No one talks about it much but buddy you have no idea what you are missing if you are not adding this strategy in your podcast marketing checklist. Yes it’s SEO. But how can a podcast increase SEO? Screw it! What is SEO in the first place? Let’s chew over some definitions before the pep talk.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It involves optimizing online content like web pages, blog posts, and YouTube videos to attract free organic traffic from search engines like Google and YouTube.
So, Basically hacking search algorithm legally. SEO is not like overnight success but it is worth it if you do it in the right way. In this sense, “Podcast SEO” is the strategy of optimizing your podcasts to boost their visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal is to increase the chances of potential listeners finding your shows through search traffic.
Why SEO Matters for Podcasting
Relevance of Search Queries
For instance, if you search “how to start a podcast” on Google, you’ll notice that the results specifically have “how to start a podcast” in their titles. This indicates that Google recognizes these pages as relevant to the search query. The better you optimize your content, the more likely search engines will display it higher in the search results. This increases your content’s discoverability for people searching for related topics—your target audience.
SEO’s Growing Importance in Podcasting
SEO is becoming just as crucial for audio podcasts as it has been for websites and blogs. In 2019, Google began displaying podcasts on their search engine results pages. Google uses its speech-to-text feature to transcribe and analyze podcast content, highlighting it as a search result. This means that anything you say in your podcast episode or write in your podcast description has the opportunity to be indexed by Google. Your podcast episode titles will also be indexed and could appear in search results.
Example: SEO in Action
For example, when you search “how to start a podcast,” you’ll see that the podcast episodes that appear have content related to that topic. Even if a specific episode doesn’t have “how to start a podcast” in its written content, it might be mentioned in the audio file. Also, you’ll notice that these shows are displayed from Google Podcasts, so it’s essential to ensure your show is available on that platform.
The Importance of Niche and Keywords for your podcast
Why a Niche Matters
Obviously you have a niche for your podcast and you talk around those specific topics. SEO is another reason why having a specific niche is vital. You want to minimize competition with other content online so that your podcast is more likely to appear first in search results. Make sure you understand your niche and use niche-specific keywords with low competition and high search volume. We’ll dive deeper into this shortly.
Keyword Optimization
Build each episode around a specific niche-related keyword. This ensures that your podcast transcripts are already optimized for SEO. Add these transcripts to your podcast webpage. Some hosting providers also offer the option to attach a transcript to your audio file. Besides the transcript, include optimized written content for each episode. By giving Google some written content to read alongside the audio, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search results.
Expanding Your Podcast’s Reach
Expand your podcast’s reach. Make sure your podcast is available on as many platforms as possible, including all podcast platforms and YouTube. This broadens the opportunity for search engines and podcast platforms to crawl and index your audio content.
How to enhance SEO Rankings for Podcast Episodes
Sam has been podcasting weekly for 3 years and wants to increase his podcast’s discoverability through search. Sam is a solopreneur and tried the 5 pins, 3 reels, 3 YouTube shorts, and 7 TikToks a week route. He hated it, and it didn’t increase his weekly downloads.
Sam also tried live-streaming and using that as a podcast for 10 episodes. The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze for him—being on video and entertaining that audience took away from the content he prepared for the podcast(that caused friction with his ADHD).
Currently, Sam’s podcast has its own website via Simplecast with its own domain name + he uploads transcripts for all episodes. And he is doing pretty well.
Now Let’s make a step by step plan for you-
Brainstorming Episode Topics
First, brainstorm episode topics based on your niche. Suppose you’re starting a podcast focused on freelancing. Write down all the episode ideas you have in mind, both broad and niche.
Tips for Gathering Ideas
- Use Reddit: Find a couple of subreddits relevant to your podcast topic and see what people are discussing.
- Check Out Other Podcasts: Look at other podcasts related to your topic and see what they’ve covered.
- Google Search: Search your topic on Google and analyze the first few results. These results likely reflect solid keyword research, making the topics they cover great to explore or narrow down further.
Getting More Specific
In your episode, explore what questions people are asking. Take that keyword and insert it into a site like AnswerThePublic or Ahrefs Keyword Generator. You’ll get a list of questions people are asking about that keyword, helping you plan the content of your episode and the questions you want to answer. Look for highly searched topics, which you can identify using key indicators.
Rewrite Episode Titles for SEO
You may think that clever or catchy episode titles are the way to go and they might be for your current audience. But if you want new listeners, you need to rethink your strategy. SEO loves straightforward, keyword-rich titles.
For example: Instead of titling it “Lights, Camera, Action! The Hidden Gems of 90s Cinema,” try something more SEO-friendly like “Best 90s Movies You’ve Never Heard Of.”
It’s not as flashy, but it’s going to pull in way more people searching for “best 90s movies.”
Use Keyword Research Tools
Use keyword research tools to get started. A free tool with significant functionality is Wordstream. Search each of your episode ideas one by one. For example, if you want to create an episode on “photography freelancing,” search that term. Ensure the term has low competition but high search volume, meaning lots of people are searching for it, but there’s not much information online about it. Based on the volume and competition ratio, this could be a great keyword to use. Once you’ve found it, move on to the next step.
Make a Podcast Website or Page &Turn Episodes into Blog Posts
Every podcast episode can and should be turned into a blog post. Because search engines crawl text, not audio. Creating a dedicated podcast page or website is step #1 to boosting your SEO through a podcast. Get a Domain(Better if it exactly matches with your podcast name).
When you launch a podcast, you have to choose a service to host it on. Something like Castos, Sounder.fm, or Anchor. On your hosting platform, you’ll have a page for your show. However, this isn’t enough when it comes to SEO.
Aside from your hosting service’s page, you’ll either want to dedicate one of your existing website pages to your podcast or make a new website. This is because you have more opportunities to optimize for search when you own the page or site.
It also improves the UX of finding your show. Think of it as a home-base for your podcast where people can then decide which podcast player they want to listen on.
Existing Website Page
Using your current website to dedicate a page to your show is a viable route for a new podcaster. This way, you don’t have to develop anything brand new.
Things you’ll want to include on your podcast’s page:
- Show name
- Show description
- Cover art
- Email subscribe button
- Social follow buttons
You can use a WordPress plugin or maybe Shopify that imports your episodes and show notes via your RSS feed. This way, every new episode automatically creates a blog post on your website. Hire an Expert Developer and tell them to create a simple podcast site.
But don’t just dump the transcript. Take the time to craft a well written post. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easy to read. Add in some of your personal opinions, expand on topics, and maybe even throw in a few visuals.
Find the Right Keyphrases
Finding the right keyphrases can feel like diving down a never-ending SEO rabbit hole, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of getting lost in SEO tools for days, try this simple trick: think about what your ideal listener might type into Google to find your episode.
For example: If your episode is about “underrated sci-fi films,” a good keyphrase might be “best underrated sci-fi movies.” Use this in your episode title, description, and throughout your blog post.
Adjust Your Podcast Name if Necessary
If your podcast name is clever but doesn’t clearly carry what it’s about, then it might be time to rethink it. This doesn’t mean you have to lose your personality, but a little clarity can go a long way helping new listeners find you.
For example: If your podcast is called “The Movie Buff’s Rant,” but it’s really about breaking down movie plots, a name like “Movie Plot Breakdown with The Movie Buff” might be more effective. It’s clear & descriptive, and still has personality.
Create Guides and Cross-Link
Some of your podcast episodes are probably more content-rich than others. These are great for SEO. Pick out a few episodes that are packed with tasty information and turn them into detailed guides or longer blog posts. Add visuals, infographics, or even a video if you can.
Then, cross-link the guides with other relevant posts on the site. This not only keeps people on your site longer(which Google loves) but it also helps boost the SEO of all the pages involved.
Participate in Podcast Networks
Joining podcast networks can be a great way to expand your reach. While you might not love having guests on your show due to the extra editing work, consider offering to guest on other podcasts. You can even suggest airing the interview on your own feed.
This cross-pollination helps you tap into new audiences and can drive traffic back to your website. Plus, if the podcast you guest on has a good SEO strategy, your name and your show’s name will start showing up in more searches.
Episode Introduction Tips
A great tip for your episode introduction is to state, “In this episode, we will be answering questions like…” and then state the questions word for word. This includes the full search phrase at the beginning of your episode.
Cross-Promote on Social Media
Promoting your podcast on your other digital channels can help build authority and make you more discoverable. Shorts or Reels are a great way to cut your important podcast highlights into pieces and edit them (If you are not good at it, I would prefer taking help from Professionals and Video Editors). If you provide valuable information in your podcast this strategy will help you immensely.
By cross-promoting your podcast on social media, you can build in more chances to be found in different search engines.
And if Google notices your podcast appearing in more channels, it’s more likely to pull your podcast as a result on a search engine results page.
Comlplete Podcast SEO Roadmap
Here’s a structured step-by-step plan for increasing podcast discoverability through search, based on Sam’s journey and best SEO practices:
| Step | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brainstorm Episode Topics | Generate ideas | Focus on niche-related topics. Example: If your podcast is about freelancing, list broad and specific topics. |
| 2. Gather Ideas | Use Reddit | Browse relevant subreddits to see what topics resonate with your audience. |
| Check Competitors | Analyze episodes covered by similar podcasts. | |
| Google Search | Look at top-ranking results to identify trending topics. | |
| 3. Use Keyword Tools for Episode Content | AnswerThePublic / Ahrefs | Identify questions and keywords people search for related to your topic. |
| 4. Rewrite Titles for SEO | Optimize episode titles | Use straightforward, keyword-rich titles instead of clever but unclear ones. Example: “Best 90s Movies You’ve Never Heard Of” instead of “Lights, Camera, Action!” |
| 5. Research Keywords | Use tools like Wordstream | Choose terms with low competition and high search volume for maximum reach. |
| 6. Create Blog Posts from Episodes | Turn audio into text | Publish well-written blog posts for each episode (instead of just transcripts). Use headings and bullet points for readability. |
| 7. Build a Dedicated Podcast Website | Use Simplecast or other hosting services | Create a home base for your podcast with show name, cover art, subscribe button, and RSS feed integration. |
| 8. Optimize Keyphrases | Find listener-centric phrases | Think about what your ideal listener would search for (e.g., “best underrated sci-fi movies”). Use these in titles and descriptions. |
| 9. Adjust Podcast Name (If Necessary) | Ensure clarity | If the name is too clever and unclear, consider a more descriptive title that still keeps personality. |
| 10. Develop Detailed Guides from Rich Episodes | Expand key content | Turn high-value episodes into longer blog posts or guides. Add visuals, infographics, or even video. |
| 11. Cross-Link Content | Link related pages | Connect guides and blog posts to keep visitors on your site longer and improve SEO. |
| 12. Participate in Podcast Networks | Guest on other podcasts | Expand your audience by guesting on shows with complementary topics and air interviews on your feed. |
| 13. Create SEO-Friendly Introductions | State search-friendly questions | Example: “In this episode, we’ll answer: ‘What are the best strategies for beginner freelancers?’” |
| 14. Promote on Social Media | Use Reels / Shorts | Highlight podcast segments in short videos. Hire professional editors if needed. |
| 15. Monitor and Adjust SEO Performance | Track metrics | Use Google Analytics or your podcast host’s insights to see what’s working. |
Conclusion
It’s easy to think that SEO is something only bloggers need to worry about, but that’s far from the truth. Podcasters have a wealth of content and with the right strategy, can boost their visibility online. Just like Sam, you can turn your passion project into something that not only reaches more people but also grows your influence in your niche.
Remember, SEO isn’t about gaming the system—it’s about making your content easier to find by the people who need it. And when done right, it’s a win-win for both you and your audience.
So, what are you waiting for? Start optimizing your podcast today and watch as your SEO (and your audience) grows.
Into Podcasting? Podcasting is a different game, and without a precise blueprint, the game will get tougher midway. Grow your podcast from scratch with Zero Audience and learn about how successful podcasters cracked the code by winning our Free Guide with step by step Guidelines.
Get your complete podcast equipment setup by visiting Podcast Equipment Bundle. Get in touch with podcasting services and experts those will save you tons of time at Podcast Production Services.
With that being said, Let’s connect with all such free and paid tool/services you might need knowingly or unknowingly to fuel your growth. Here’s 21 BEST AI TOOLS AND PLATFORMS TO GROW YOUR PODCAST AND CONTENTS. There are some bonus tools in the end too to make your day to day life easier.
There are some affiliate links on this page that will redirect you directly to the original products and services. Also by buying through those links you will be supporting us. So thank you ^.^
