Nobody searches for "3 bedroom unit".
They search for "weekend away near the beach with the dog". Or "cosy cabin with fireplace". Or "romantic getaway Mornington Peninsula".
Understanding how guests search is one of the most valuable things you can learn as an accommodation owner. It helps on Pinterest, but it also helps your website, your Google ranking and even your Airbnb listing. Here's how keywords work and how to find yours.
Why keywords matter so much on Pinterest
Pinterest is a visual search engine. It reads your pin titles, descriptions, board names, profile and even the text on your images to understand what each pin is about. Then it matches your pins to what people are searching for (Tailwind).
No keywords means Pinterest doesn't know who to show your pin to. Beautiful photos alone aren't enough.
And there's a lot of searching going on. Pinterest's Summer 2024 travel report recorded around 1 billion travel searches in a single year.
How guests think when they search
Guests rarely start with your property's name. Expedia Group research found most travellers haven't decided on a destination when they start planning. They begin broad and narrow down.
That means you want to be found at every step:
Broad: "weekend getaway Victoria"
Narrower: "romantic cabin Daylesford"
Specific: "cabin with outdoor bath Daylesford"
The five types of keywords for stays
1. Location keywords. Your town, region, state and nearby landmarks. For example: "Great Ocean Road", "Daylesford", "Noosa hinterland", "near Melbourne".
2. Property type keywords. What kind of stay you are. For example: "cabin", "beach house", "farm stay", "tiny house", "glamping", "boutique hotel", "luxury villa".
3. Trip type keywords. Who it's for and why they're going. For example: "romantic getaway", "family holiday", "girls' weekend", "pet-friendly", "babymoon", "anniversary".
4. Feature keywords. What makes your stay special. For example: "outdoor bath", "ocean views", "fireplace", "private pool", "spa".
5. Season and occasion keywords. When and why. For example: "winter getaway", "summer holiday", "school holidays", "long weekend", "Christmas getaway".
The magic happens when you combine them: "romantic cabin with outdoor bath, Daylesford".
How to find the right keywords (for free)
Use Pinterest's search bar. Start typing a phrase like "cabin getaway" and look at the suggestions that drop down. Those are real searches people make.
Look at the suggestion bubbles. After you search, Pinterest shows related terms under the search bar. They're gold for finding variations.
Read your reviews. What words do guests use to describe their stay? "Peaceful", "cosy", "perfect for a babymoon". Those are often the words future guests search for.
Check what's ranking. Search your area on Pinterest and see which pins show up first. What words are in their titles?
Check Pinterest Trends. Pinterest's free trends tool shows how searches rise and fall over the year, which is perfect for seasonal planning.
Where to put your keywords
Pin titles: lead with your main keyword
Pin descriptions: one or two natural sentences with a few related keywords
Board names: "Daylesford Romantic Getaways" beats "Our Favourites"
Board descriptions
Your profile name and bio
Text on the pin image
Alt text describing the image
An example
Before: Title: "Our happy place ✨" · Description: "Book now! #travel #getaway #airbnb"
After: Title: "Romantic Cabin Getaway with Outdoor Bath, Daylesford" · Description: "Escape to a private cabin in the Daylesford hills with an outdoor bath, fireplace and forest views. Perfect for couples' weekends, anniversaries and babymoons. Book direct for the best rate."
The second one tells Pinterest exactly who should see it.
Bonus: these keywords help everywhere
Once you've found the words your guests use, put them to work across all your holiday rental marketing: your website headings, your Google Business Profile, your Airbnb listing title and description, and your Instagram captions. It's the same guest, searching in different places.
A note on keyword stuffing
Write for people first. Descriptions crammed with keywords read badly and don't convince anyone to click. Natural, descriptive language works better, and it's what Pinterest rewards.
Skip the research. Download my free list of 50 Pinterest Keywords for Australian Accommodation.
