# Pinterest glossary

URL: https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-glossary/  
Updated: 2026-10-12  
Author: Himas Rafeek, Pinning School

> This Pinterest glossary explains 60 terms you meet when marketing on Pinterest, from pins, boards and fresh pins to outbound clicks, claimed websites and link blocks, each in plain English and listed alphabetically. Find the word you saw in Pinterest or in a lesson, read the one-sentence definition, then follow the linked lesson to put it into practice.

This Pinterest glossary explains the words you meet when you market a website on Pinterest: in Pinterest's own menus, in your analytics, in help centre articles and in the Pinning School lessons. Each definition starts with a complete one-sentence answer, so you can read just that line or carry on for the detail. Where a lesson covers the term in depth, the definition links to it.

Pinterest renames features and moves its menus from time to time, and some of its definitions change with them. Where a term has changed, or where Pinterest has not published the details, the definition says so rather than guessing.

## How the terms fit together

Pinterest works more like a visual search engine than a social network. People type a **keyword** into search, Pinterest suggests longer phrases through autocomplete and guided search, and the matching pins form the search feed. The same pins also reach people through the home feed and related pins. Choosing the phrases people actually search for is **Pinterest SEO**, covered in [how Pinterest works](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-foundations/how-pinterest-works/) and [Pinterest keyword research](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-seo/pinterest-keyword-research/).

A **pin** is the thing that gets found: an image or video with a title, a description and a destination link. Pins live on **boards**, and the board a pin sits on helps Pinterest understand what it is about. A **fresh pin**, meaning a new image rather than a re-save of an existing pin, is what Pinterest prefers to show, so publishing new designs steadily works better than saving the same pin again and again. The lessons on [titles and descriptions](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-seo/pin-titles-and-descriptions/), [boards that rank](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-seo/pinterest-boards-that-rank/) and [how often to pin](https://pinningschool.com/pins-that-get-clicks/how-often-to-pin/) go further.

Trust holds it together. A free **business account** lets you **claim your website**, which connects your pins to a site you own and adds website filters to your analytics. Links that hide their real destination, through URL shorteners, redirect chains or images hotlinked from another server, are the kind of thing Pinterest's spam filter looks for, and a link block stops every pin that points at that link. See [claim your website](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-foundations/claim-your-website/) and [why pins get flagged as spam](https://pinningschool.com/pins-that-get-clicks/pins-flagged-as-spam/).

**Analytics** show whether it is working. Impressions tell you pins are being shown, saves tell you people want to keep them and outbound clicks tell you people visited your site; for website traffic, outbound clicks and outbound click rate matter most. [Read your Pinterest analytics](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-growth/pinterest-analytics/) explains each number, and [plan 45 days ahead](https://pinningschool.com/pinterest-growth/seasonal-pinterest-planning/) shows how seasonality and lead time decide when to publish.

## Terms

**Affiliate link**: An affiliate link is a link that earns you a commission when someone buys through it. Pinterest allows affiliate links, but you must disclose them clearly. Linking to your own page that explains the product and discloses the link is usually safer than linking straight to an affiliate redirect.

**Alt text**: Alt text is a short written description of a pin's image, read aloud by screen readers for people who cannot see it. You can usually add it in the extra or advanced settings when you create a pin. Describe what the image shows in a plain sentence; it may also help Pinterest understand the image.

**Archived board**: An archived board is a board you have taken out of use without deleting it. It is moved out of the main view of your profile, you cannot save new pins to it, and Pinterest stops using it to recommend ideas to you. You can unarchive it later.

**Autocomplete**: Autocomplete is the list of suggested searches Pinterest shows as you type in the search bar. The suggestions reflect phrases people search for, which makes autocomplete one of the simplest free sources of keyword ideas.

**Bio**: A Pinterest bio is the short description of you or your business on your profile. A good bio says plainly who you help and what you share, using the words your audience would search for. Pinterest sets a character limit that has changed over time, so keep it brief.

**Board**: A Pinterest board is a named collection of pins grouped around one topic, such as "Small balcony garden ideas". Board names and descriptions help Pinterest understand what the pins on them are about, so a clearly named, focused board helps its pins get found.

**Board section**: A board section is a subdivision inside a board that groups related pins, for example "Breakfast" and "Dinner" sections on a recipe board. Sections keep large boards tidy for people browsing them, while the board itself keeps its main topic.

**Business account**: A Pinterest business account is a free account type for brands, creators and anyone promoting a website. It adds analytics, ads and website claiming to what a personal account offers. You can switch a personal account to a business account without losing your pins or boards.

**Carousel pin**: A carousel pin is a pin that holds several images people can swipe through instead of a single image. Carousels suit step-by-step ideas, product ranges or before-and-after sets. Where carousels are available, and in which formats, has changed over time, so check what Pinterest offers when you create a pin.

**Catalog**: A catalog is Pinterest's feature for shops that imports a product data source, a file or feed listing your products, so Pinterest can create product pins for every item. Catalogs are set up in a business account and suit shops with many products whose price or stock changes.

**Claimed website**: A claimed website is a website whose ownership you have verified in your Pinterest business account, using an HTML meta tag, an HTML file upload or a DNS TXT record. Claiming connects pins from that site to your profile and lets you filter analytics to pins that link to it. Verification can take up to a day or so.

**Closeup**: A closeup is an older Pinterest metric that counted taps or clicks to view a pin larger. In newer analytics Pinterest counts this kind of action under pin clicks, so you may not see closeups as a separate number.

**Destination link**: A destination link is the web address a pin sends people to when they click through, usually a page on your website. It should be the final, real address of a page that matches what the pin shows, with no shorteners or redirect chains in between.

**Display name**: A display name is the name shown at the top of your Pinterest profile and next to your pins. It can be your brand name, optionally followed by a short description of your topic in natural words, such as "Maple Lane | Small home decor ideas".

**Engaged audience**: Engaged audience is the number of people who interacted with at least one of your pins in the selected period, for example by saving or clicking it. It counts people, not actions, so one person who saves five pins counts once.

**Engagement**: Engagement is the total of all interactions with your pins, such as saves, pin clicks and outbound clicks. Exactly which actions Pinterest includes can change, so check its analytics help if you compare periods far apart.

**Engagement rate**: Engagement rate is engagements divided by impressions. It shows how often people who see your pins interact with them, which makes it more useful than raw engagement when you compare pins with very different reach.

**Evergreen content**: Evergreen content is content people search for all year round, such as "how to clean a cast iron pan" or "monthly budget template". Evergreen pins can keep bringing visits for a long time, while seasonal pins rise and fall with the calendar.

**Follower**: A follower is a Pinterest user who follows your profile or one of your boards, so your new pins can appear in their home feed. Followers matter less on Pinterest than on most social networks, because most pins are found through search and recommendations rather than through follows.

**Fresh pin**: A fresh pin is a pin with an image or video Pinterest has not seen before, even if it links to a page you have pinned already. Saving an existing pin again does not count as fresh. Pinterest favours fresh pins, which is why new designs for the same page are worth making.

**Group board**: A group board is a board where the owner has invited other people to add pins as collaborators. Group boards were once a popular way to reach more people; today they mostly matter for genuine collaboration, and Pinterest has changed how collaborative boards work over the years.

**Guided search**: Guided search is the row of extra words Pinterest suggests after you search, which you can tap to narrow the results, for example adding "small" or "budget" to "living room ideas". These suggestions show how people refine a topic and are a good source of long-tail keywords.

**Home feed**: The home feed is the personalised stream of pins Pinterest shows when someone opens the app or website. Pinterest builds it from that person's interests, past activity and the accounts and boards they follow.

**Hotlinking**: Hotlinking means creating a pin by pointing Pinterest at an image address on another server instead of uploading the image file. When the image lives on an unrelated domain, it gives Pinterest one more thing it cannot vouch for and can contribute to spam blocks. Upload images, or host them on your own claimed site.

**Impression**: An impression is one showing of your pin on someone's screen, in search, the home feed, related pins or on a board. One person can create several impressions. Impressions show that Pinterest is showing your pins, but on their own they say little about traffic.

**Keyword**: A keyword is a word or phrase people type into Pinterest search, such as "easy weeknight dinners" or "boho bedroom decor". Using the keywords your audience searches for in pin titles, descriptions and board names is how Pinterest matches your pins to searches.

**Keyword stuffing**: Keyword stuffing is cramming lists of keywords into pin titles, descriptions or board names instead of writing natural sentences. It reads as written for a machine, goes against Pinterest's spam rules and can count against you. Use a few relevant phrases in sentences a person would want to read.

**Lead time**: Lead time is how far ahead of a season or event you publish pins for it. People plan seasonal events weeks to months ahead, so seasonal pins need time to be found before searches peak. A common rule of thumb, used in the Pinning School lessons, is to start at least 45 days ahead.

**Link block**: A link block is Pinterest stopping pins that point to a particular URL or domain, often with a message such as "We blocked this link because it may lead to spam". The block is on the destination, not the pin design, so a new pin to the same link is blocked too. Fix the link and the site, then ask Pinterest to review the block.

**Long-tail keyword**: A long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific search phrase, such as "gluten free birthday cake for kids" rather than "cake". Fewer people search each long-tail phrase, but those who do know what they want, and there is often less competition for it.

**Monthly views**: Monthly views is a number Pinterest has shown on profiles, roughly how many times your pins, and pins from your claimed site, were seen in the last 30 days. Pinterest has since made it less prominent, and depending on the account and the current layout it may be hidden or not shown at all. It was never a measure of website traffic; use outbound clicks in analytics instead.

**Niche**: A niche is the specific topic area your website and pins focus on, such as vegan baking, small-space decor or personal finance for students. A clear niche helps Pinterest understand who to show your pins to, and the same Pinterest method works in any niche.

**Outbound click**: An outbound click is a click that takes someone from your pin to its destination link, usually a page on your website. Outbound clicks are the Pinterest number closest to real website visits, although they never match your website analytics exactly.

**Outbound click rate**: Outbound click rate is outbound clicks divided by impressions. It shows how often a view of your pin turns into a visit to your site. Pinterest does not publish an official benchmark, so compare your own pins and months with each other.

**Personal account**: A personal account is the standard Pinterest account for people saving ideas for themselves. It lacks analytics, ads and website claiming, so anyone promoting a website or shop should switch to a free business account, which keeps existing pins and boards.

**Pin**: A pin is a single idea saved on Pinterest, made of an image or video, a title, a description and usually a link to a web page. Pins are what people find in search and feeds, and what they save to their boards.

**Pin click**: A pin click is a click or tap on a pin, including opening it to see it larger. Depending on how Pinterest counts at the time, pin clicks can include clicks that go on to your website, so use outbound clicks when you want website visits specifically.

**Pin description**: A pin description is the text that explains what a pin offers, up to 500 characters. Only the start is visible in most places, so put the key point and main keyword in the first sentence, written naturally.

**Pin scheduler**: A pin scheduler is a tool that publishes pins at a time you choose instead of straight away. Pinterest has its own scheduling option when you create a pin, within a limit it sets on how far ahead, and some outside tools schedule through Pinterest's official connection. Scheduling helps you publish steadily rather than in bursts.

**Pin title**: A pin title is the headline of a pin, up to 100 characters, shown with the pin in many places. A good title states clearly what the pin offers and includes the main phrase people would search for.

**Pinterest algorithm**: The Pinterest algorithm is the set of systems that decide which pins to show each person in search, the home feed and related pins. Pinterest does not publish a formula. It has described broad factors over the years, such as how relevant a pin is to a search or interest, the quality of the pin and of the site it links to, and how people respond to it.

**Pinterest Predicts**: Pinterest Predicts is Pinterest's yearly trend report, which names the trends it expects to grow in the coming year based on its own search data. It is useful for planning content early, but treat it as ideas to test rather than a promise of traffic.

**Pinterest SEO**: Pinterest SEO is the practice of helping your pins, boards and profile appear in Pinterest search for the phrases your audience uses. It covers keyword research, clear pin titles and descriptions, focused boards and fresh pins linking to good pages.

**Pinterest Trends**: Pinterest Trends is Pinterest's free tool at trends.pinterest.com that shows how search interest in terms changes over time in supported countries. Use it to see when a topic starts to rise each year and to compare related search terms.

**Product pin**: A product pin is a pin for an item you can buy, showing product details such as price and availability alongside the image. Product pins usually come from a catalog or from product information on the linked page.

**Profile**: A Pinterest profile is your public page on Pinterest, showing your display name, username, bio, boards and pins. For a business, the profile is where people decide whether to follow you or visit your site, so keep it clear and on topic.

**Promoted pin (ad)**: A promoted pin is the older name for a Pinterest ad: a pin you pay to show to more people or a chosen audience. Pinterest now generally calls these ads and runs them through its ads tools, and they carry a label showing they are paid. Ads are optional; everything in Pinning School works without them.

**Redirect**: A redirect is a web address that automatically sends visitors on to a different address. Pinterest treats redirect chains with suspicion because they hide the real destination, so link pins directly to the final address of the page.

**Related pins (more ideas)**: Related pins are the pins Pinterest shows below or beside a pin someone has opened, under labels such as "More to explore" or "More ideas" that change over time. They are a major source of impressions, and a pin that clearly matches its topic is more likely to appear next to similar pins.

**Rich pins**: Rich pins are pins that show extra information taken from the linked page, such as an article title or product details, using metadata on that page. Pinterest used to require site owners to apply for rich pins; it now applies the metadata automatically for many sites, so there is often nothing to do beyond having good page metadata.

**Save (repin)**: A save is when someone keeps a pin on one of their own boards; it used to be called a repin. A save means someone wanted to keep the idea for later, and saves are an early sign that a pin may be shown to more people.

**Search feed**: The search feed is the set of pins Pinterest shows in response to a search. Showing up there for the right phrases is the main goal of Pinterest SEO, because people searching already know what they want.

**Seasonality**: Seasonality is the predictable rise and fall of search interest in a topic during the year, such as pumpkin recipes in autumn or packing lists before summer holidays. Pinterest Trends shows the pattern for many terms.

**Secret board**: A secret board is a board only you, and anyone you invite, can see. Pins on a secret board do not appear in search or in other people's feeds, which makes it useful for drafts and planning but not for reach.

**Spam filter**: A spam filter is the set of automated systems Pinterest uses to detect spam, which can block links, remove pins or limit accounts. Like any automated system it sometimes gets things wrong, and Pinterest offers ways to ask for a review.

**Text overlay**: A text overlay is the headline written on the pin image itself, such as "10 small balcony ideas". Most Pinterest browsing happens on phones, so a short, readable overlay helps people understand the pin at a glance.

**Total audience**: Total audience is the number of people who saw at least one of your pins in the selected period. It counts people rather than views, so it is never higher than impressions.

**URL shortener**: A URL shortener is a service that turns a long web address into a short one that redirects to the real page. Pinterest treats shortened links with suspicion because they hide the destination, so always use the full, final address in pins.

**Username**: A Pinterest username is the unique handle that forms your profile address, as in pinterest.com/yourname. Choose one that matches your brand and is easy to remember; you can change it in your settings, though old links to your profile may stop working.

**Video pin**: A video pin is a pin that plays a video instead of showing a still image. Pinterest has changed its video formats over the years, including the former Idea pins, so check the current options when you create one. Vertical video suits how most people browse on phones.