Podcasts SEO: How to Make Your Podcast Rank

Guest post from Rosalyn Moreno

As business dynamics change, there is a need for businesses to keep reinventing themselves. Podcasting is one of the newest tactics for marketers that is proving effective in enhancing digital marketing efforts. With so many people being avid podcasts fans, creating podcasts provides an avenue to reach new potential customers with each episode. Podcasts allow you to communicate your expertise and knowledge in your niche, hence building your brand credibility and authority. Additionally, it helps you connect with your customers at a more personal level. They are also a great way to drive traffic to your website in the most affordable way if you, for example, plan to start blogging.

However, to experience these benefits, your target audiences have to actually consume your content. That is why it is important for your podcast to be visible to a large number of people. It is natural to start researching ways to make your podcast rank up in the search engines while at the same time not spending a lot. But of course just as personal finance statistics show, people still like to invest in order to grow their business since it is usually successful and worth it. So, here are five tips to make your podcast SEO-friendly and increase the chances of being discovered and listened to.

Use rich keywords

Most people turn to the internet in search of specific answers to their queries. If your podcast can provide these answers, you can be sure that it will draw the attention of people and increase clickability. However, for you to be able to provide these answers, you need to know the questions that your target audiences are asking. From this, you can discover important keywords that relate to your niche. Choose the ones that are most searched for as they have the highest possibility to help your podcast rank higher. Use these keywords to optimize the podcast title, episode titles, and descriptions. Remember to also make them accurate so that they clearly tell your users what to expect.

You can also use keyword phrases in your content. With the Google speech to text feature, it is possible to identify verbalized keywords in podcasts, which may help your podcast rank for those keywords.

Create a website for your podcast

Most people who use the search engines to search for podcasts prefer clicking the podcasts through a dedicated website rather than media players such as Apple podcasts or iTunes. Having a dedicated website for your podcast takes care of this demographic, which increases traffic for your podcast.

If you are working with a good podcast hosting company, you might be provided with a dedicated website for your podcast show. If that is not the case for you, you can add a landing page for your podcast on your existing website. Alternatively, you can create a simple website for your podcast to provide an embedded player for your podcast that can offer quick access to your show. Building a website is easy and you can do it with little help. A quick search on how to build a website from scratch will unlock invaluable insights for you.

Request for reviews and subscriptions

Ratings and reviews may be some of the factors considered in podcast search algorithms, or at least provide social proof for those browsing podcasts. Likewise, the more subscriptions your podcast has the better when it comes to its ranking. In this case, it is good to increase the number of reviews and subscriptions as part of your strategy to help your podcast rank higher and grow.

You are not going to get many reviews or subscribers if you don’t ask for them. So, you need to devise a strategy to encourage your listeners to subscribe and to leave a review for your podcast. For instance, you can include a callout at the end of every episode requesting reviews and subscriptions. You can even go a step further to explain to your listeners the process of doing so. In addition, you can offer incentives for the first people to subscribe or leave a review. However, it is important that the reviews and ratings are positive. In this case, do your best to influence more positive reviews and use consturctive criticism to improve.

Offer great content

Offering great content is one of the easiest ways to have many people love and become avid followers of your podcasts. Besides offering valuable information to your listeners, have tactics that can help you hook listeners so they keep listening and coming back for more. For instance, a wellness podcast can invite speakers from the medical field, such as doctors, nurses or even medical statisticians that will provide information they might not get elsewhere. You can use storytelling techniques or invite influential guest speakers in your industry for appearances on some episodes.

In addition, pay attention to how you package your episodes. It is good to use simple words and sentences that are easily comprehensible. In addition, keep everything concise. Generally, keep the intros short and music to a minimum. In addition, take just enough time to cover your points so listeners feel their time is valued.

Partner with an expert

While it can be done, having your podcast rank up isn’t always easy when doing it on your own. You can bypass all the trouble by working with an expert who is experienced in matters of podcast SEO. A reliable search engine optimization company understands SEO trends and has all the tools that can be effective in helping your podcast rank. You can leverage their expertise and experience to achieve your goal with minimal effort.

Conclusion

Starting a podcast can help your marketing strategy significantly. However, you need it to rank higher if you are to enhance its exposure and increase the chances of being discovered. Some of the tactics that you can use to get higher in SERPs are to use effective keywords, building a dedicated website, creating great content, and encouraging your listeners to subscribe and leave reviews. If you find it difficult to do it on your own, it is good to hire people who have relevant knowledge in podcast SEO.

You can also listen to our interview with Podbean podcaster, Amy Whitney of Real English Conversations, as she speaks about her experiences with podcast SEO and monetization.