11 Tips to Optimize Podcasts to Rank High on SERP

Over the years, podcasts have become a comprehensive SEO strategy or tactic to build connection with a larger group of potential clients. Ever since Google announced that podcasts would be indexed or surfaced in the search results in 2019, this media format has gained huge acceptance in the SEO arena. The advancements in AI and natural language processing made it possible to pinpoint verbalized keywords within podcasts and rank them accordingly. This has significantly raised the visibility of podcasts in search results as potential listeners can discover podcasting content when searching with the word “podcast.” Utilizing organic SEO services can help optimize your podcasts for higher search engine ranking.

Reports suggest that throughout 2020, 18 percent of people listened to podcasts each week, which is double the number who listened in 2018. According to Acast, people now listen to almost 60m hours of podcasts per week, which is over twice what they did two years ago and seventeen times what they did in 2015. The higher your podcasts ranks in searches, the more likely will be its chances that people will discover and listen to it.

How Podcasts help Improve SEO

A podcast is an episodic series of spoken words available in digital audio files online. Podcasting is a great way to reach audiences as it provides a more intimate and personalized experience for them. They can be heard by audiences, any time and on the device of their choice.

Here are some ways podcasts can support your SEO efforts:

• By consistently publishing valuable podcast episodes around your brand, industry or niche, you can increase your brand’s visibility and reach a wider audience.

• Links included in the show notes can generate valuable backlinks and referrals to your website.

• Audi-based content appeals to users who prefer listening over reading traffic.

• As voice search continues to gain popularity, podcasts can help optimize for voice search queries by providing concise and informative answers to common questions.

• Featuring industry experts or influencers as guests on your podcast can help you tap into their existing audience and gain exposure to new potential followers and customers.

• Podcasts can be promoted through social media channels, helping to increase your brand’s visibility and engagement.

Podcast SEO can be effectively used to leverage the power of audio SEO to rank for specific search terms.

Tips to Optimize Podcasts for SEO

Apart from indexing and ranking, Google has started transcribing podcasts through its speech-to-text feature. This means users can to find information without having any knowledge about the podcast. Google analyzes and transcribe the contents of the podcast and highlight it as a search result. When users tend to search for information, podcasts are displayed on the sliders. Users can listen to the podcast on the search page itself without navigating to a new page. The best way to be featured on this slider is to optimize and manage your podcast SEO efficiently.

Here are 11 tips to optimize your podcast episodes and gain better visibility in search results –

• Choose the Right Platform – When selecting the optimal platform for your podcast, conducting thorough research on your target audience is essential. Understanding their demographics and preferred platforms for consuming podcast content is crucial throughout your podcast marketing efforts. By identifying your specific demographic, you can determine the platforms where they typically engage with podcasts.

• Ensure a Relevant Theme or Topic – Podcasts typically revolve around structured yet casual conversations, but it’s crucial to have a well-defined theme or topic. Prior to launching a podcast, it is advisable to research current trends. Analyze the data of your target audience and utilize it to shape your podcast’s direction. By establishing a clear topic aligned with your audience’s preferences and expectations, you make it easier for search engines like Google to comprehend the content of your podcast and index it effectively. Moreover, a distinct theme enables your listeners to grasp your primary focus without becoming lost in the conversation. If you already have a topic in mind, it’s beneficial to search for relevant keywords. This can expand your content ideas and provide insights into social shares, backlinks, and SEO traffic. While not every podcast will become an instant hit or generate significant traffic, the key is to remain relevant and continually introduce topics that attract more attention.

• Create a Website for your Podcast – While having a website is not absolutely essential to begin a podcast, it can provide significant long-term benefits for SEO. A website facilitates the discoverability of your podcast episodes by search engines, resulting in increased traffic to your podcast. Additionally, a website enables you to build an email list, fostering a community of dedicated and loyal listeners. Moreover, having a website allows you to create accompanying blog content that aligns with your podcast releases. These blog posts can be optimized like any other content, allowing for internal linking between episodes, adding related posts, and keeping your audience engaged. The combination of a podcast and a website provides a comprehensive platform to enhance your SEO efforts, expand your reach, and provide a more enriched experience for your audience.

• Do Keyword Research – After establishing a distinct theme or topic for your podcast and organizing its structure, it’s important to conduct research to select appropriate keywords that accurately describe your content. Ideally, you should prioritize keywords that have a high search volume but relatively low competition. Utilize keyword tools such as Google Ads and Google Keyword Planner to identify keywords that align well with your podcast. However, it’s essential to avoid keyword stuffing in your podcast. Instead, focus on creating valuable and engaging content that naturally incorporates relevant keywords. By doing so, you can enhance the discoverability of your podcast without compromising its quality or user experience.

• Podcast Voice – Developing a clear and confident voice tone plays a significant role in enhancing podcast SEO. It aids Google in accurately interpreting and comprehending the spoken keywords within your podcast. Speaking in a mumbled or unclear voice tone can pose challenges for Google’s Natural Language Processing (NLP) and the transcription capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI). To optimize this, it is important to speak from your diaphragm rather than your throat. Maintaining good posture while recording and enunciating words clearly enables both listeners and Google’s AI to understand the content effortlessly. By prioritizing a strong voice tone and articulation, you can improve the overall quality and accessibility of your podcast for both human and AI audiences.

• Include Transcripts – While Google’s speech-to-text feature provides automatic transcription for podcasts, it is not flawless. Therefore, it is essential to review and correct any errors in the transcript. Although this transcription and verification process can be time-consuming, it offers an opportunity to incorporate podcast SEO keywords into the transcript. By doing so, search engines gain a better understanding of the podcast’s content and context. Additionally, including an episode transcript alongside your podcast enhances accessibility for audiences, allowing them to search for specific content they may be seeking. This transcription serves as a valuable resource, enabling users to easily locate and engage with the desired topics discussed in your podcast.

• Include Metadata -Incorporating metadata into your podcast is a widely recognized SEO practice that offers valuable information about the content. Metadata serves as a space to provide additional details about the podcast episode, effectively communicating its subject matter to both human visitors and search engine algorithms. By adding a descriptive title, followed by a well-crafted description, you can help audiences understand the essence of your content while optimizing it for search. Furthermore, it is possible to include multiple relevant metatags in your podcasts, which contribute to generating organic traffic. By including metadata in your podcasts, you enhance their discoverability on search engine results pages (SERPs), enabling a wider audience to find and engage with your valuable content.

• Divide Your Podcast into Small Chapters – Similar to written content, podcasts benefit from having structure and a defined theme. Breaking down your podcast into smaller chapters enhances the listener’s experience. You can include a table of contents with chapter titles, allowing listeners to easily navigate and skip to the specific content they’re interested in, rather than listening to the entire file. This not only improves the user experience but also reduces the potential stress for the podcast host. Additionally, transcribing smaller chapters is faster and more manageable compared to transcribing longer episodes. From an SEO perspective, incorporating chapters makes it easier for search engines like Google to comprehend the theme and topic of your podcast, facilitating better indexing. By implementing chapters, you enhance the accessibility and organization of your podcast, benefiting both your listeners and SEO efforts.

• Create a Write-Up for Every Podcast – Including a written description or write-up alongside your podcast is essential as it provides the audience with a preview of the podcast’s content before they listen to the audio file. This concise text serves multiple purposes, allowing you to organically incorporate relevant keywords. While audio files can be misinterpreted by search engines, having a write-up and transcript supports better rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). By providing a written summary, you not only improve the discoverability of your podcast but also enhance its visibility and comprehension for search engines. This practice ensures that both human users and search algorithms can understand the context and relevance of your podcast, ultimately contributing to improved SEO and attracting a wider audience.

• Share your Podcast on Social Media -The success of a podcast depends on the engagement it receives through social media shares and comments. Crafting an effective social media strategy requires utilizing data pertaining to your podcast’s topic and target audience. It is crucial to select the appropriate social media platforms that align with your topics and audience demographics. Encourage listeners who have enjoyed your podcast to share the episode links on their own social media profiles. This approach allows for the creation of tracking links, enabling you to assess the effectiveness of different social media platforms for specific episodes. Leveraging social media engagement as part of your podcast SEO strategy can contribute to improved rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). By encouraging sharing and interaction on social media, you can enhance the visibility, reach, and overall success of your podcast.

• Ask for Reviews -Boosting your rankings and attracting fresh audiences to your content can be effectively accomplished by getting positive reviews. When your podcast resonates with listeners, it’s beneficial to motivate them to share their thoughts through reviews. Not only do reviews serve as a testament to the podcast’s quality, but they also enhance its social proof by signaling to search engines that it’s a successful show. Begin by reaching out to your most loyal fans and ensure that the review process is hassle-free, quick, and uncomplicated for them.

Podcasting presents an excellent opportunity to engage with a wider audience and forge meaningful connections. Unlike written content, podcasts add a human touch to your brand, facilitating relationship building. Adopting an intriguing approach to promoting your podcast can generate interest and create a sense of discovery that appeals to everyone. When creating a podcast, it is crucial to prioritize both the content and audio quality. Organic SEO companies assist businesses in implementing effective strategies to optimize their audio content for search engines. By optimizing your podcast for search engines, you increase the chances of ranking higher for keywords and subjects that align with the interests of your target listeners.