How to Enable Rich Pins: Set Up Metadata on Your Website and Validate Your Pins with Pinterest

Rich Pins are an essential Pinterest feature that adds extra details to your pins directly from your WordPress website. Whether you are a blogger, an eCommerce store owner, or a business using Pinterest to drive traffic, enabling Rich Pins can improve your content’s visibility and engagement.

This guide will explain how to set up Rich Pins on WordPress using both a plugin (Yoast SEO) and manual code. It will also break down the Open Graph metadata required for Rich Pins, making the process straightforward even for those new to it.

What Are Rich Pins and Why Enable Them?

Rich Pins automatically sync important information from your website to your pins. Unlike standard pins that only display an image and a description, Rich Pins pull real-time data directly from your website, ensuring your content remains updated.

Benefits of Rich Pins

Increased Engagement – Rich Pins provide additional context, making users more likely to click.
Improved SEO – Pinterest prioritizes Rich Pins in search results, boosting visibility.
Automatic Updates – Changes made to your website’s metadata, such as product pricing or blog titles, are automatically reflected in Rich Pins.
More Professional Appearance – Rich Pins include structured information that makes them more appealing and informative.

Types of Rich Pins for WordPress Users

Article Pins – Displays the title, author, and meta description from blog posts.
Product Pins – Shows pricing, availability, and purchase links for WooCommerce products.
Recipe Pins – Highlights ingredients, cooking time, and serving sizes.

Step 1: Add Open Graph Metadata to Your WordPress Site

Pinterest requires Open Graph metadata to enable Rich Pins. The easiest way to add this metadata is by using a plugin, but it can also be done manually.

Option 1: Using the Yoast SEO Plugin (Recommended)

If you use the Yoast SEO plugin, you can enable Open Graph metadata in a few simple steps.

Install and activate Yoast SEO from the WordPress plugin directory.
In the WordPress dashboard, go to SEO > Social.
Click the Facebook tab and enable “Add Open Graph metadata” (this setting also works for Pinterest).
Click Save changes.

Once this is enabled, Pinterest will be able to read the metadata required for Rich Pins.

Option 2: Manually Adding Open Graph Tags

If you prefer to add Open Graph metadata manually, you will need to modify your theme’s header file.

1. Locate the Header File

In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
Select header.php from the list of theme files.

2. Insert Open Graph Meta Tags

Copy and paste the following code inside the <head> section of header.php:

<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Article Title Here">
<meta property="og:description" content="A short description of your article.">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://yourwebsite.com/article-url">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Your Website Name">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yourwebsite.com/image-url.jpg">

3. Understanding Each Open Graph Tag

<meta property="og:type" content="article">
Defines the type of content. If setting up Product Pins, change "article" to "product".
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Article Title Here">
Replace "Your Article Title Here" with the actual title of your blog post or product.
<meta property="og:description" content="A short description of your article.">
Replace "A short description of your article." with a brief summary of your content. This should be keyword-rich but natural.
<meta property="og:url" content="https://yourwebsite.com/article-url">
Replace "https://yourwebsite.com/article-url" with the actual URL of your blog post or product page.
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Your Website Name">
Replace "Your Website Name" with your business or website name.
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yourwebsite.com/image-url.jpg">
Replace "https://yourwebsite.com/image-url.jpg" with the direct URL of the featured image. This image should be at least 1000×1500 pixels for best results.

4. Save Your Changes

Once the Open Graph tags have been added, click Update File to save your changes.

Step 2: Validate Rich Pins with Pinterest

After adding the necessary metadata, you need to validate and apply for Rich Pins through Pinterest.

How to Validate Rich Pins

Go to the Pinterest Rich Pin Validator at:
https://developers.pinterest.com/tools/url-debugger/
Enter the URL of a blog post or product page from your website.
Click Validate and wait for Pinterest to scan your metadata.
If Pinterest detects the metadata correctly, a confirmation message will appear.
Click Apply to complete the process.

Once Pinterest approves your site, all eligible content will automatically display as Rich Pins.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Rich Pins Are Not Showing Up

Ensure that Yoast SEO’s Open Graph metadata is enabled.
If using manual code, double-check for typos and ensure the <meta> tags are inside the <head> section.

Pinterest Validation Fails

Use Facebook’s Open Graph Debugger at:
https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/
This tool checks if Open Graph metadata is correctly implemented.

Changes Are Not Reflecting

Clear your WordPress cache if you are using a caching plugin.
Allow 24-48 hours for Pinterest to process metadata updates.

Enabling Rich Pins on WordPress is one of the most effective ways to improve Pinterest engagement and drive more traffic to your website. By adding the correct metadata, validating your website, and troubleshooting any issues, you can ensure that your pins display with enhanced information and stand out in Pinterest search results.

For the best results, combine Rich Pins with a strong Pinterest marketing strategy, including keyword-rich pin descriptions, high-quality visuals, and consistent pinning.

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