Hiding Pinterest Images in Your WordPress Blog: The Ultimate Guide
As an experienced WordPress user with over 15 years in the industry, I know first-hand how important it is to optimize your content for social media. Platforms like Pinterest can send highly targeted traffic to your site.
However, you need to be careful about how you implement Pinterest-friendly images into your blog posts.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn insider tips and best practices for hiding oversized Pinterest images in your WordPress site.
Why You Should Hide Pinterest Images
Pinterest is an image-focused platform with over 400 million active users. The social network encourages users to "pin" visual content they find interesting across the web.
As a WordPress site owner, you can tap into this highly engaged audience by making your content easy to pin. But you need to do it the right way.
Here are some key reasons why you should hide full-size Pinterest images in your blog posts:
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Pinterest‘s recommended image dimensions are 2:3 width to height and at least 1000 px wide. This is much wider than the images that work well in blog layouts.
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Oversized landscape images can make your blog posts look visually unbalanced or awkward.
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Large image files take longer to load. Having multiple huge Pinterest photos on each post can significantly slow down your page speed.
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High resolution Pinterest images use more bandwidth to deliver. This drives up your web hosting costs.
According to Google research, even a 1 second delay in page load time causes a 7% drop in conversions. Slow sites also rank lower in search engines.
By hiding Pinterest images in your posts, you can still encourage repins while avoiding these layout and performance issues.
How to Hide Pinterest Images in WordPress
The best way to implement hidden Pinterest images in WordPress is by using a dedicated plugin like WP Tasty Pins. I‘ve been using this plugin for years and highly recommend it.
Here‘s how to set it up in just a few easy steps:
- Install and Activate WP Tasty Pins
First, install and activate the WP Tasty Pins plugin on your WordPress site. You can search for it in the plugin repository or download it from their website.
Upon activation, the plugin will automatically detect any existing image attachments suitable for Pinning.
- Configure the Plugin Settings
Go to Settings > Tasty Pins in your WordPress dashboard. Here you can connect your Pinterest account and enter your WP Tasty Pins license key to unlock premium features.
While you‘re here, take the time to explore all the available settings. For example, you can set default text overlay positions for your pin images.
- Add Hidden Pinterest Images to Your Posts
Now you‘re ready to start hiding Pinterest images in your blog posts:
- Edit the post you want to pin and scroll down to the "Tasty Pins" section.
- Click "Select Images" and choose an appropriate image from your media library.
- Check the box to "Force pinning of hidden images". This forces that specific image to be pinned.
- Customize the pin title and description. Include relevant keywords where possible.
- Update or publish your post.
The image will now be hidden on your live site but pinned properly on Pinterest!
I recommend creating Pinterest-specific images in the recommended 2:3 tall rectangle size rather than just hiding your existing horizontal blog images. This creates a better experience for pinners.
Pro Tip: Always optimize your image files before uploading them to WordPress. Large files can still slow down your site even when hidden. Use tools like Compressor.io to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality.
Additional Tips for Pinterest Success
Here are some additional best practices I‘ve learned for maximizing Pinterest traffic as a WordPress site owner:
- Include Pin It buttons on images to encourage pinners. WP Tasty Pins does this automatically.
- Have a range of vertical and horizontal images to accommodate different pin types.
- Use relevant keywords in file names, alt text, captions, and pin descriptions to boost discovery.
- Create pinned images tailored to verticals like quotes, infographics, and more.
- Curate content into Topic Boards to improve engagement.
- Cross-promote new pins on other social networks.
- Analyze analytics to find your top performing pins and tailor future content accordingly.
Follow these tips and you‘ll see your Pinterest traffic grow over time. Just remember to always focus on the pinner‘s experience!
FAQs About Hiding Pinterest Images in WordPress
Here are answers to some common questions around hiding Pinterest images in your WordPress blog:
Does this violate Pinterest‘s terms of service?
Hiding relevant Pinterest images solely for layout purposes does not violate Pinterest‘s terms. However, the pinned image must closely match your content. And your pin descriptions should match post titles or text.
How can I tell if my site speed is being affected?
Use a tool like Pingdom or GTmetrix to measure your overall site speed score. Look for high image load times. If your speed drops after adding Pinterest images to posts, it‘s time to optimize.
What image dimensions work best for Pinterest?
Pinterest recommends pin images to be at least 1000 px wide. A tall 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g. 1000 x 1500 px) works best to fill the Pinterest feed. Square 1:1 images are also popular.
Should I still optimize hidden Pinterest images?
Yes! Large image file sizes can impact your page speed even if they are hidden. Always compress and optimize your image assets before uploading them.
By taking the right approach, you can enjoy all the free traffic Pinterest has to offer without compromising your WordPress site‘s design or performance. Just follow the tips in this guide and you‘ll be on your way to Pinterest success.
