You have probably heard the buzz surrounding Pinterest, an image-sharing platform that links products back to their websites. According to Shareaholic, an online sharing service, Pinterest has generated more referral traffic than Twitter, StumbleUpon, Bing, and Google.

Back in January, Pinterest first beat Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube – combined. In February, Pinterest finally beat out Twitter. Some say that this is just due to the fact that Pinterest is new and “exciting.” But Shareaholic’s Janet Aronica says that if image sharing turns out be users’ favored method of finding content, then Pinterest is one to watch.

Before we continue, here is a brief re-cap of how Pinterest works, and why people find it appealing. Users can easily upload their own original content, or they can post links to websites to share products they are interested in.

People like to keep track of their online browsing, and also enjoy sharing what they find with their friends online. Pinterest connects with users emotionally through customizable pin boards and a clean, engaging platform.

Using an analytics tool, like Google Analytics or Shareaholic Analytics, you can track which websites and sharing platforms (like YouTube, Pinterest, or others) are most effective at generating traffic to your website. This depends on your target audience’s demographics, and research is essential so you are able to effectively allocate resources online.

Because Pinterest is quickly emerging as a top dog in referral traffic, it would be wise to investigate or experiment to see whether it would be a good fit for your business or website. Pinterest is undoubtedly adding more users everyday, and is on board to continue its present (and successful) trajectory.

Nevertheless, Google’s organic traffic still accounts for about half of referrals online. Optimizing keywords on your website means a higher ranking on Google, and that is always a good thing.

John Bradley Jackson
Entrepreneur, Professor, Author
Deja New Marketing
© Copyright 2012

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