Posted by Whenever people think about search engine optimization, their first thought goes to content marketing. That’s because Google indexes optimized written content better than any other content style.
But things have changed with Google’s announcement in 2019. In the new announcement, Google declared that podcasts will also now show in the search results. So, similar to videos or blogs, users can now find relevant podcast episodes using keywords through search results.
With this new development, new online businesses get a new opportunity to make themselves more SEO-friendly. In fact, podcasting has opened many new traffic and revenue-generating options ahead, such as—
- 51% of the US citizens above 12 years consumed podcasts in 2019
- The average podcasts advertising rate per 30 seconds CPM is $18 and $25 for 60 seconds CPM
However, audio format is still a new territory for SEO practices, which makes it a bit tricky to manipulate for many marketers. Therefore, in this post, we have touched on different verticals to overlap SEO practices with audio content.
What makes SEO so important
SEO is the most crucial element of digital marketing. It helps to rank your website higher in the search results.
Google hasn’t disclosed the search volume or metrics itself. But as 92% of the global search engine market is owned by Google, it is clear that major online traffic comes from there. So for small businesses, it is a great opportunity to increase their user base.
But before that, they have to follow SERPs (search engine result pages) so that their website can come up with the top results. So here if you follow all the Google Webmaster SEO guidelines, you can easily index your website.
But that’s not such a smooth ride. There are plenty of different SEO optimization options available to do so, and podcasting is turning out to be one of the best ones on the block. So, let’s explore this new SEO booster factor in-depth.
7 Ways podcasting can pump up SEO growth
As Google has just started indexing audio content, therefore most of the podcasting SEO techniques revolve around written content. However, there are many audio-centric tactics also present, so let’s see how a podcast can fuel SEO for you—
1. Create podcast episodes considering SEO
A good content creation idea always starts with SEO structuring like trendy topic search, keywords search, and so on.
Similarly, one podcast episode drafting should begin with clear SEO formatting. Indeed, a podcast should feel like an organically flowing conversation, but some structuring is still essential.
First, think of what you want to discuss on your podcast and then understand how to make your podcast easily readable for Google. Also, pick a theme that can help your audience understand the main focal point in the conversation.
2. Find the relevant keywords for your podcast
Keywords are the most vital part of search engine optimization. Using the relevant keywords in your podcasts, you can make them appear in search results. This is a great chance for podcasters to make episodes turn up in organic search.
However, you have to select keywords very carefully for your podcasts, as in 2020, only 8.4% of search volume is generated by 500 keywords. So, consider the following tips while selecting keywords for your podcasts—
- Use long-tail keywords as 92% of all search queries come from them.
- Target medium and low volume keywords as high volume keywords are highly competitive.
- Scatter LSA keywords throughout your podcasts script.
- Use tools to find high-performing keywords like Keyword Planner, Uber Suggest, Ahrefs, etc.
3. Transcribe your podcast episodes on your site
Once you have picked the relevant keywords for your podcasts, you have to find a way to highlight them to Google. And for that, transcribing podcast content is a perfect idea.
The ProBlogger website is a perfect example here. They have a dedicated section for podcasts on their website where they post audio files alongside transcribed files.
This helps to quickly review the content. Additionally, podcasters can copy and paste the text into their show notes to make websites more SEO-friendly.
Many great transcription software is available online, such as Rev.com, OTranscribe, Express Scribe, Inqscribe, and more.
4. Give your episode an SEO-friendly title
Your episode title plays two significant roles. First, it encourages listeners to spend their next few minutes listening to your podcasts. Secondly, when you use relevant keywords in the title, it allows search engine crawlers to quickly index your podcast episode.
Your title has to be clear and concise. If the title is too unclear or unattractive, it won’t compel users to click on your podcast.
For example, this The Growth Manifesto podcast episode’s title clearly shows the intent of the topic. The title describes — it is an ‘SEO tips 2020’ podcast by Brian Dean. So, it’s clear, keyword specific, and easy to understand.
To write a click-worthy podcast title, you can follow these tips—
- Shorter and crisp titles are always better.
- Include prime keywords in the title.
- Don’t add fluff words like ‘episode’ or ‘bonus’ to increase the title length.
- Follow a descriptive yet clever route to spike up listeners’ curiosity.
- Make each podcast episode unique.
5. Create a clear description and metadata
As you already know, description and metadata are crucial parts of SEO; therefore, take some time to write them separately for each podcast episode.
The podcast’s description gives a preview to listeners about the episode. The description comes after the title, which provides you with sufficient room to describe your podcast content. It also helps you to flaunt keywords once again and make your podcast more visible to the search engines.
Usually, Google prefers long and well-curated descriptions. This way, you can include the main keyword along with other related keywords to improve search engine ranking for your podcast. Also, while writing an episode description, keep readability factors in your mind like—
- Use proper headings;
- Bold, italics, or underline important parts, etc.
Have a look at this Code Switch podcast on Apple Podcasts.
Code Switch has added a detailed description of — who they are, what they offer to people and many other things on the main page. This helps new users and search engines understand the brand better.
Similarly, metadata is a vital SEO factor. It doesn’t have to be as long as the description, but it doesn’t need to be shorter like titles. To get your podcast recognized in the relevant category, composing keyword-oriented metadata is essential.
Here again, look at this Code Switch metadata. It has relevant keywords like ‘race,’ ‘conversation,’ ‘journalist,’ etc.
Here are a few pointers to optimize your podcast metadata—
- Keep it concise.
- Add focus keyword in the metadata.
- Include a clear call to action.
- Make metadata coherent to title and description.
- If you have multiple pages or episodes on your podcast, write separate metadata for each one of them.
6. Insert internal and external links
Do you know backlinks and content are the two most important ranking factors on Google?
Since we have already figured out how to manipulate content to improve your podcast growth, now let’s see how link building can boost your SEO, such as—
- Links provide credibility to your podcast.
- Authoritative backlinks can help in increasing traffic.
- Link building leads to better SEO scores.
- Enhance revenue and sales metrics.
- Establish your brand voice.
- Improve visibility and exposure, and so on.
Further links are categorized into two separate sections—
Internal linking
You can add internal links from your old episodes, web notes, or blogs to your fresh episodes. This, in return, will help to redirect traffic to older episodes and improve SEO scores.
External linking
You can also weave high-authority external links to your podcast descriptions to stimulate search engine crawlers.
This Crime Junkie podcast description (below) is a great example here. Both internal and external links are perfectly exhibited in this description.
7. Take social media leverage
Averagely, users spend 144 minutes a week on social media per day.
Social media is an amazing opportunity for businesses to promote their brands. Therefore, podcasters should also use social media marketing to expand their reach and marketing.
Additionally, numerous options are available to promote on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Depending upon your podcast’s genre, you can select a suitable social platform to promote your brand. As of 2021, the most popular social networks are—
You can try the following ideas to promote your podcasts on social media—
- You can livestream your podcasts on YouTube, Facebook, IGTV, or SoundCloud
- Run a giveaway campaign for your audience.
- Share short clips and quotes from your episodes.
- Use the right hashtags to further drive new listeners.
- Keep on trying new things, etc.
The bottom line
Search engine optimization might sound a bit complicated. But when you are using different approaches like blogs, videos, and podcasts, you can easily befriend SEO and grow.
As we have just learned, podcasting offers various opportunities to boost SEO, so you should use them all. Whether it’s creating a website for your podcasts or making a social media account, try it all and first-hand experience the high ROI.
And for more SEO-related tips, you can also follow other blog posts here.
About the author
Sumeet Anand is a B2B Marketing Expert skilled in SEO, Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing. He helps brands and businesses out there generate leads with his top-notch content strategies and is featured on various major media publications across the globe. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
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good article.