Is Pinterest the New Google?

Only 13% of Google search results are organic. (According to a recent study by Aaron Harris the cofounder of Tutorspree).

Sounds like it's another engine's time to shine.

Sorry Bing, the hot new search engine isn't a search engine at all.

And it isn't Facebooks graph search either. Much like my Saturday nights, search is now being dominated by Pinterest.

No matter what you're looking for, you will find it there. The newest "search engine" makes collecting and organizing the things you love easy.

Three Inspiring Features of Pinterest

I was an early adopter of Pinterest. As soon as I heard about it I posted to my other social media sites looking for an invitation to use the site. I got one the same day and started pining immediately.

Pinterest has taught me how to make my own salsa, how to save time in cleaning my microwave, has given me recommendations in books to read and movies to watch, has inspired my hair, makeup and fashion choices, and has improved the efficiency of my workouts. Who would have thought that my microwaving a wedge of lemon for 30 seconds before cleaning, that grease and grime would wipe right off without ease.

Lately, I'm finding that when I need to know how to do something, where to buy something, what real people think of something; I'm not going to Google first. My one-stop shop is now Pinterest.

How to Guides

A common misconception from non-pinners is that the site is just pretty images.

While the site is image focused, the pins are accompanied by short descriptions and do lead people to other websites for more information.

The most common reason I visit Pinterest is to search for recipes. Whether I repin one from a friend that I want to try someday, or  if I am specifically looking for something for tonight, Pinterest is a great database for recipes.

Once you find that recipe, you aren't going to know what ingredients you need or how to make the recipe. Except, you can because most recipes lead offsite to blogs that take you step by step through the process.

Since Pinterest is focused on showcasing images, It's important to include strong visuals throughout your blog that will make people want to share them. That will also help expand your presence.

Did you know that Pinterest even allows users to embed videos? Videos are a great way to show users how to create hairstyles, include tutorials, and show people how to perfect their

So maybe you've never created a video in your life, that's ok because Pinterest enables users to pin videos from YouTube. Video blogs that are humorous or helpful work well for Pinterest. So if you have a video blog, what are you waiting for? Add your videos to Pinterest today.

Consumer Products

Consumer products have embraced the popularity of Pinterest more than any other industry.

Pinterest has made even easier for your consumers to share products with their friends and followers with a "pin it" button. Users pin products for several reasons; it could be something they've bought or are interested in buying, or just something they like.

For example; just last week I pinned an image of this dress. It's' something that I really want but haven't purchased. Even though I may not have bought the dress, by pinning the dress and exposing it to my followers, the company was able to gain more exposure.  I bet if I went back to that site the dress would be out of stock. Not good for me, but great for that company. I  could have helped drive sales, not only from my followers but to anyone who looks up keywords that I put in that pins description or board category.

The way pins can be organized into separate boards and saved forever also gives the site an edge over Google. "Pin now read later" is a common tag that is important to keep in mind. One of the most popular types of boards on Pinterest is weddings.

By pinning now, people are able to collect a variety of options, and then investigate at a later time while looking at a completed board. So someone could pin different wedding dress options as they started a search, then look at their board as a whole before deciding which pins they wanted to consider purchasing.

Referrals from Friends

Most consumers trust their friends more than a search engine. Pinterest is a great way to get referrals from your friends.

Say you want to start planning a vacation but don't know where to begin. Start with your friends' travel boards. Look at the places they've been, what hotels they stayed at, what restaurants in the area they love.  Don't just look at boards belonging to places that they've been but places they want to go. These can be good starting points, to help get you inspired. If you want ideas from outside your network, search Pinterest's travel section.

For example: if you're going to London and need a hotel, you could type "London hotels" into the search bar.

By following the links of the pins, you can find out more about each hotel. After you've looked at hotels, you will most likely end up creating a whole board devoted to your London trip. Many use Pinterest to stay organized. But through your boards, you're building a template to inspire other people's future trips.

One thing that really sets Pinterest apart from Google as a search engine is the way it's set up. Pinterest isn't where you have to search for something specific. Many people (most likely women) spend hours searching through the sites numerous categories.

When you login to Pinterest you see the most recent pins from your friends, so you are seeing things you may be interested in without taking any additional action.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I spend a significant amount of my leisure pinning. The best part about the site is that it allows you to find "things" you didn't know you were interested in. For example while browsing my favorite category, Food and Drink, I found a recipe for homemade Nutter Butters. I never would have found that through Google, because I didn't imagine the possibility on my own. In this way Pinterest is always fresh and never boring.