17 Reasons Why Your Pinterest Traffic is Dropping!

Howdy there partner,

Here’s a quick intro if you’re new to Stray Curls.

My name is Angela, I’m a 32-year-old Illustrator/Blogger living in Asia. I’ve been in the online business for over 10 years, and I make a full-time income with my websites (which are in different niches).

Since I work with a lot of bloggers (via Pinterest Coaching), I know that a few of them have experienced traffic falls.

There is no 1-stop solution to Pinterest.

Every account is treated differently. It can vary so much based on your niche, the country you reside in, your pinning frequency, and your stats.

And many of my clients who’ve lost traffic suddenly have had it happen for different reasons.

One of my clients increased her pinning to 25 pins overnight (she was pinning 5 before), and Pinterest thought she was spamming and just put a cap on her account.

Here’s what it looked like:

Another one of my clients was repinning a popular pin of hers over and over, and Pinterest again capped her account.

One of my other clients had all of her viral pins stolen – she lost a lot of traffic! But with some patience, we were able to recover her account.

So far, all 3 of them managed to get back their traffic with a little help. But one of them still hasn’t reached the point she was previously, and that’s okay – it’s a journey. =)

Let’s dive in.

But let’s get the affiliate disclaimer out of the way:

This post may include affiliate links, which means clicking on them might result in me making a commission at no extra cost to you. This allows me to run this blog ad-free and make content accessible for you for free. I also use this to pamper my beloved pups whom I love to the moon and back.

1. Your traffic was coming from a few Viral Pins

This is one of the biggest reasons you’re noticing a traffic dip.

Check your traffic for 4 weeks before your traffic fell.

Look at where your outbound clicks came from – if it was just coming from 2-3 viral pins, then look at the traffic stats for those individual pins.

Did they fall?

If so, chances are you’re in the clear and it was just your viral pins dying down.

2. Seasonal Traffic Shift

Sometimes, pins take off during a particular season.

I had a few Halloween pins that did extremely well, and they started dying down after Thanksgiving.

It’s totally normal to have this happen.

That’s why it’s important to focus on the coming season and create pins 30-60 days in advance so that they pick up well!

3. You’re using a 3rd-party scheduler

Tailwind is the only approved 3rd scheduler for Pinterest.

I currently only use Pinterest’s native scheduler because using Pinterest sends a green signal to them that you’re actually spending time on the platform.

They value that.

So, at the moment, I don’t feel the need to use Tailwind – it’s an additional expense.

But if you’re using Tailwind, there is no problem.

But sometimes, Pinterest frowns upon 3rd party schedulers like Blog to Pin. They’ve suspended accounts before, and I still have no idea why.

It’s their rules.

And we have to follow them.

4. You’re not consistent with Pinning

I’ve had a few people write to me.

They pin for 2 weeks at a stretch and then stop for a week before continuing again.

I’ve tried this before. Pinterest doesn’t like inconsistency.

So you’ll notice a fall in traffic 2-3 weeks later if you stop pinning or are very inconsistent.

Moral of the story, sweetheart: Be consistent.

If you’re finding it very difficult to stay consistent, try to pin at least 3 pins a day. For one of my accounts that’s with Mediavine (whose traffic is entirely from Pinterest), I pin only 3-5 pins a day.

Focus on just putting out 2-3 pins every single day.

Use the scheduler so you can take personal breaks.

Once you’re consistent with 2-3, move up to 5 and then slowly increase the number to 10, etc.

5. You’re pinning the same URL too frequently

You can share the same URL every 7 days.

It has to be spaced out.

There are exceptions to this rule, and I share them in this post.

But if you’re spamming Pinterest, Pinterest can and may put a bar on your account – it can either squash your pins such that your traffic never increases 1-2K impressions a day, or it can just suspend your account.

So, be careful.

Space out your pins.

6. You’re accidentally using taboo words

Certain words can trigger Pinterest’s Spam filter.

Pinterest has strict policies around body image and health.

Avoid:

• “Weight loss”

• “Lose weight fast”

• “Fat-burning”

• “Before and after”

• “Belly fat”

• “Slim down”

• “Shed pounds”

• “Skinny”

Instead, use:

• “Healthy lifestyle tips”

• “Nourishing meals”

• “Feel-good fitness”

You may not know this, but Pinterest also doesn’t allow unverified medical advice.

Please don’t use words like this:

• “Cure cancer”

• “Reverse diabetes”

• “Stop aging”

• “Treat depression”

• “Healing crystals for [condition]”

• “Natural remedies for anxiety”

You have to be very, very careful when you’re writing your pin titles and descriptions.

In short, try to be truthful and not mislead anyone just to get clicks. It won’t work out for your Pinterest account.

7. You stopped covering NEW ideas

There is such a thing as Idea Saturation.

2 years ago, I noticed everyone covering “How to become THAT girl,” so I did it too! I hopped on the trend.

I put my own spin on the article and wrote it from a very holistic point of view, covering how to find happiness within yourself and build a routine that works for you.

It did well for 2 whole years, but now that idea has died down.

Trends change.

When you only cover trends, you’re showing Pinterest you have no original ideas.

That’s why, once in a while, you need to stray from the norms and write something you want to write.

It might take off, but the most important thing is, you’re building a brand.

By writing something new and fresh, you’re showing your audience you’re human.

8. The Pinterest Algorithm just Updated

When an update is released, traffic generally falls.

Pinterest changes its mind often, especially about what it shows on the home feed, search results, and related pins.

One day your pins are everywhere, the next day they’re hiding in a cave.

The only way through this is to ride it out.

Another thing you might want to do is start a backup website in another completely different niche, so that you’re not entirely dependent on 1 site’s earnings.

9. Spam Accounts are ruining it for everyone

Some weird spam accounts (like Dijibi and friends 😒) dominate certain searches and ruin it for everyone. Pinterest might suppress those keywords altogether.

I’ve had several of my pins stolen.

Yes, there are a few copycats out there, and it’s not pretty.

You cannot waste time constantly chasing down your stolen pins.

I only suggest you do this for your viral pins. I have a post here on how to check for your stolen pins. 

10. Pinterest is moving towards Shopping for a lot of keywords

Pinterest is obsessed with shopping features lately.

Shoppable pins, product tags, all that jazz.

That means blog posts sometimes get pushed lower.

This is why keyword research is very important.

I explain how to do proper keyword research here. 

11. People aren’t pinning pins from your website

This is why it’s very important to have a pin-it button on your website.

You need people to come over to your website and directly pin from your website to their Pinterest boards.

It’s a very strong metric that Pinterest uses to ensure that your website is providing a good experience for people.

Please download and use this plugin (it’s free) for WordPress. 

12. Your posts aren’t providing value

If your posts are not good, people will return to the website, and the time spent on your page will be very less.

This is another metric Pinterest uses.

So, make sure you write good-quality posts. Write like a human. Don’t be too salesy.

Spend some time editing your content to make it more:

• Conversational
• Fun
• Educational/Inspiring

I write like how I talk. 

I may flunk an essay writing competition, but I know how to keep people reading.

If Pinterest notes that people are leaving your website too quickly, they may just squash your account.

I’m sorry if it sounds too harsh.

13. People are hiding your pins

Ouch.

If folks are clicking “I don’t like this pin,” Pinterest pays attention.

Too many hides = lower reach.

It’s just how it works.

Fix it: Audit your pins. Are the headlines too dramatic? Is the design off? Fix what you can.

I’ve spent a lot of time doing Pinterest audits and I’ve noticed that a lot of bloggers don’t realize how awful their designs are.

When I say awful I mean

• The titles are too clunky
• The words aren’t big enough so they aren’t readable on the phone
• The image is irrelevant
• The words are either squished or too far apart
• The fonts are cursive and illegible

I’ve covered the most common pin design mistakes in this post. 

Their posts may be written well, but if this doesn’t translate to clickable designs, Pinterest won’t work for them.

If you’re not a designer by nature, consider buying good Pinterest Templates like these.

These are my own Pinterest Templates (that I use for my websites) and they convert to clicks!

14. You’re going too broad

It’s okay to have a lifestyle blog, and it’s okay to blog about topics that are a little unique, but you shouldn’t go too broad.

If you’re writing like a woman’s magazine, then you can cover topics that are seemingly related, like:

• Love & Relationships
• Outfits
• Work/Career
• Minimalism

They’re all targeting a single audience – women in their 20s/30s.

Let’s say you’re in the food niche, you can cover:

• Healthy Recipes
• Nutrition-related facts
• Homemade DIY masks/smoothies/skincare

You get what I mean? They’re still somewhat related.

If you were in the beauty niche, you could do:

• Fashion/Outfits
• Hair and Nails
• Makeup looks

Again, all focused on beauty and looks.

So, you can stray a bit, but not too much.

Too much would be:

• Cars/Automobiles
• Beauty – hair, nails, makeup
• Parenting
• Outfits
• Food Recipes

This is when Pinterest gets super confused and doesn’t understand what’s going on. They’ll probably squash your account.

15. You stopped talking about new topics entirely

One of my most popular strategies involves taking what works and making more similar content.

I cover it in my current best-selling eBook – The Secret Recipe to Pinterest Traffic that has helped a lot of peeps reach a full-time income.

But here’s the truth: you can’t keep repeating your posts. 

You do need to cover new topics and create new boards once in a while.

Otherwise, your account will become stale.

And that’s a bit of a red flag.

16. Your “Visit Website” Button got Removed

Pinterest is running a new experiment where it removes the “Visit Website” for a few accounts.

This drastically affects traffic and can completely reduce your reach.

So, even if people can see your pins, there is no way for them to reach your website.

How do you fix this?

Check your account and see if your pins have the “Visit Website” button.

If not, reach out to Pinterest support and ask them to take you off this experiment. Tell them you like the button and prefer having it in your account.

17. You accidentally got caught in the spam filter

Unfortunately, sometimes you can do everything right and still get caught in the spam filter.

Reach out to them and ask them for more information regarding this.

Do this till you get a proper human response, not their AI standard response that includes “Ebbs and flows.”

I cover more strategies in my eBook on if you lose Pinterest Traffic and what to do.

So, if you’re serious about blogging and really want to make a full-time income, do consider getting it.

If not, you can always sign up for my Pinterest email course – it’s free and the emails are very helpful!

Here are a few more posts that you might find helpful:

• My honest review of PinClicks after using it for 6 months
• What does Pinterest Traffic look like for a new blog
• How to grow your email list using Pinterest
• How Pinterest is making me over $3K a month
• How many times can a URL be shared in 1 day?
• What to do if someone steals your pin?
• How to find Pinterest keywords for your blog
• 9 Pin Design mistakes that are killing your blog traffic
• How to use PinClicks to create a viral pin design