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All You Need to Know About Pinterest for SEO

By: Greg Faucher & Michelle Goodwin 

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a photo sharing social network that allows users to create and manage various categorized image collections in a “bulletin board” style fashion. Users can “pin” photos into categories they create based off their own personal interests. Pinterest helps people all over the world connect through their own like-minded interests, such as travel, culture, fashion, cuisine, and photography.

Who uses Pinterest?

  • The average Pinterest user is female between the ages of 24-54
    • Over 90% of Pinterest users are female*
    • 33% of users are between the ages of 35-54*
  • 50% of Pinterest users are parents
  • Pinterest users are extremely active:
    • 12 million unique monthly visitors*
    • 2.2 million of those users post daily*

How are consumers using Pinterest?**

  • Expressing themselves
  • Reminding themselves
  • Learning and exploring topics
  • Searching for and discovering new things

Why is Pinterest beneficial for SEO?

It is no secret that search engines are using social media interaction as a measure of search authority within their algorithms. Since users can share “pins” on both Facebook and Twitter, there is an obvious benefit from an SEO point of view. Listed below are additional SEO benefits from Pinterest:

  • Picture captions are completely optimizable, and “pins” can be indexed in search engine page results.  See the example below of Google generating a Pinterest link to a photo of Alaska when a user input the keyword “Alaska.”

Pinterest for SEO

  • Each image can contain links to send traffic to appropriate parts of the website.
  • Following and supporting popular bloggers and websites across the web can increase your visibility and search authority- ultimately increasing the chances of high profile web sources featuring your brand on their websites.

Things brands should be aware of:

  •  Blatant self promotion is frowned upon, and ultimately will not be the most effective utilization of the site.  The most successful Pinterest profiles are those that interact with the community and “pin” items from other community members as well. As mentioned earlier, brands can support the target community by following influential people in the category, and ‘pinning’ photos from people have interests that align well with your brand.
  • The Travel Channel does a fantastic job of connecting to people’s emotional ties to travel, such as the culture, food, and activities in addition to highlighting its traditional offering—suggesting destinations. The key lesson here is do not solely feature your company’s latest product and service—ensure there are additional boards that feature secondary categories associated with your brand, thereby creating more of a connection with the consumer.
  • It is important to supply engaging imagery to maximize results.
  • If your brand decides to use Pinterest, Pinterest sharing buttons should be added to all applicable content.

Providing that your brand actively participates in the Pinterest community, the site can be a great way to build social presence, gain search authority, and increase overall visibility for the brand.

Sources:

*comScore, Mashable February 2012             

**Maxymiser, March 2012

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/channels/all-you-need-to-know-about-pinterest-for-seo/

Hojoki Combines Services Like Dropbox, Evernote, Google Apps, and More Into a Single Feed [Video]

We discuss a number of web services designed to keep you productive, but when you have a half-dozen different web and storage apps to keep track of they can take more time than they save. That's where Hojoki comes in. The service connects to all of your productivity tools and collects your updates, code revisions, new files, comments, and more into one feed that you can monitor in one place. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5912251/hojoki-combines-services-like-dropbox-evernote-...

Five Handy Things You Can Do with Google's New Knowledge Graph Search [Google Search]

Earlier this week, Google introduced Knowledge Graph, the company's new search technology that understands "things not strings" and adds rich and relevant details about your query in the sidebar of your search results. Here are five great things you can now do with a quick Google search. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5911330/five-handy-things-you-can-do-with-googles-new-k...

MaKey, MaKey turns the whole world into a keyboard

Image

The litany of exciting Maker Faire products continues with MaKey MaKey, a device that turns anything capable of conducting electricity into a controller. Developed by MIT Media Lab students Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, you simply run a bulldog clip from the board to an object and hold a connecting wire in your hand. Connecting over USB, it's entirely programming-free, but if you find your interest piqued, you can flip the board over to use the Arduino module baked into the hardware. It's already surpassed its original $25,000 Kickstarter goal and when the run begins, you'll be able to pick up everything you need for just $35 -- but if you can't wait that long, head on down to the Bay Area this weekend.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Continue reading MaKey, MaKey turns the whole world into a keyboard

MaKey, MaKey turns the whole world into a keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKickstarter  | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/18/makey-makey/

Hands-on with CrashPlan: cloud backup for all

We've recently spent a fair amount of time talking about cloud syncing solutions for PCs and mobile devices. In addition to syncing files and data across multiple devices, these services also provide as much off-site backup as most home users need. But power users and businesses often need more control than the typical cloud sync service can offer—whether it’s over what data is backed up and how, which users can use the service, how that data is secured both in transmission and at rest, or any combination of those flavors of control.

For users and system administrators who are less worried about syncing and more worried about keeping their data safe, a cloud backup solution could be the answer, and among cloud backup solutions, CrashPlan is one of the most competitive, both in features and in pricing. For consumers and small businesses, CrashPlan offers a range of versatile and highly configurable products that can back up client data to CrashPlan's cloud servers without requiring users to pay for and maintain their own file servers or network-attached storage devices. Larger businesses and enterprises can also back data up to CrashPlan's cloud, but are given the added option of creating their own on-site backup servers, which should calm security hawks distrustful of using other companies' servers to store important or sensitive data.

CrashPlan basics

Some of the CrashPlan plans.

Though the details sometimes differ, all versions of CrashPlan operate in the same basic way: using client software installed on the computer you want to back up, you specify what files you'd like to back up and where you'd like to back them up to. All versions of CrashPlan can use CrashPlan's hosted servers, but other versions can also back up to locally hosted CrashPlan servers, external drives, or even other client computers. Once backed up, you can use the client to restore files and folders to your system.

Read more | Comments

from Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/05/crashplan-is-cloud-back...

How the Second Screen Is Shaping the Future of Television [VIDEO]


The Leaders in Digital Series is supported by Samsung. Follow Samsung USA on Google+ and Twitter, and like them on Facebook.


Enthusiasm for so-called “second screen” apps has seemingly reached a tipping point.

The presence of smartphones or tablets while watching TV is nearly ubiquitous, and networks, award shows and startups are among those trying to capitalize on viewer’s propensity for simultaneous social engagement.

GetGlue, one of the most popular second-screen apps, sits at the center of this trend. Recently, the service temporarily crashed during the premiere of Game of Thrones as users clamored to check in and discuss the show.

Last week at Mashable Connect, I had a chance to catch up with GetGlue COO Fraser Kelton, who has had a front row seat to the social tv trend over the past four years. Kelton says mobile and the second screen is “forcing apps to be very focused on a single experience,” as evidenced by Facebook’s recently acquisition of Instagram.

We also discussed how social TV activity correlates with traditional TV ratings, what makes a show successful in the social space and how players in this space stand to make money. Watch the full interview above.


Series presented by Samsung

The Leaders in Digital Series is supported by Samsung. Follow Samsung USA on Google+ and Twitter, and like them on Facebook.

More About: features, getglue, leaders in digital series, mashable, mashable connect, social tv, trending

For more Entertainment coverage:

from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/05/10/mashcon-leaders-in-digital-socialtv/?utm_sourc...

Nootes Is a Great Upgrade from Your Mac's Built-in Sticky Notes App [Mac Downloads]

OS X: Back in the days before OS X, Apple created a notes app called Stickies to let you post little colored notes all over your screen. Despite a lack of updates for years, it's still widely used and a favorite among many. Nootes is an app that works similarly to Stickies but provides a number of additional features. If you've wished for a Stickies upgrade, you'll want to check this out. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5910153/nootes-is-a-great-upgrade-from-your-macs-built+...

NBA Is First Sports League to Get 5 Million Twitter Followers


The National Basketball Association became the first major sports league in the world to top 5 million Twitter followers on Monday morning.

And no other league is even close.

The next most popular sports organization, the NFL, clocks in around 3.3 million followers. Major League Baseball has just over 2 million, while the National Hockey League and World Wrestling Entertainment have about 1.1 million each. World soccer’s governing body, FIFA, has almost 800,000 followers.

“We are committed to delivering great content to our fans 24/7,” Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, the NBA’s vice president of marketing, told Mashable earlier this year. “More and more we’re using social media as the lens for that, so to speak.”

The NBA has long been at the forefront of using social media in the sports business world. Fans used Twitter to vote for this year’s Slam Dunk Contest winner, and in March the league began selling t-shirts featuring star players’ Twitter handles. Last month, it marked the beginning of playoff season by official launching Pinterest and Tumblr pages.

More than 350 current and former NBA players are on Twitter. Counting official league, team and player profiles, the league claims more than 260 million combined Facebook likes and Twitter follows.

SEE ALSO: Fear the Unibrow! NCAA Star’s Epic Eye Hair Dominates Internet [PICS]

While the NBA dominates as a league, soccer stars dominate Twitter’s sports section when it comes to individual accounts. Brazilian midfielder Kaka is the world’s most followed athlete, with more than 10 million followers.

His Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is also approaching the 10 million mark. LeBron James is the NBA’s most popular active player, with nearly 4.5 million followers, while the retired Shaquille O’Neal counts more than 5.5 million.

The NBA’s Twitter success and popularity of global soccer stars are just a couple reflections of the social network’s natural synergy with sports. Sports moments dominate Twitter’s list of most-tweets-per-second records, and the company is looking to hire a sports fan in an editorial role now. Twitter’s bird logo is even named after an NBA legend.

But athletics still have a long way to go to challenge pop music for Twitter dominance — Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry are the network’s three most popular users, with more than 65 million combined followers.

Why do you think Twitter and sports seem to go so well together? Let us know in the comments.


BONUS: 15 Hilarious Sports Parody Twitter Accounts



1. @NotBillWalton


NBA legend and hardcore Grateful Dead fan, Bill Walton is known for his sometimes curious verbiage and his philosophical take on the game of basketball. This account takes full advantage.

Click here to view this gallery.

Thumbnail photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Link-creative

More About: NBA, sports, Twitter

For more Entertainment coverage:

from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/05/14/nba-twitter-5-million/?utm_source=feedburner&u...

Made in New York: Mayor Bloomberg Unveils Map of Tech Startups


New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday unveiled a digital map called Made in New York as a resource for job seekers.

The map, which plots the city’s tech startups, visualizes the commerce hubs within the city and connects jobs seekers with job listings.

“We expect this map to be another tool that helps propel our tech industry forward,” Bloomberg said at Internet Week New York. “The growth of the tech industry in New York City has been a critical part of weathering the nation’s economic downturn, far better than the rest of the country.”

At launch Made in New York features more than 500 local companies across the city’s five boroughs. Of those startups, more than 325 are presently hiring. You can sort the map by digital companies, investors, and co-working and incubator spaces.

The map plots companies by location, so job seekers can explore their desired neighborhoods. Entrepreneurs can also add their companies to the map.

SEE ALSO: Why Has New York Become a Paradise for Tech Startups?

Bloomberg explained that the city intends to continue making New York a place people want to live.

“Creative people want to be around other people and creativity is driving the tech industry,” Bloomberg said. “We are making concentrated efforts to support entrepreneurs and startups.”

New York is currently the second-highest ranked city in the U.S. for attracting venture capital dollars, ahead of Boston and trailing Silicon Valley. The Mayor also discussed how the city is positioning itself as an education hub for engineers, with the opening of the Cornell and Technion campus on Roosevelt Island.

The map was created in partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Internet Week NY and the New York Tech Meetup.

Does this map look like a valuable tool? What else should New York do to propel its budding tech industry.


BONUS: Facebook Contest Finds 10 Best Shots of New York City


Robert Caputo


Click here to view this gallery.

More About: maps, Michael Bloomberg, new york city, Startups

For more Startups coverage:

from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/05/15/made-in-new-york/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_me...

NYC's Made in New York Digital Map lets you see who's hiring in the tech field

NYC's 'Made in New York Digital Map' lets you see who's hiring in the tech field

You can't deny Mike Bloomberg's often coming up with different ways to involve New Yorkers in tech-related bits. On this occasion, Mayor Bloomberg & Co. have introduced a novel way for citizens of The Big Apple -- and others who plan on making the move -- to find jobs in the technology sector. Dubbed "Made in New York Digital Map," the service aims to make it easier for folks to see which tech companies are seeking engineers, designers, developers, etc. At the moment there's more than 325 outfits looking for new hires, with over "thousands of jobs" being up for grabs. Mayor Bloomberg says this is only the beginning and he's encouraging startups to set up shop here in the City, as he believes this "is the place to be if you're a growing tech startup." You can take a tour of the Digital Map now via the source link below.

NYC's Made in New York Digital Map lets you see who's hiring in the tech field originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceMade in New York Digital Map  | Email this | Comments

from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/15/nyc-made-in-new-york-ditial-map/