Podcast SEO 101: How To Make Your Podcast Rank

Starting a podcast is one thing, but getting your episodes in front of new listeners is a whole new ball game. And with more brands and content marketers competing for audience reach, search engine optimization (SEO) is a crucial tool to boost your podcast strategy. 

Getting your SEO right can do wonders for your podcast. It increases the chances of your show ranking high on search engine results pages. That means listeners won’t have to scour through apps and platforms to be introduced to your show. Your podcast can easily pop up in results for people searching for terms or keywords that are relevant to your episodes. 

So how do you boost your podcast’s visibility on the web and get more traffic for your show? The good news is that there are simple, practical, yet powerful changes you can do to optimize your podcast for search engine ranking. 

Here are some tips to help you leverage content and build a following for your podcast. 

Use The Right Keywords 

Keyword research is a critical step to improving your podcast’s SEO statistics. This practice helps you better understand what’s trending in your niche, what keywords or phrases your target audiences are searching for, and how often they search. 

Keep keywords in mind when creating content for your episodes. Choose the most relevant terms and phrases for your show. Aim for keywords that are popular or have a high volume search but are not competitive. Your podcast will have a higher chance of appearing at the top of the search list with keywords that are less competitive. 

There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to choosing keywords. But the more general words or phrases you pick, the more competitive your keyword will likely be and the lesser your chances of ranking high.

That said, chasing every trending topic or repeating keywords multiple times to generate traffic is not good practice. Focus on your particular niche and find out the topics, words, or phrases that people are frequently searching for about it. You can also use resources and tools to help you find the right keywords that will draw the attention of your target market. 

Craft SEO-friendly Titles, Descriptions, Tags

A well-optimized title will increase your podcast’s discoverability and search rankings. Incorporate the right keywords into your title but make sure that this does not compromise creativity and wit. A good title is short, concise, catchy, and intriguing. Ideally, your title should build anticipation for your show and clearly tell listeners what the podcast is all about. 

Meta descriptions provide critical context that search engines interpret when indexing a podcast. Descriptions should typically detail what your podcast is about, who the podcast is for, and why your listeners shouldn’t miss the episode. Most importantly, you should include keywords in your descriptions in a subtle, more natural way. Be mindful of the character count — a description with between 72 to 155 characters will be good for most distribution platforms. 

Create Transcripts and Show Notes For Your Episodes

One of the best ways to increase your podcast’s chance of ranking high in search results is to provide verified transcriptions for each episode. That’s because search engines can crawl your transcript and get a better understanding of the content within your episode.

This will not only make your content accessible to more people but also give you control over your episode translations. You can ensure that terms are clearly defined, words are correctly spelled, and keywords are highlighted. 

Having show notes can also help you establish authority in your podcast niche and enable your audiences to navigate different segments of your episode. 

To optimize your show notes page for SEO, it should generally include:

• An edited transcript.
• Timestamps and titles.
• Headings with keywords.
• Show and episode descriptions.
• Highlights or summaries of the show’s main points.
• Bios of the hosts and the guests, including their social media pages.
• Any relevant links mentioned in the episode.
• A call-to-action.

Build High-quality Backlinks

Backlinks are essential to your SEO strategy because they let you create trust. These are links from a page on one website to another using anchor text. When someone links to your site, you have a backlink from them. 

Backlinks help your podcast pages rank because it shows search engines like Google that your podcast content is authoritative, credible, and relevant. Some of the tactics you can use to get your content noticed and earn high-quality backlinks include:

• Getting guests on your podcast and appearing as a guest on other podcasts.
• Reaching out to journalists, bloggers, etc.
• Promoting your content within your network and leading sites in your niche.
• Asking for reviews.
• Offering unique insights and creating visuals that other websites can use.

Create Buzz Through Your Website, Social Media Channels

Never underestimate the power of websites, blogs, and social media channels to drive traffic and generate engagement for your podcasts. Having a dedicated website for your podcast can help you leverage your branding and build a relationship with your listeners. Make sure to get your website up to speed — there’s nothing like a slow and complicated website to turn off an audience.

Get your show in front of more listeners by sharing your podcast on social media. Cross-promote your podcast on all your digital channels and drum up interest for your episodes through fun social media campaigns. Engage your audiences through posts and comments, games, Q&A sessions, and more. The more likes, comments, shares, and engagements your podcast content has, the more likely will it rank on search engines. 

Stay on Top Of The Podcasting SEO Game

It’s never going to be easy to capture today’s diverse audiences. The key is consistency — apply these best practices regularly to improve your SEO strategy. Sooner than later, your podcast is going to unlock a world of new listeners. 

Consider Hiring an SEO Professional

While many aspects of SEO can be self-taught, the landscape is continually changing. Search engine algorithms are updated frequently, and staying abreast of these changes can be time-consuming. Hiring a professional SEO company can distinguish between a podcast that gets lost in the vast sea of content and one that truly stands out. SEO professionals can conduct comprehensive keyword research, develop an effective SEO strategy tailored to your podcast, and monitor your performance. Their expertise can provide you with insights and tools you may not be aware of, allowing you to focus more on content creation and less on the technical aspects of SEO.