the newsletter.