Hot Marketing Tips and Tools: How Deleting Pins can Boost Your Pinterest Traffic: A Simple Guide for Bloggers amd Content Creators.

Why I had to delete pins on Pinterest!

Did you know that deleting pins can really boost your Pinterest traffic? I have just gone through this process on my three accounts and it was a lot of work but well worth the effort.

I had had a few bouts of covid that had left me exhausted, and I was getting a lot of work and job offers in teaching and tutoring so I let my management of Pinterest pins slide. My pins weren't getting any traction and I was not seeing my pins in my feed, as they had been in the past.

I will show you the difference it made when I cleaned up my boards and deleted pins. It was quite noticeable!

All about Pinterest first

Pinterest is a powerful platform, but getting traffic you want can be like a tricky game. You've probably heard about optimizing pins with keywords, using high-quality images, or even running ads.

But what if I tell you that deleting pins could actually help improve your traffic?

If you've been pinning content for a while, your Pinterest account may be cluttered with older pins that aren't performing well as they once did-or maybe they didn't take off at all.

What you can do to grow your traffic on Pinterest

You are going to learn how to grow your presence on Pinterest and improve your traffic, plus some tips on which pins to remove.

Why deleting pins matters for Pinterest traffic

1. Clean up your profile for a better user experience.

My biggest mistake many years ago was to include my many special interests. These ranged from health and wellness issues, autism, and blogging. (I had to learn about blogging and I thought many bloggers were on Pinterest too). So I tried to cater to everyone instead of niching down.

I still have a few pins to transfer over to my other account but I have done heaps of deleting of my irrelevant pins and pinned them to my new accounts.

When you delete underperforming pins and outdated pins, your profile becomes cleaner and more cohesive. It is more focused on your current content. Your visitors are seeing your best work. If you've been blogging for a while and making pins, you will notice a change in your content and quality of pins.

2. Deleting improves the relevance of your account.

Pinterest uses an algorithm that evaluates the relevance of your content. If you have too many low-performing pins(especially ones that don't align with your current strategy), the algorithm might think your content isn't valuable.

Deleting older pins helps the platform understand what you're about right now, improving your chances of getting your content in front of the right audience.

3. Boosts your engagement

The more relevant your pins are to your target audience, the more likely you are to see a higher engagement ie. repins, comments, and clicks. If you're constantly getting content in front of the right people, it's easier to build momentum and keep your Pinterest game strong.

4. Prevents your boards from looking stale.

Boards with too many irrelevant or old pins might make potential followers hesitate before following. By deleting pins that no longer fit, you give each board more purpose.

It's about making your boards reflect the value you offer today, not yesterday.

Which pins should you delete?

Now, you might be wondering, Okay, deleting pins sounds good, but how do I know which ones to remove?

1. These might be the ones to ditch:

ones that do not have a lot of repins
not many clicks
not many saves

These are signs that people aren't finding them helpful or inspiring.

2. Pins that are no longer relevant.

As a content creator, you're constantly evolving. Maybe you've shifted your focus, updated your branding, or changed your niche slightly. Pins that don't align with your current content or style can be a drag on your account's performance. Let them go!

3. Underperforming pins with overused keywords.

If you've optimized a pin with specific keywords and it hasn't gained traction over time, it might be worth deleting and creating a new pin with fresh, more effective keywords. Also, if you notice that certain pins are being buried under heavy competition for the same keywords, a fresh start might help you out.

4. Duplicate pins

Posting the same pin multiple times is a common mistake. If you've accidentally created duplicate pins aligning to the same post, deleting the extra ones can reduce the redundancy and help focus your efforts on the one pin that works best.

5. Low-quality pins

Have you ever posted a pin with a blurry image or a caption that didn't quite land? If the design or content isn't up to par, it's better to delete it and create a new, more polished version. Better to have a smaller number of high-quality pins than a bunch of lacklustre ones.

How to make the most of deleted pins

So what's next?

1. After you have cleaned house, repin your best performing content to active boards. Make sure your most popular and relevant pins are front and centre. I am spending time each week making sure that my pins are the first 5 on each board, as they are the most likely to be shared by Pinterest.

Pinterest thrives on new content, so even if a pin has been up for a while, repinning it with updated descriptions or keywords can help it along.

2. Create fresh, high-quality pins.

Take the time to design pins that truly represent your content. Use attention-getting images, vibrant colours, and clear calls to action. A little creativity can go a long way to making sure your content stands out.

3/ Update pin descriptions and keywords

Use Pinterest's search bar to find trending keywords that resonate with your audience. Update your pin descriptions to match these keywords so your content appears in front of more potential viewers. Also, don't forget about alt text for accessibility- it's an extra chance to add in keywords and boost your SEO.

4. Keep consistency in mind

Deleting pins and cleaning up your profile is great, but you need to remain consistent. Schedule time each week to keep your boards tidy and fresh with new pins. Pinterest rewards consistency, so keep pinning regularly.

Best practices for cleaning boards on Pinterest

don't overdo it. Make sure you keep a healthy amount of content up on your profile to show Pinterest that you're an active, consistent creator.
track your analytics. Keep an eye on your Pinterest analytics to see how the cleanup affected your overall traffic. This can give you insights into what types of pins perform the best.
use Pinterest's bulk edit feature. Pinterest allows you to edit or delete multiple pins at once. You will find this feature on each board on the top left. When you hit it, it will refresh the page, then you can start deleting pins by choosing which ones you want to delete, hit all of them and you will see a black frame appear around each pin. When you have finished, go to the bottom of the page to the Rubbish bin and delete. You can also move pins but you must first make those boards secret while moving pins from one board to another board, or else they will all appear in your feed.

Coonclusion

Deleting pins may sound like a simple task, but it can require a lot of patience and work to clean your boards so they are impactful on your Pinterest traffic.

It was time-consuming as I had left it for a long time, but I am seeing the effects of the deletions now. Before I started writing this post, I quickly scrolled through my feed and there were quite a lot of my pins throughout my feed as I scrolled. My pins are also showing more traffic and clicks. So well worth the effort.

By removing outdated, irrelevant, or low-performing content, you make room for your best work to shine. When done strategically, a little cleanup can help you build a stronger, more engaging Pinterest profile that drives real traffic to your blog or website.

I have two posts that may be relevant to you as a blogger or content writer:

1. There is more demand for high-quality pins. This post gives the 5 best providers of stock photos. Personally, I use Ivory Mix because of the high quality of free images, or paid for, that are easily customised. She provides for many niches. As well, she has great freebies other than photos! You can read it here