If you’ve tried to look something up on Pinterest in the last few months, you may have been met with a wall of products, AI images, or irrelevant content, leading you to wonder, “Why are Pinterest search results so bad?”
Pinterest prides itself on being a search engine. Its algorithm is founded on the principle that it can show you things you care about and are interested in. So when Pinterest search isn’t showing you the results you expected, that’s a Big Deal™.
Luckily, we can chalk up these bad Pinterest search results to a glitch and not a bigger sign of something going wrong with the Pinterest search engine. As of July 2024, there is at least one notable Pinterest search glitch that could be the answer to why Pinterest isn’t showing results when you search.
Last Updated: July 2024
Is there a Pinterest search glitch?
Short answer, yes. The Pinterest algorithm seems to disproportionately favor the recency of pins as opposed to other, more traditionally heavily weighted ranking factors like saves, clicks, keywords, etc. Several Pinterest experts are referring to this as a “recency glitch”.
As this blog about how the Pinterest algorithm works explains, there are many complex factors that go into how Pinterest chooses to distribute and display pins.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the primary way Pinterest understands what any given pin is about. So if a creator posts an outfit pic from their Italian summer vacay and gives it a title of “Casual Euro Summer Outfit Idea in Italy”, Pinterest might display that image in the search results for “Euro Summer Outfit”.
But getting your pins seen is more than just using the right keywords. That’s where all the other ranking factors come into play.
In the last several years, Pinterest has been emphasizing the importance of new, fresh pin content. Whereas previously, you could expect to see search results dominated by the same viral pins from the early 2010s, Pinterest search results in 2024 return a bigger mix of old and new content.
With this Pinterest recency glitch, however, the algorithm has swayed too far in favor of “freshness.”
What do glitched Pinterest search results look like?
Identifying Pinterest search results that are glitched can be tricky, as not every keyword or search term is having this issue.
One of the most frequent appearances of the Pinterest search glitch is with the fashion niche. A glitched Pinterest search here often looks like search results full of product pins, often from big, fast-fashion retailers like Shein and Princess Polly.
Compare the two screenshots below — one is the Pinterest search results for “summer outfits” and the other is the Pinterest search results for “euro summer outfit ideas”.
In the second image, the search results are showing more of what I would expect — full outfit pictures, real creators, even a flat-lay or two.
The reason this Pinterest search glitch is particularly obvious in the fashion niche is because
- There is so much fashion content, so it’s more evident, and
- Product Catalogs on Pinterest are ingested every 24 hours, so there are TONS of new product pins to display for these glitched keywords.
The fashion niche isn’t the only place we’re seeing the Pinterest search being “bad,” though; it’s just harder to diagnose in other industries.
What you can look for:
There are a few signs that you can look for to see if a keyword is being affected by the Pinterest search glitch.
Hint: It’s easier to spot if you search through an incognito/private browser so your own Pinterest history doesn’t impact the search results!
1. Several pins back to back from the same creator, especially linking to the same blog post
It is highly unlikely that all of these images from this one blog post are that popular that they would show up as some of the top ranking pins in the search results.
This is also good example of another potential sign of glitched search results…
2. Top ranking pins all published very recently
Those pins from the same URL were also all posted on the same exact day, which was within a week of the date I conducted the search. If you aren’t as familiar with Pinterest, that is very atypical.
FYI, to find the publish date of a pin, you do have to dig around in the code a bit. If you’re curious, send me an email or DM and I’m happy to share!
3. Lots of product pins
If all you see when you search on Pinterest is image after image of products, identifiable by the little tag icon next to the retailer name, that might be a sign that Pinterest search is glitched.
The wall of product pins is usually what prompts people to ask why Pinterest search results are so bad, and I understand!
Even though Pinterest is a great place for ecommerce brands, and they have a lot of very cool features to enhance shopability on the platform, sometimes you’re just looking for inspo.
What to do about bad Pinterest search results as a user
If you’re the person wondering “why is Pinterest search so bad,” first of all — my condolences. I love Pinterest and it is so frustrating when it’s not working the way we expect.
Secondly, while there’s not much you can actually do to fix this glitch in real-time, I encourage you to share your feedback with the Pinterest support center.
I hear all the time both from casual Pinterest users and businesses using Pinterest as a marketing platform that people are tired of the influx of product pins, AI images, spammy links, stolen images… you name it.
Historically, Pinterest has been pretty good about responding to user feedback, even if it does take a while.
So if you see something you don’t like, tell them! The more people that share feedback, the more likely it is to convert into actual action.
What to do about the Pinterest search results glitch as a business owner
If you’re marketing your business on Pinterest, it’s very possible that your Pinterest results could be affected by this recency glitch in the search results.
Past pins that were ranking for certain terms might have stopped bringing in traffic, or you might be struggling to gain traction in topics that you know historically do well.
Unfortunately, there isn’t anything on the user-side you can do to counteract the glitch.
If you suspect the Pinterest search glitch is affecting you, see if you can dig around and find other, similar keywords that aren’t glitched, that you could position the same content towards.
By all means, don’t take this temporary glitch as a sign to quit on Pinterest altogether. Stay consistent, maintain your pinning frequency, and wait for things to right themselves.
Are you actually being affected by a glitch?
Just because you’re seeing lower stats than normal doesn’t automatically mean that you’re being affected by bad Pinterest search results.
There are lots of very normal, very expected reasons your Pinterest stats could be dropping.
Things like seasonally lower user activity in the summer and around the holidays, normalizing of metrics after a viral pin, and Other pin activity can all lead to your Pinterest views decreasing.
Overall, if you’re not seeing results from Pinterest as a business owner, there are lots of things you can troubleshoot before defaulting to “it’s a glitch.”
How to stay on top of Pinterest updates
As a Pinterest marketer, it’s my job to stay up-to-date with Pinterest news, glitches and all. And since I spend probably 80% of my working hours doing things on or related to Pinterest, that’s easier for me to do than the average business owner.
I have two resources to recommend if you’re looking for more info on Pinterest updates, glitches, and new features:
>> Become a Scheduling Shortcuts student. Don’t let the name fool you, this Pinterest course is so much more than just scheduling. I’ve been a student of Amy’s for years now, and she has the most comprehensive, up-to-date Pinterest knowledge of any Pinterest educator I know. Students of the course also have the opportunity to join her Facebook community, where most of the breaking news gets released first. I highly, highly recommend it!
