SEO for Podcasts: How to Make Your Podcast Rank

Everything you need to know about SEO for podcasts

Whether you already have a podcast or you're thinking of starting one, chances are you want it to be successful, and a big part of that is your marketing strategy. There are a whole host of steps you can take to promote your podcast and grow your listening base, but one of the best places to start is with SEO.

SEO -- or search engine optimization -- is all about getting your podcast to rank as high as possible in search engine results. And when we say search engines, we really mean Google. There are a whopping 63,000 search queries every second on Google, which represents a HUGE opportunity to get new customers. But these new listeners need to be able to find you.

With that in mind, we've put together this guide on everything you need to know about SEO for podcasts, with top tips to help you increase your podcast ranking and ultimately grow your podcast.

Jump to:

How does SEO for podcasts work?

Until recently, podcasts and other types of audio content were not seen as direct SEO assets. Google couldn't index or crawl audio files, but this started to change in 2019, when the search engine announced that podcasts would be indexed and appear in search results thanks to the advancements in AI and natural language processing. Google created a specific platform for it 'Google Podcasts'.

When it comes to optimizing your podcast for SEO and increasing its chances of ranking, there are a number of things you can do, both within the audio of the podcast itself, and using written content. In the next section we've outlined eight podcast SEO tips to help make your show SEO-friendly.

How to optimize your podcast for SEO

1. Create a website for your podcast

Creating a website for your podcast can work wonders for SEO. A dedicated website will make it easier for Google to discover your podcast and your new episodes, and it will index your written content, which will increase your chances of ranking. This will make it easier for your audience to find you.

On your website, you can target relevant keywords (more on that later), create blog content to be published in tandem with the release of new episodes, and link to other related episodes to keep your audience engaged and help them to discover new content.

2. Choose a relevant theme

To give your podcast the best chance of doing well from an SEO perspective -- but from a general perspective too -- it's a good idea to choose a theme that people are genuinely interested in. Start by thinking about your target audience and their interests, and, if you're a business, the themes that it makes sense for you to cover.

Use Google Trends to research themes, looking at what people are searching for, what's trending, and what's set to continue trending. Use this as inspiration for your podcast theme.

3. Research your topics

Once you've chosen a theme, you need to think about topics for each episode. Again, it's a good idea to look at what people are searching for so that your podcast can target these keywords and hopefully rank in the search results for these queries.

Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs are examples of keyword tools that you can use to pick topics. Enter a keyword that you'd like to do an episode on, then use these tools to identify exactly what people are searching in relation to this keyword or phrase.

You don't necessarily want to pick the questions or keywords with the highest search volume -- a super-relevant keyword with a low search volume is a great choice, as are keywords with low competition.

4. Add keywords to your episodes

Your keyword research is well underway, so once you've decided on your topics, use the keywords you've identified to create an optimized title and description for each episode. This will help your audience to find you on your podcast hosting platform. Make sure the title and description are catchy and appealing -- this is what will make the audience decide to listen to your show!

Make sure you include the keywords throughout your episode too, where possible, so that when Google crawls the audio it picks up on them and knows to include you in the rankings for these search terms.

These keywords can also be used on your website to create optimized content and metadata.

5. Include a podcast transcript

Although Google now crawls and indexes audio content, it still does a better job at indexing text. Transcribing a podcast from audio to text is good for SEO as it helps search engines understand your podcast in more detail, and therefore increases your podcast's chances of ranking.

Ensure the transcript is optimized with keywords and well structured, then publish it on your website to improve the discoverability of your podcast.

Find out how to get a podcast transcription.

6. Promote your podcast

Chances are that you've already thought about how you're going to promote your podcast -- uploading it to different podcast-hosting platforms, sharing it via your social media channels, using paid ads, etc. Another great way to promote your podcast and add SEO value is by getting your podcast features on other websites.

Think about the sort of websites that might like to know and talk about your podcast. That might be publications that discuss the latest in business, tech, travel, food and drink, or fashion. Browse the internet for websites that write about the top podcasts in your field, and reach out to them to see if they'll include you in their next feature.

Links to your podcast from other websites not only help you to reach their target audience, they add SEO value too, as Google takes these links as a sign that your podcast is relevant and trustworthy.

7. Ask listeners for reviews

Another way to show search engines that your podcast is authoritative and worthy of a high ranking is through reviews. Encourage your listeners to leave a review if they enjoyed your podcast -- make the process as simple as possible for them so they don't get put off. Reviews will also attract new listeners, helping to grow your podcast audience.

8. Invite experts on to your podcast

Inviting experts to feature on your podcast will help with SEO in several ways. Firstly, your association with experts will signal to Google that you're an expert in your field. Secondly, if your expert shares it with their audience (which you should certainly encourage them to), you're bound to get more traffic and listeners. And thirdly, if your guest links to your podcast from their own website, you'll get a valuable link!

Summary

With Google now recognizing podcasts as SEO assets, there's no better time to focus on your podcast SEO strategy. Follow these eight steps to boost your podcast's SEO and, over time, your show will gain authority and begin to climb the rankings.

Once you've chosen your theme and topics, researched your keywords, created a website and started recording, allow Transcribe to help you with your podcast transcription. Simply download the Transcribe app or launch the online editor to get started.

Happy podcasting!


Written By Katie Garrett and Irina Serdyukovskaya

Subscribe to news

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter!

How to Transcribe a Podcast

From SEO to accessibility, podcast transcriptions offer a range of benefits. Learn how to transcribe your podcasts with our step-by-step guide.

20 July 2022 #13

How to Start a Podcast for Your Business

Starting a podcast is a great way to engage your audience and reach a wider demographic. Check out our top tips for how to start a podcast to promote your business.

08 August 2022 #15

How to Choose a Topic for Your Podcast

Looking for an interesting podcast topic for your business' new show? Check out our guide, full of top tips and ideas to help you find the perfect podcast topic.

10 August 2022 #16