SEO Podcasting Basics

Search engine optimization can significantly affect the development of your business, its profitability, and income rates. If you are looking for an extra approach to promote the visibility of your business in online search engines, then we have something interesting for you.

In this post, we will discuss the interaction of traditional SEO with the basics of podcasting and will explain how to attract the right audience to your show.

What Are SEO and PDO?

Search engine optimization is the practice of raising the quality and quantity of traffic to a website, blog, video platform by dint of organic search results. Google, YouTube, Bing, and Yahoo are examples of search engines that can bring you new customers and expand your lead base.

In the case of podcasts, the goal remains the same. The task of any show creator is to increase the organic quality and amount of traffic to their podcast using the power of traditional SEO methods. This is where the PDO (podcast directory optimization) will help. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Deezer are examples of podcast directories that have managed to market themselves properly and gain huge customer base from around the globe.

SEO and PDO help convince the user to click the play button and start watching your show. Keeping in mind the experience of your current and potential audience, you can use the following methods to increase the effectiveness of your SEO and PDO.

Availability of a Podcast Platform

Having a website for your podcast products is fundamental to improving your recognition; it also allows your show to be listed on Google Podcasts. If this is what you strive to achieve, then you need to make sure that the podcast homepage meets the general technical requirements:

• The domain name should be the same as the name of our show;
• There should be a separate podcast page;
• Create a page with a list of all available episodes;
• Add episode descriptions;
• Put a feedback form on pages with podcasts;
• Make sure there is a built-in episode/show player;
• Add icons/buttons for podcast listening apps;
• Place the RSS link along with links to social networks.

RSS Feed

When it comes to PDO, your RSS feed performs the role of the technical engine of your podcast. RSS is syndicated in podcast directories, and the presence of information can affect how easy it is to find your show or individual episodes. RSS optimization is about sticking to the basics without missing the necessary fields (technically known as tags). Here are the RSS tags listed; all are necessary to keep your PDO up to date:

At the show level:

• Show title
• Author’s name
• Show categories
• High-quality graphic design of the show
• Warning about age restrictions, if any
• Show description
• Keywords/tags
• Show “owner” name
• Show “owner” email address
• Copyright data
• Format type (single episode, season episode, or series of shows)

At the episode level:

• Catchy and relevant episode titles
• Episode author/guests/participants
• Episode type
• Graphic design of the episode
• Brief episode summary
• Proper episode description with links to relevant pages
• Keywords

In addition to the above, compliance with the requirements and recommendations of podcast directories also affects the PDO of your show. Avoid adding too many keywords to the description of a digital marketing podcast because it is never a good idea to resort to other “black/grey” methods of podcast promotion.

Episode Descriptions

Podcasters prefer to talk and many find writing descriptions for episodes a burdensome task. One of the frequently asked questions in podcasting is if these descriptions are so necessary. So far, search engines have not learned to listen to audio; therefore, they cannot independently “offer” certain podcasts to an audience.

Even with artificial intelligence and automatic transcribing making audio more accessible, episode descriptions give your show important advantages. They allow you to promote recognizable content in order to retain the audience.

Informative and well-written episode descriptions have a positive effect on SEO. Make sure they contain elements such as:

• Short, relevant, and engaging episode titles
• Properly formatted text with paragraphs, headings, and bullet points
• Responsive music player
• Links to relevant pages on your site or reputable online resources
• High-quality image with alt texts
• Options to share your podcast on social networks or via different messengers
• Podcast app icons or buttons

Importantly, embedding alt texts and basic metadata in images can increase SEO results by 20-25%.

Quick Steps to Run SEO & PDO

Far from all SEO and PDO tasks require great attention to detail and a strategy as such. There are some basic actions that every podcaster can take in order to boost the audience’s scale to the product. Here are some quick steps that can help your show:

• Place your shows in top catalogs;
• Promote your podcast on social networks;
• Add a link to the podcast website to your social profiles;
• Ask other people to share a link to your podcast or platform;
• Collaborate with other podcasters by inviting each other to participate in the shows.

As you can see, the basics of SEO and PDO podcasting are easy to implement. After the initial setup, perform the above, and you will see the results in a month or so. The tactic doesn’t require too much time or effort on your end. Having a checklist with specific actions to be done will help you run PDO with no important task being missed out on.

These methods are the only way to ensure the growth of organic traffic for your show through search engines and podcast directories. Moving your reach beyond the general level is what helps convince the user to start listening to you. And finally, if you tell your stories sincerely and have interesting conversations, then your podcast is doomed to become excellent.