Drop in Pinterest Traffic? Check this ONE thing

How Site Speed Affects Your Pinterest Traffic: A Must-Know Update

Did you know that site speed and page loading experience impact your Pinterest performance? It seems that Pinterest is prioritizing fast-loading websites more than ever—and it’s directly affecting how users can access your content.

Pinterest & Site Speed: What’s Happening?

Over the past two days, I’ve had two separate people—a student and a potential client—reach out to me about issues with their top-performing pins. After investigating, I discovered they were both dealing with the same frustrating problem:

Their top pins no longer had the ability to click directly on the image or the “Visit Site” button. Instead, users had to tap the three dots at the top of the pin to find the “Visit Site” option—creating a poor user experience and likely reducing click-throughs significantly.

The Response from Pinterest

Both individuals contacted Pinterest support, initially receiving generic responses. However, after pushing for further clarification, they received a surprising answer:

Pinterest confirmed that this issue is related to page speed. They stated that for the “Visit Site” button to appear on a pin, the linked page must load quickly. If the page takes too long to load, Pinterest will remove the direct visit button from the pin. 🤯

Why This Matters for Your Pinterest Strategy

If you’ve noticed a drop in Pinterest traffic, site speed could be a contributing factor. Here’s what you should do:

1. Check Your Top Pins – Review whether your most popular pins still have the “Visit Site” button. If they don’t, you may be facing the same issue.
2. Reach Out to Pinterest Support – If your pins are affected, contact Pinterest to confirm if site speed is the problem.
3. Audit Your Site Speed – Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze your website’s loading times. Aim for a load time under 2-3 seconds for the best user experience and Pinterest visibility.
4. Optimize for Speed – Reduce image sizes, enable caching, use a content delivery network (CDN), and minimize unnecessary scripts to improve loading times.

The Takeaway

While this may not be the sole reason for Pinterest traffic drops, it’s a crucial factor to consider. Since Pinterest is explicitly stating that site speed affects how users interact with your pins, optimizing your website’s performance is now more important than ever.

Stay proactive, monitor your site speed, and ensure your pins remain easily accessible for users. This small but significant tweak could make a big difference in your Pinterest traffic!