Optimizing a podcast show for search engines requires a different approach. Since it is an audio-first medium, you need to make sure Google can understand your content with the help of Podcast SEO.
In today’s fast-paced world, podcasts have become a great source of information. Since they only engage the auditory senses, people can perform their regular chores while listening to their favorite podcasts. The podcast industry is booming right now, and if you plan to start a podcast show, this is perhaps the best time to get started.
Even though podcasts are primarily consumed as a form of audio content, they still need to be optimized for search engines. However, they do not follow the same rules as text-based content. So the question is – how will you make your podcast episodes rank high on the search engine results page? The answer is podcast search engine optimization (SEO).
Podcast SEO is a set of activities that help your podcast series, and individual episodes rank highly on search engines for relevant keywords. Without the right SEO activities, your target listeners will have trouble finding your content when they search for similar podcasts.
In the past, most podcasters simply used basic keywords to appear in the search results on major podcasting platforms like Spotify, iTunes, or YouTube. However, things changed when Google made some updates to its algorithm.
In 2019, Google announced that it would begin showing podcasts directly on its search engine results pages (SERPs). Since then, if a user searches for a term and a relevant podcast addresses that search query, the podcast could appear in the results. Google also analyzes and transcribes podcast content to learn more about its relevance to different queries.
Today, optimizing your podcast for searchers has become essential if you want to stand out among the competition. There are different strategies you can use to improve your podcast’s visibility on search engines and podcast directories like Spotify. But first, you should understand why podcast SEO matters.
When your podcast appears in the first few pages of SERPs, you see a significant boost in the number of new and organic listeners. In fact, if you optimize your podcast and each episode for the search engines, people can find it on Google when they search for a relevant term. This is how you build a massive following for your podcast.
You must know that search engine optimization (SEO) helps drive more visitors to a website. If you want your website to appear at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs), the right SEO tactics can help you achieve that. However, when it comes to podcast SEO, things are a lot different.
Even though we have the technology to transcribe audio, Google and other search engines often struggle to index complex, speech-heavy content like podcasts. Google relies on a combination of clearly spoken words within your podcast and the written and visual content around it before including your audio content in the SERPs.
With the growing number of podcast shows on the internet, you need to focus on your podcast’s SEO to stand out from the crowd. If your target audience does not discover you, all your efforts will be in vain. Strategic SEO practices not only improve your visibility to the target audience but also help you reach new listeners who are looking for something fresh.
Unlike written content, you do not need to change the content structure of your podcast to make it SEO-friendly. As mentioned, podcast SEO focuses on some of the background details and insignificant tasks that you may not pay attention to at this moment. By making a few changes to these elements, you can improve your podcast SEO and be discovered by millions of people on the internet.
Keywords, as you may already know, are specific terms and phrases that users enter into search engines to find relevant information. As a podcaster, you need to spend some time doing keyword research and identifying the keywords that your target audiences usually search for. By strategically adding them to your podcast episodes, you can rank high in the SERPs for those keywords.
The title of your podcast should be clear and concise. If people come across your podcast on Google for the first time, they should be able to understand what the podcast show is about. If you are running a true crime podcast, using terms like “criminal,” “true crime,” and “best true crime” in the title, make it clear to the audience and search engines what the podcast is about. Unless you are a popular public figure, having your name in the podcast title does not add value.
An optimized podcast description adds context to your title and offers more details on the podcast theme. Search engines like Google connect these terms to your podcast, helping it get a better ranking for relevant search queries. While writing the show description, try to include the names of the hosts, covered topics, and the frequency of the show. Try to keep it brief and informative.
Apart from using the keywords strategically throughout your podcast episode, you should also use them in your episode titles. This is different from the podcast title of the entire show. Here, you need a new title for each episode. Episode titles tell the search engines, podcast platforms, and listeners what the topic of your episode is. Make sure your titles are simple to read and easy to search. Besides the relevant keyword that describes the episode theme, you should also use a phrase that meets search intent (e.g., “How to Excel in a Job Interview” instead of “Job Interview Hacks”). If you have a guest for that episode, mention the person’s name in the title. Lastly, make sure the title is under 60 characters.
While optimizing your podcast episodes for search engines, make sure your episode descriptions are properly utilized. You may have noticed that the descriptions usually get cut off after the first couple of sentences. So, you need to make each character count in order to grab the attention of your listeners. Write a description that clearly sums up the value they are sharing with the audience so that a listener can quickly scan the text and determine if it is worth their time. The search engines also respond well to optimized episode descriptions of a podcast.
Shownotes help Google understand your podcast content in more detail. Well-written show notes help you create an incentive for your existing listeners to visit your site. These notes also help improve your podcast’s overall SEO presence. They act as a central data library for your episodes, offering relevant contextual details, transcripts, timestamps, links to useful resources, and more.
With these measures, you can improve your podcast SEO, and boost the visibility of your podcasts on search engines for relevant keywords and search queries.
Spotify is the second most popular platform (after YouTube) for listening to podcasts. Quite naturally, if you want your podcast to reach the right audience, you must improve the show’s visibility on this platform. You should focus on the following measures to optimize your podcast for Spotify.
The show page is similar to a website home page. The show page acts as a landing page for your podcast. You can use it to describe what the podcast is about. The show page of your podcast should include the following elements:
Develop the show page properly. Ensure that each element is up-to-date, accurate, and compelling for your target audience.
Show descriptions are usually short and concise. This is why you need to make every word count. In order to boost your podcast SEO, you need to incorporate phrases or sub-topics that your target audience is looking for.
Imagine you run a personal finance podcast, where you talk about sub-topics like “banking frauds,” “stock market best practices,” and “emergency fund,” etc. You should include these sub-topics in your description. These are search terms that improve your chances of being discovered by a potential listener. It also increases the SEO value of your podcast.
Another effective way to optimize your podcast for Spotify is to write an episode description in the right manner. While many undermine the value of this tool, you can utilize this space to incorporate relevant keywords, boosting your chances of getting a better rank for individual episodes in search.
Spotify recommends that you use the first 20 words of the episode description to hook new listeners instantly. Avoid repeating information in your episode title or general podcast description. Instead, you should jump straight into discussing the topic or guest of the episode.
Even though YouTube is primarily a video publishing platform, it has emerged as the most popular way audiences listen to podcasts these days. Needless to say, you must optimize your podcast show and episodes for this platform to become visible to your target audience on YouTube. Let’s explore all the crucial measures that can help you achieve that goal.
It has been a few years since Google started showing relevant YouTube content in its search results. If you do a quick search on Google about “How to become debt-free,” you will find a number of relevant videos, including a video chapter from a personal finance podcast episode on YouTube.
If you want your YouTube podcast videos to show up in search results, start segmenting your podcast into various sections, which are popularly known as video chapters. This gives a structure to your podcast, making it easier for Google to understand. However, adding video chapters is not enough. You also need to optimize them if you want them to rank higher in the search results. Add relevant keywords in the title of each chapter.
Apart from helping your podcast video rank higher in the search results, video chapters also enhance user experience. Since podcasts can be quite lengthy, some listeners (or viewers) may like to skip to the interesting part instead of listening to the entire episode. A user might want to listen to the part that’s relevant to them quickly. The chapters in the podcast episode make it easier for the users to skip to the right topic in the video.
If you run a podcast show that covers a wide variety of topics, it is best for you to create a playlist for each topic. This is particularly useful for YouTube podcasts, as YouTube prefers displaying relevant playlists in its search results. So, your content gets another chance to be seen. In a playlist, users can then choose the podcast they want to listen to, giving them the chance to explore different topics of your content.
Additionally, playlists can help organize your podcast library. So, if a viewer discovers one of your podcast playlists from the search results, they can find several other podcast videos on the same topic and spend more time watching your videos. YouTube also suggests related videos beside the video you are watching, helping users find content they may like.
Before you publish your next podcast video on YouTube, make sure the following elements are properly optimized.
During the final stage of publishing your podcast video on YouTube, try to include your primary keyword in the video’s file name. At this moment, YouTube is not advanced enough to actually watch your video to see how relevant it is for the audience. However, it can read the file name of your video to get some context about the video and rank it accordingly.
Whenever it is possible, try to incorporate your target keyword organically in the video title. Make sure that the title is clear, concise, and compelling. Try not to overuse keywords. As mentioned before, keep the length of the title below 60 characters.
Try to mention all the crucial details about your podcast video at the beginning of your video description. Highlight a keyword-rich summary, relevant links, and/or CTA. Since YouTube displays only the first two or three sentences to the viewers, you need to use those sentences to your advantage. The viewer can read the entire description by clicking on the “Show more” button, but they rarely do that.
With these measures, you can significantly increase your chances of being discovered on YouTube. Even though the competition is intense, you can develop a good following on this platform with the right strategy.
While it is important to be discovered by the listeners on those popular podcasting platforms, your primary goal should be to feature in the first page of Google search results for relevant search queries.
At this point, you may have understood how crucial keywords are for the success of your podcast SEO. The right usage of keywords can help you reach more listeners via search results and turn those listeners into loyal fans. Instead of planning the keywords around your podcast episodes, start developing your episodes around specific keywords. This practice will help you out your podcast in front of users who have particular search intent.
For example, if you have a lifestyle podcast, you should target keywords like “travel,” “beauty and fashion,” and “home decor.” Do your keyword research to determine related keywords, their volumes, difficulty, trends, and other crucial aspects.
Writing a unique title or description for every podcast episode may seem monotonous and time-consuming, but you should never skip these sections. These pieces of text give Google something to read and understand the context of your podcast.
You should also consider adding a transcript to your podcast. This will enable Google to understand the content of your episodes better. Moreover, you have a better chance of boosting your podcast’s ranking and discoverability by using the right topic, keywords, and keyword placement. It also enhances the amount of information that Google can gather from your podcast.
Readers should note that this step is not mandatory, especially when you are just starting out. However, having a dedicated website for your podcast can offer a number of SEO advantages. A website offers more keyword opportunities and gives search engines more details about your podcast apart from the title and description.
If you have time and resources, you can also develop blog content that complements your podcast. This is a great way to cross-promote your content across different channels and build a massive following for your blogs and podcasts in the process.
It is easy to assume that SEO is unnecessary for audio-first mediums like podcasts since there aren’t too many words to optimize. However, things have changed significantly in the past few years. Now that Google can actively scan audio content for context, SEO has become a crucial element for the success of your podcasts.
Thankfully, podcast SEO best practices are quite similar to what content marketers have been doing with text content over the years. Identify the keywords that your audience uses in their search queries and include them in your podcast and its surrounding content. As you optimize your content for search engines, your podcast show starts gaining more authority and experiences a boost in its rankings.
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