If you're new to blogging, you've probably heard about SEO, or search engine optimization. Essentially, it's a process of designing and tweaking your site and some of its characteristics to improve visibility and increase traffic to your site. (If you're just starting out, I recommend using WordPress as your blogging platform because it offers tons of flexibility, plug-ins and support.)
As part of your SEO strategy, you should be using images within your blog posts and articles, but now there's an even more compelling reason to use images... a brand new image technique that can help you gain more free traffic to your site...and who doesn't want that?
Allow People to Share Your Images...Spread the Love
Many of you have already heard about Pinterest, and may already be using it for your personal interests. For those of you that aren’t, Pinterest is a free virtual “pinboard” which lets you organize images that you find on the internet, and group them together onto your board.
Sample Collection of Pinboards
It can be used to help plan a party, decorate your home, post tips, and organize essentially any other information that is important to you. You can also browse pinboards created by other people to get inspiration and discover new things.
According to Pinterest, "With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests." Does this make your brain churn with the possibilities? What does that mean for you and your business?
How Can You Use Pinterest To Drive Traffic?
While Pinterest is a great organizational tool and is lots of fun to use, it can also be used as a great tool to drive traffic to your site. Anytime someone “pins” an image, it includes a backlink to the website that it came from, so that clicking on the image takes you directly to the original website.
By allowing viewers to “pin” images from your blog, it allows the image—and your site—to get in front of tens of thousands of new eyeballs. That’s right! Tons o’ new peepers will be directed back to your site for FREE !
My Personal Pinboard of Marketing Experts and Leaders
When someone views your pinned image on another user’s pinboard on Pinterest, they too can “pin” the image to their own board, and the cycle continues. This leads new users to your site that would not otherwise have been led there, if not for that one engaging image. Brilliant!
Make sure the images you choose are engaging in order to attract the most “pinners.” In addition to photos, consider using these other types of images:
- Illustrated Graphics (Infographics)
- Maps
- Screenshots
- Charts
Add a "Pin It" Button to WordPress 
There’s now a growing list of WordPress Pinterest plugins which will allow you to place a button above or below the content on your page so that viewers can “pin” your content. So if someone is viewing your site and likes one of your images, they simply click the “pin it” button, and the image will be moved to their pinboard.
Some of them even offer you the ability to show the pins you’ve made in your sidebar. These plugins are totally free and easy to download, and new features are being added regularly.
You can make a Pin Board for just about anything. Allowing viewers to “pin” your images is a great way to increase traffic to your WordPress site and promote your online business.
Share Your Pin Boards in the Comments Section Below...
Want even more backlinks? Share your own Pin Boards in the comments section below and I’ll be sure to visit and “Re-Pin” some of your images 
If you liked this article or found it to be helpful, I’d love to hear about it - leave me a comment below. As always, please feel free to share a link to this article using one of the buttons below. Ciao!