TL;DR
As I built my travel website, I realised I had started treating Google and Pinterest as though they rewarded the same type of content. While there is some overlap, they’re solving different problems for different audiences. Recognising that distinction changed the way I plan articles and has already started producing encouraging results.
When I Finally Accepted That Google Isn’t Pinterest
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned while building my second website seems almost obvious now.
Google isn’t Pinterest.
That probably sounds like something everyone already knows.
I certainly thought I knew it.
But somewhere along the way, I slowly stopped acting like it.
When the Blueprint Started Working
When I first started The Layered Traveller, I was following a Pinterest-focused content blueprint.
The strategy centred around creating highly visual, beginner-friendly content that people would naturally discover while browsing.
Pinterest rewards curiosity.
It encourages people to stop scrolling because something catches their attention.
At first, I stayed fairly close to that blueprint.
But over time, as I became more interested in SEO, I started blending the two approaches together.
Without really noticing, I began assuming that what worked well for Pinterest would naturally work well for Google too and vice versa.
The Assumption I Didn’t Notice I Was Making
Looking back, I don’t think this happened because I misunderstood either platform.
It happened because I started researching article ideas using Pinterest.
Then I’d take those same ideas and optimise them for Google without really questioning whether people searched for them differently.
It felt logical.
If people were interested in a topic on Pinterest…
…surely they’d search for it the same way on Google.
Except they often don’t.
I wasn’t following the blueprint incorrectly—I was gradually mixing two different playbooks together without realising it.
Google vs Pinterest SEO – Two Different Ways People Search
The more I worked with both platforms, the more I realised they often represent completely different mindsets.
Pinterest is often about inspiration.
People are browsing.
They’re collecting ideas.
They’re planning.
Keyword intent for Google is usually much more intentional.
Someone has a question.
A problem.
Or something very specific they want answered.
The destination might be the same.
But the journey that gets people there is often completely different.
Going Back to the Data
This realisation sent me back to something I hadn’t been doing consistently enough.
Instead of relying primarily on Pinterest research, I started checking Google search behaviour much more carefully.
That meant:
- looking at Google Search Console
- checking keyword intent
- comparing ideas across platforms
- asking whether an article solved an actual Google search
Rather than assuming one platform represented the other.
That small shift changed how I started planning new content.
Early Signs That the Change Was Working
One of the encouraging things about making this adjustment is that I didn’t have to wait very long before seeing small signs that it was helping.
Google began indexing the site for a wider variety of search queries rather than only recognising a handful of pages.
It’s still early, and I’m careful not to draw sweeping conclusions from a small amount of data.
But the trend was enough to reinforce that the change was moving in the right direction.
The Lesson Was Bigger Than Keywords
Looking back, this wasn’t really a lesson about keywords.
It was a lesson about assumptions.
Just because two platforms can send people to the same website doesn’t mean they speak the same language.
Understanding how people discover content is just as important as creating the content itself.
And sometimes the most useful lesson is simply recognising that something you thought you understood deserves another look.
What Comes Next
Accepting that Google and Pinterest reward different behaviours made me realise something else.
If I wanted to improve, I needed to stop relying entirely on my own perspective.
The next step was asking for a second opinion.
Not because I thought everything was wrong, but because I wanted to understand what I might still be missing.
Next article:
→ Getting a Second Opinion: What a Pinterest Audit Taught Me