SEO for Podcasts: How to Grow Your Audience
SEO for Podcasting Basics
Starting a podcast to promote your business is smart. It’s an easily searchable long-form content that will bring traffic to your website for years and typically doesn’t take much time to produce.
Podcasting is a great way to build authority and trust with your audience, because similar to blogging, producing consistent long-form content is a way to give free information that is valuable to your listeners.
To make your podcast easily searchable and ensure you are getting in front of (or in the ears of!) new audiences, you have to have good SEO, or search engine optimization.
SEO refers to the unpaid strategies and practices used to increase the quality and quantity of traffic to your website or social platforms, and in this case, your podcast (Moz, 2023).
For more information about SEO basics, be sure to check out the following blog posts:
While the upfront time investment of recording, editing, and uploading your podcast can seem like a lot, know that a single podcast episode can be found months and even years after you first post it, making it a great long-term marketing strategy.
There are also a ton of ways you can repurpose your podcast audio and video for other marketing efforts. Think Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and blog articles.
In fact, I have an entire blog post related to content repurposing you can find here.
So let’s break down how to go about optimizing your podcast for search engines so you can get found by more listeners!
Step One: Create a Keyword List for Your Podcast
As a web designer and marketing consultant, I create a massive spreadsheet of keywords for my clients that I am always adding to as I discover new trending topics or terms that can be related to their niche. This is a great tool to use for all of your content creation, keeping track of keywords that have worked well and those that have not performed as well.
How to Find Keywords
To find keywords, start typing into the Google or Podcast players search bar any words that come to mind about your business. Think about what your ideal customer is searching for and keep track of what suggestions Google makes.
You can use free keyword search websites like Google Keyword Planner. And no, you don’t have to be running ads to use this tool. Just make an account!
I am also partial to Semrush**. You can create a new account that is free for the first 7 days and try their Keyword Magic tool to help you discover popular keywords and do market research of your competitors.
Here you can see the keyword recommendations I got from entering “podcast seo.” You can view the monthly search volume and competition to prioritize which words will get you the most traffic.
**This is an affiliate link. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Use this keyword list to brainstorm topic ideas for your podcast episodes. It’s okay to think a bit outside of the box here.
For example, if you are a therapist that specializes in treating postpartum depression, you likely will want to include keywords around similar topics.
Your audience would likely related to topics such as postpartum anxiety, postpartum rage, struggles with breastfeeding, and other parenting topics.
Using Content You Already Have
If you already have blog content, look at your analytics to see which topics are getting the most hits. Typically, if a blog post performs well, it will also perform well as a podcast episode.
Since podcasting is less saturated than blogging, you likely will experience even more success because search engines will view your episode topic as unique and valuable. Look at your analytics within your website hosting planner or using Google Search Console.
Though slightly more tricky to analyze, using your best performing social media posts as potential topics is a great way to come up with episode titles that people will want to listen to. As long as you can expand upon your social media post in a thoughtful way, people are likely to engage with it as a podcast episode.
Step Two: Optimize Your Audio Content
Did you know that Google can analyze the audio content of your podcast determine its keywords? (Neil Patel, 2023). Pretty crazy, but because of this it’s important to make sure your introduction to the episode gives a clear description of what the podcast will be about.
The first few minutes are the most critical place to include keywords. This is why many podcast experts recommend adding a quote from the episode to the beginning before your typical show introduction. This would look like:
Quote from episode —> Show Intro —> Full Episode —> Outro
Make sure that the quote you pull from the episode to go at the beginning is a good summary about what the episode is about.
For example, if the episode is all about branding and how you show up online as a business owner, you probably don’t want to pull a quote about your exercise regimen.
It’s okay to include other topics throughout the episode as you would in a natural conversation, but those first few minutes of audio are prime real estate, so ensure that your listener and Google are able to quickly pick up on what the episode will be about.
Adding keywords throughout the conversation is important, but make sure it is done in a natural way because Google can also pick up on if you are keyword stuffing, or adding keywords where not necessary or important in an attempt to rank higher.
As much as possible, stay on track with the overall goal of the episode. Consider removing any long tangents that don’t go with the title.
Step Three: Optimize Your Title and Show Notes
The title is the first thing people read when they decide whether or not they should listen to a particular podcast episode. Create a title that includes keywords and gives a good summary of what the episode will be about.
If you have a guest on an episode, be sure to include the name or Instagram handle of the person you are interviewing so you can tap into their audiences who might be searching for their content.
Writing titles in the form of a question is another strategy you can use because people may be looking for answers to a specific question or problem they are facing.
Again, when it comes to both the show notes and the title, be careful not to overstuff your writing with keywords.
Include links in your show notes to encourage listeners to learn more about you, your offers, and your guests. If you are promoting any freebies in your episode, be sure to include a link people can use to access those.
Add where people can find more about you. You can choose to use the same links for every episode, or if you are on a variety of platforms, mix it up for each episode’s show notes.
For example, episode 1 could include links to your Instagram account. Episode 2 could include links to relevant blog posts. Episode 3 could be your Facebook profile. Episode 4 could link to your YouTube channel. You get the idea.
Link directly to whatever content is relevant to that particular episode. If you have guests, be sure to include where listeners can go to learn more about them, whether that is their podcast, website, or social media accounts.
You can reference certain links as you are recording by saying something such as, “to download this freebie, be sure to check out the show notes.” If the information you are providing in the episode is pertinent and valuable to your listeners, they will be eager to get their hands on more information. This is a great way to build your email list!
Lastly, fill out all of the information in your podcast hosting platform. On Buzzsprout for example, you have the option to fill out the episode title, show notes, season number, episode number, artist/guest, summary, and tags.
Most of these are self-explanatory but the two you may not be familiar with are the summary and the tags.
The summary, is a shorter description (1 or 2 sentences) that describes your episode. Don’t forget to add your keywords here and give a succinct description of the topics you discuss in this episode and what the listener will learn. You can also include the name of your guest here to tap into their following.
Tags are another way to tell search engines what the episode is about. If your podcast is about marketing, you might want to include tags such as “business marketing, online marketing, and business mindset.” This is simply another way to help Google and podcast platforms categorize your episode.
Coming up with your episode title and show notes doesn’t have to be a long process. Having your keyword list prior to writing these should make is simple!
Step Four: Market Your Podcast
Audio streaming services like Apple Podcast and Spotify can see how much traffic your podcast is getting. When you release a new episode, it looks really good if you have a ton of listeners tuning in during those first 24 hours.
This is why marketing your podcast is so essential. There are a few ways to do this:
Subscribers
It seems like a no brainer, that the more subscribers you get, the more search engines favor your content. Encourage people to subscribe to your podcast during the outro of your episode.
When someone is subscribed to your podcast, when a new episode is released, it will appear in the feed of their audio streaming platform.
I have about 10 podcasts that I am subscribed to and I love how easy it is to just click what I want to listen to right on the home page of my Spotify app.
I have a setting turned on that when one episode is finished, even if I don’t click on what I want to listen to next, Spotify will decide what to play for me based on what I am subscribed to. Sounds like an easy way to get more downloads to me!
Blog post
Creating a blog post for each episode is a must! Some people take the transcription of the episode and create a blog post, while also embedding the audio player if people prefer to listen to the episode on their web browser. Others may expand on the ideas discussed in the episode to meet Googles standards of length, heading tags, and use of keywords.
Adding a call-to-action at the end of your blog post is a great way to keep your listeners engaged and even persuade them to become paying customers through your offers.
You can create an opt-in form on your blog post that gives your audience a tool or checklist they can use. This is a win-win because it gets more people on your email list and more traffic to your website.
Email List
Got an email list? Don’t forget to share your episode with them! This is an easy way to stay in touch with your subscribers and give them a nudge to check out the latest episode.
You can highlight the key points of the episode, give additional resources that your audience may find helpful, and encourage conversation by asking for feedback!
YouTube or other Video content
Recording your podcast with Zoom? Use that video to create content for YouTube, TikTok or Instagram reels.
Use Canva to create your short-form video by uploading the mp3 audio over a stock video. I have a quick tutorial on my Instagram page you can find here.
Pinterest
By now you know I love to use Pinterest to promote any long-form content, and that includes podcast episodes, too! While you can choose to link your Pins to the podcast episode on Apple or Spotify, ideally you want to move this traffic to your website.
For this reason, I highly encourage you to create a blog post for every episode you put out. This way, you’ll be able to better control the content your audience is guided to and you can see analytics of where your traffic is coming from.
If having a blog post for each episode is not in the cards for you, you can still use Pinterest to market your podcast by linking each pin to wherever you listen to podcasts. This will encourage people start listening to your episode right there and then, and boost your download numbers.
If you have more questions about how to market your podcast or other business content on Pinterest, check out these blog posts.
3 Important Reasons You Should Start Using Pinterest for Your Business
The Importance of Using Idea Pins to Build Your Audience on Pinterest
6. Word of Mouth
Never forget the power of a good referral. Ask your friends, family members, and loyal listeners to spread the word about your podcast. In the episode outro and on social media, ask people to take a screenshot of the episode and explain why is resonated with them.
As a podcast junkie myself, I always love hearing what other people are listening to. If you tell me about an episode that I just have to listen to, I will.
I have seen many podcasts do giveaways to encourage promotion of their podcast. It doesn’t have to be much. A $25 Amazon gift card usually does the trick.
Monetizing Your Podcast
Still not sure if using these podcast SEO best practices is worth the effort? Well, let’s talk money, honey!
There are a few different ways to monetize your podcast- advertisements, affiliate marketing, and selling your own goods and services.
You can get paid based on the number of downloads per episode so getting as much traffic to your podcast as possible can effect your bottom line.
Conclusion
Now you have all the tools you need to get started optimizing your podcast for search engines so more people can hear your message!
You've learned how to create a keyword list, optimize your audio content, create titles and show notes that include searched for keywords, and market your podcast with techniques like using your email list and promoting on platforms like Pinterest.
By following these SEO best practices for podcasting, you can make sure your content is reaching the people who are most likely to be interested in your message.
Getting your podcast to the right people can help build brand recognition and trust, which can convert to paying customers in the future.
Leveraging search engine optimization for your podcast can be the difference between just a few people listening and hundreds of people tuning in to your content.
So let's get started creating content that will bring more people to your website and turn your existing audience into loyal, paying customers!
I have an entire bonus module about Podcasting for SEO in my new course: RANK Method, designed to help busy business owners drive more traffic to their website by creating strategic content to rank on Google.
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