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A few weeks ago I saw someone on Threads asking why none of the podcast gurus ever talk about SEO for podcasts.

As someone that works professionally in podcasting and digital marketing that made me laugh, because most of the podcast educators I follow are constantly talking about SEO for podcasting. However, that doesn’t mean their audience understands it or cares about it.

No shade at all to these educators, because I get it! SEO is confusing, and boring and honestly kind of a pain in the neck to explain and implement. However, that doesn’t take away from its importance to help your podcast grow and reach new listeners across the internet. Once you get the hang of SEO and how to optimize your podcast, it’s a skill that will pay off forever.

In this episode I’m breaking down what SEO is, how you can use it for your podcast and a few easy ways to start optimizing your own podcast episodes today. 

What is SEO?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is how we optimize content to be read, categorized, and filtered by search engines.

But what does that actually mean? It means, we’re bridging the gap between what a search engine or website knows about our content and what order it shows up for people to find it.

For example, if you post a picture of an apple on Facebook without any description or additional information, it won’t show up when someone else searches for “apple.”

But if you add a caption like “enjoying this juicy green apple from Grandma Jean’s farm” and use alt text like “green apple on plate,” your post has a better chance of appearing in search results. Make sense? That’s how SEO works. Now let’s talk about how SEO can work for podcasters.

How Can Podcasts Use SEO?

There are over 5 million podcasts worldwide, so that means when someone searches for a podcast over 5 million results will come back to them.

Optimized SEO helps make sure the people searching for content like yours can find it. Here are a few steps you can take to start optimizing your podcast’s episodes for improved SEO:

1. Choose Effective and Optimized Episode Titles

Prioritizing an optimized episode title is critical.

Having an optimized episode title tells search engines what your episode is about. For example, if you have an episode about finding the best office chair,  instead of giving it a vague title like “Rethink How You Sit at Work,” use a clear, keyword-rich title like “The Best Office Chairs of the Past Decade.” 

2. Use Relevant Keywords

Keywords are the terms or phrases people use in their searches.By using the keywords that are relevant to your episode(s) (and podcast) and including them in your title, description, and show description it makes it much more likely someone searching will actually be able to find you. 

3. Write Detailed Episode Descriptions

Your episode description should be more than a few random sentences. Use keywords. Think of what someone might be searching for. Explain why you made the episode, highlight the main themes, and incorporate keywords that your target audience are looking for! This is your chance to use all the keywords you weren’t able to in the Title.

4. Utilize Alt Text and Captions

Whenever you post images or graphics about your episode or podcast, use alt text and detailed captions. This helps search engines understand your content and improve your search rankings to help future listeners find episodes. 

5. Consistency is Key

Use the full name of your podcast and episode titles consistently. 

This helps with podcast brand recognition and makes your content easier to find. For example, if your podcast is called “Quilting for Beginners with Sarah Joy” but you usually only write “Quilting for Beginners” this will not help people searching for your specific podcast as much as it includes your name. 

Blogging Your Podcast Episodes:

One of the most effective ways to boost your podcast’s SEO is by blogging your episodes. This will give you more opportunities to be found online. Using the information you’ve learned above, this is how you can do it:

1. Transcribe Your Episode: Use tools like Otter.AI or the built-in transcription feature if you host your podcast on Transistor.FM.
   
   
2. Use ChatGPT to Write Blog: Take your transcription and put it into ChatGPT using this prompt:
   
   Hello! I’d like you to work as an SEO expert and help me write a blog post to accompany this podcast episode. Use relevant keywords for (insert keywords here), be sure to include optimized H1 and H2, and keep yapping to a minimum. The title of my episode is: (insert title here) I want this blog to sound like I wrote it. Please refer to my tone of voice and the way I speak from the transcription. Read the full transcription before answering. Here’s the transcription: (insert transcription here).
   
   
3. Edit and Publish: Review the generated blog post, adjust to include any information it missed or changes you’d like to make and publish it on your website, SubStack, or LinkedIn Newsletter. If you don’t have a website, LinkedIn Newsletter or SubStack are great free options. 

SEO is about making your content easily discoverable and attractive to both search engines and your audience. Remember, quality content that serves a specific audience will always perform. Take the small steps to optimize your podcast content, and always keep your listeners in mind. 

If you start with these basics, you’ll be well on your way to higher rankings and a growing podcast audience.

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