Podcast SEO For Beginners: 5 Things To Do And 5 to Stop Doing, Now!

Writing search engine-optimised blogs is still one of the best ways to promote your business online and attract more visitors to your website, but podcasts are quickly becoming super important in the content stakes.

So this week, I'm going to take a look at Podcast SEO for beginners, and I'll show you five things you should be focusing on, and five to stop doing now!

What Is Podcast SEO? 

But first, what is podcast SEO?

In 2019, Google announced that it was “surfacing” podcasts in the search engine results. Basically, this means that a keyword search would result in playable podcasts showing up in the search results. 

Google is automatically transcribing the content of a podcast and using the data as conventional content, which means that podcasts are becoming an SEO tool as well as a form of audience engagement.

And Podcast SEO is the process of optimising a podcast, so it shows up in the search results.

Podcast SEO for Beginners: Five Things You Need To Start Doing

1. Add Your Podcast Title and Description

Podcast SEO has lots of similarities with conventional content SEO. Just like ordinary content, you will need a title and description for your podcast; you will also need a dedicated space on your website to post your podcast content; this will make it easier for users and search engines to find.

And make sure your podcast title and description should relate closely to the podcast subject.   

2. Add Podcast Episode Titles and Descriptions

If you want to get the most out of your podcast episodes, you will have a very narrow subject to discuss and include plenty of relevant keywords in the show.

However, the subject keyword should also appear in the title and description of the episode. Again, the podcast episode should be clearly delineated on the website to ensure the search engine algorithm can pick it up easily.   

3. Create Podcast Transcripts

Recent changes in search engine protocol for podcast SEO mean that podcasts are transcribed by the search engine and used to locate keywords and rank the content.

However, it is still beneficial to publish the transcript of your podcast somewhere on the website to allow conventional SEO to operate.

Create a space on your website, and title it “podcast transcripts.”  

4. Podcast Metadata

Podcast metadata is anything that is visible to the users before they click the “listen now” button.

The metadata includes things like the title and description; it also includes any blurbs and placeholders.

The search engines still use snippets for podcasts on the results pages, so make sure you optimise your metadata with relevant keywords and make descriptions user-friendly.  

5. Podcast Categories and Keywords

Like any piece of content you create and put on your website, your podcast content needs to be organised and optimised.

Within the podcast section of your website, you need categories for the episodes, and the keywords used in each episode need to be focused on and included in the transcript of the episode. 

Podcast SEO for Beginners: Five Things You Need To Stop

1. Stop Overusing Keywords

Since you have spent so long researching and listing the keywords for the episode, it makes sense to include them as much as possible, right?

In fact, this is the worst possible strategy, and you could be penalised by the search engines for it.

Keyword stuffing indicates to the algorithm that the content is low-quality, so choose keywords wisely and make sure they are evenly spread.   

2. Poor Audio Quality

As with written content, the search engine algorithm uses a series of metrics to determine if the content is high or low quality.

Poor audio quality contributes to a lower ranking because it reduces the number of subscribers to the podcast and can lead to bad reviews.

It’s best to take your podcast seriously and set up a proper studio in your home to support quality audio content.

3. Infrequent Publishing

If you want your podcast to rank better, you need to publish frequently.

When you fail to publish regularly, the audience forgets about it and loses their interest and investment in your brand; naturally, this has an impact on your search engine ranking.

Publishing more regularly creates opportunities for better SEO, including comments, reviews, and sharing across social media.     

4. Lack of Engagement with Listeners

When it comes to content marketing, you need high-quality content, but you also need audience engagement.

In conventional SEO, backlinks are an authority indicator for a website or piece of content, and this is also the case with podcast listeners.

If you receive comments and questions from your listeners, it tells the search engine that you are an authority and helps you rank better.     

5. Neglecting Metadata

Don’t ignore metadata if you want to improve your search engine ranking and attract a bigger audience to your regular shows.

Metadata makes your podcast content findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable, helping you become more visible without any extra investment.

Remember to make your metadata relevant to the subject and use the best keyword options. 

So, To Sum Up...

Podcast SEO helps your podcast to rank better on search engine results attracting a bigger audience to your website or business, but the podcast must be optimised in the right way.

My top podcast SEO for beginners tip? Make sure you use relevant keywords in the episode and publish transcriptions to help SEO efforts.

Leave me a comment or get in touch if you want more podcast SEO tips.

Find out about implementing SEO strategies today and take your business to the next level.