Easily claim your WordPress website with Pinterest without using ANY code – like I just did! Guys, I just claimed my website on Pinterest, and so wanted to share the EASY way! For those of us who aren’t super techy-savvy I thought I’d create this quick how-to.
When you follow these steps, there’s no need to go into your website’s header code or php, and absolutely no uploading an html file (unless you want to of course)
That’s right, you can use simple, free WordPress plugins to verify your website with Pinterest – without coding knowledge or uploading HTML files or manually adding code to your header.
This is what worked for me! This easy solution I outline is for WordPress users. I have a WordPress website that’s hosted on Siteground and I have my domain through GoDaddy.
Oh, and always remember to consult directly with Pinterest if you run into any issues. This here is Pinterest’s dedicated page about claiming your website and it’s updated regularly. So always go there if something doesn’t work, or the info on my site doesn’t apply.
Prefer to watch this as a video tutorial? Check out my YouTube video below.
I can also personally vouch for Pinterest’s AMAZING help team. Whatever’s going on in the world, they’ve consistently been helpful, responsive and they really understand the issue at hand. So, don’t be shy to reach out directly. They’re there to help!
OK! So I’m going to assume you’ve set up your Pinterest account and now you’re ready to claim your website. Note: if you want to use your account for business (use Tailwind to schedule pins, see your analytics, advertise on Pinterest etc!) then you’ll need a business account.
Want to learn more about marketing your business on Pinterest? I have the complete guide for Pinterest biz beginners, linked below!
Looking to get started with WordPress? I have a step-by-step guide here, especially for new business owners!
Get a Pinterest business account first then update to your desired URL!
One word of warning! Most Pinterest biz users will have a desired URL, one that matches their brand. For example, the Pinterest handle that went alongside the website I had was https://www.pinterest.com/beastlocal/ You’ll want to check that the one you want is available first.
I did make a mistake when I set up this account. When you create a Pinterest account, it starts off as a personal account. Then you have the option of ‘adding a business account’. Note the word ‘adding’, not simply converting the personal account – something we’re used to from Instagram.
So, make sure you set up the personal account > then add a business account > then change the URL of that newly-set up business account to the one you want. Otherwise, the business account will be a randomly generated username. This happened to me, and the only way of rectifying it was to contact Pinterest’s (amazing) help!
This is what I was faced with:
I’m honestly not too sure what happened, but in the confusion I set up multiple personal accounts instead of upgrading the one account I actually wanted (with my desired URL) to business! Everyone makes mistakes and it was an easy one to fix with a little help.
When you set up your Pinterest business account correctly, you’ll know because it’ll ask you for the business name in the set-up screen below. It’ll also ask you for your website, so enter that now.
How do I know if my account is a business or a personal one?
It sounds super basic, but this tripped me up while setting up my Pinterest for business. I thought I had a biz account when I in fact had a personal one. That’s because a personal one lets you add a website, so I got a bit confused. Here is a screenshot showing a Pinterest account I owned when it was a personal account…
and here is the same account once it was converted into a business account just moments later, with the website now claimed:
1. On your profile page (pinterest.com/yourusername) you’ll see ‘Business’ in the top left! That’s a pretty big giveaway. 😉
2. When you go into your ‘edit profile’ section that you see from the homepage, you’ll see more confirmations you have a biz profile:
The above screenshot shows you explicitly that you do have a biz profile! And the screenshot below allows you to change your business type, under the ‘Account settings’ tab.
It’s easy when you know how but so easy to get thrown off like I did.
Once you’ve set up your Pinterest business account
Navigate to your Pinterest page, so it’s www.pinterest.com/yourusername
Then hit ‘edit profile’ shown below:
Next, to access where you claim your domain, hit ‘Claim’ as shown in the screenshot below!
Then you’ll be given some code, called the meta code. It’ll look like this:
Choose ‘Add HTML tag’ and click ‘next’. This is the less tech savvy option. And don’t worry, I have the easiest way possible to do the verification.
Be sure to save your Pinterest meta tag somewhere safe
OK! With that code you’ve copied, make sure to paste this in a document or notes app. Why? Well, it’s tough to find it later and you may need it for future verification purposes on other platforms.
If one verification method fails, you change website completely, or you need to for whatever reason find your meta tag, Pinterest will not let you access this. I think it may be a bug, but this is what happens when you go to https://www.pinterest.com/website/confirm/ after you’ve claimed your website:
Claiming your website with Pinterest via Yoast SEO plugin
Option 1
Now, you need to go into the dashboard of your WordPress website. You’ll need to add the Yoast SEO plug-in which you can download here. You may need to search ‘Yoast’ on the plug-ins directory. Note: do not download the paid version. You do not need it.
Once you’re on the social page, you’ll see a tab called ‘Pinterest’ and an area for you to add your ‘Pinterest confirmation’. Paste the entire HTML tag there, and Yoast will take care of the rest.
And that’s it! Now you’ll go back to Pinterest and confirm that you’re ready for the verification process to begin. This is usually super quick! In fact, as I can looking at the screen I received the notification that the site was now verified.
Claiming your website with Pinterest via Jetpack plugin
Option 2
This is another method that’s very similar to the Yoast one, but this one has a step that may catch some out. Let me take you through it:
First off, open Jetpack which is another WordPress plug-in that has many site performance functionalities. There is the ability to verify your site with Google, Bing, Yandex and Pinterest.
Scroll down to the very bottom, where it says ‘verify site ownership with third party services’. The option is switched off as a default, so you will need to allow toggle it to ‘on’.
Then you’ll see a box for you to add your Pinterest verification meta code!
There is one small thing you have to be aware of, though. When you copy the code, it will not have a space before the “/> when you copy it . So be sure to add the space in, so instead of it ending ….bf37d85e”/> it should be ….bf37d85e “/> with a space before the closing tag.
When you’re done, submit it to Pinterest!
When you’re done adding the meta tag, however you go about it, let Pinterest know and it’ll send its crawlers out.
A final note about website verification
You can make it live just for a few minutes which is usually all it takes for Pinterest to verify. Officially however, Pinterest advises it can take up to 24 hours. Or, save this page (or pin to Pinterest) so when your site is live you know what to do!
Sit back and wait for the confirmation email
For all of these verification services, your site will need to be live and public. That means it won’t work if you have a ‘coming soon’ page or maintenance page up because you’re working behind the scenes.
Feel free to step away and close the Pinterest tab at this point. They’ll just email you when their crawlers have picked up the code that is now in your website’s header thanks to Yoast. Allow 24 hours!
And that’s it!
Now your website is verified with Pinterest, you can go ahead and start tracking the pins you create! You’ll be able to see how many shares, repins etc you’re getting, plus more through your Google Analytics too. The screenshot below is from the Pinterest account of my local service business and it’s performing pretty well.
You can also use authorized third-party apps such as Tailwind which I’ll talk more about in the future! This was the key to my success for my above account.
Then, all you have to do is start designing your own pins! For more on that, check out my guide and video below.
Zoe Larkin
I’m Zoe, a wedding photographer based in San Francisco! My style is candid, capturing authentic moments for my couples all over the Bay Area and Northern California. Creating content is my passion! Follow along the blog and Insta!
Be the first to comment