How to Do SEO for Podcasts: A Complete Guide 🎙️🔍

Podcasting is growing rapidly, but ensuring that customers can find your podcasts is just as important, you don’t want to be missing out on valuable listeners. Podcast SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) helps improve visibility, ranks your show higher in Google & podcast directories, and attracts a larger audience. You want to continue growing your audience each month to continue your growth.

How to optimise your podcast to rank higher

Here’s how to optimise your podcast for SEO success!

1. Name Your Podcast

Choosing the right name is crucial for discoverability.
✅ Keep it simple and unique
✅ Use relevant keywords while maintaining creativity
✅ Avoid overly long or complicated names that may not be memorable

2. Create Podcast Artwork & Name Image Files

Your cover art is the first thing people notice.
✅ Use high-quality, eye-catching visuals
✅ Name image files with relevant keywords for better search visibility
✅ Search Canva templates to make designing easier

3. Create & Record Your Podcast Files

✅ Start with 3 short starter episodes (5 to 10 mins)
✅ Batch record 2 to 4 episodes at a time (10 – 30 mins) to stay consistent
✅ Use quality microphones & editing software for professional sound

4. Optimise Your Podcast Title & Description

Your podcast title should be clear, engaging, and keyword-rich to help people find it easily.
✅ Include primary keywords related to your niche (e.g., “Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses”)
✅ Write an informative podcast description using secondary keywords – this is highly important to ensure you mention in your podcasts topics that you want to rank for. That way in your descriptions you can link back to those specific website URLs.
✅ Use episode-specific keywords to help rank each episode separately

💡 Example Title: “The Growth Hackers Podcast: SEO & Digital Marketing Strategies”

5. Use Keywords in Episode Titles & Show Notes

Each episode is a new opportunity to rank!
✅ Write episode titles that include relevant keywords
✅ Use H1, H2, and bullet points in show notes for easy readability
✅ Include a summary, key takeaways, and timestamps for search-friendly content

💡 Example Episode Title: “How to Rank #1 on Google: SEO Strategies That Work”

6. Transcribe Your Podcast Episodes

Google can’t ‘listen’ to podcasts, but it can read! Adding episode transcripts boosts SEO and accessibility.
✅ Include full transcripts on your website (embed under each episode)
✅ Use AI transcription tools like Otter.ai or Descript
✅ Break up transcripts with headings, bullet points, and links

7. Upload Your Podcast to Distribution Platforms

✅ Upload to Podcastle.ai for one-click distribution
✅ Connect the RSS feed from Podcastle.ai to your other channels, including:

• Spotify Podcasts
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTube Podcasts
• SoundCloud

8. Create an SEO-Optimised Podcast Website

Having a dedicated podcast website or landing page increases discoverability.
✅ Use a keyword-rich domain name or subdomain (e.g., yourpodcast.com)
✅ Create separate pages for each episode with optimised show notes
✅ Include internal links to related blog posts or episodes
✅ Add structured data (Schema Markup) for Google to understand your content

9. Leverage Blog Content & Backlinks

Boost SEO by repurposing podcast episodes into blog posts and building backlinks.
✅ Turn each episode into a detailed blog post
✅ Guest post on industry blogs with links back to your podcast
✅ Encourage guest speakers to share links on their websites & social media

10. Integrate Social Media Marketing

✅ Post 30 – 60 second clips into shorts for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for advertising your podcast
✅ Use relevant hashtags (#PodcastSEO, #DigitalMarketingPodcast) to boost visibility
✅ Engage with your audience on social media and encourage sharing

11. Upload Your Podcast to YouTube

✅ Create a new podcast playlist dedicated to your episodes
✅ Upload full-length podcast episodes with SEO-optimised titles & descriptions
✅ Include relevant keywords in tags and captions

12. Publish Content Around Your New Episode

✅ Create small snippets from your podcast to share across different platforms
✅ Promote new episodes with teasers, audiograms, or highlight clips
✅ Email your subscribers about the latest release

13. Get More Reviews & Ratings

Google and podcast directories prioritise highly-rated shows!
✅ Ask listeners to leave reviews on Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts
✅ Engage with your audience on social media & reply to comments
✅ Encourage word-of-mouth sharing

📩 Need help optimising your podcast for SEO? Contact Content Authority for expert podcast marketing strategies! 🎙️