How can a Podcast increase SEO and increase Reach
No one talks about it much but buddy you have no idea what you are missing if you are not adding this strategy in your podcast marketing checklist. Yes it’s SEO. But how can a podcast increase SEO? Screw it! What is SEO in the first place? Let’s chew over some definitions before we start pep talk.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It involves optimizing online content like web pages, blog posts, and YouTube videos to attract free organic traffic from search engines like Google and YouTube.
How to enhance SEO Rankings for Podcast Episodes
Sam has been podcasting weekly for 3 years and wants to increase his podcast’s discoverability through search. Sam is a solopreneur and tried the 5 pins, 3 reels, 3 YouTube shorts, and 7 TikToks a week route. He hated it, and it didn’t increase his weekly downloads.
Sam also tried live-streaming and using that as a podcast for 10 episodes. The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze for him — being on video and entertaining that audience took away from the content he prepared for the podcast(that caused friction with his ADHD).
Currently, Sam’s podcast has its own website via Simplecast with its own domain name + he uploads transcripts for all episodes. And he is doing pretty well.
Now Let’s make a step by step plan for you-
Brainstorming Episode Topics
First, brainstorm episode topics based on your niche. Suppose you’re starting a podcast focused on freelancing. Write down all the episode ideas you have in mind, both broad and niche.
Use Reddit: Find a couple of subreddits relevant to your podcast topic and see what people are discussing.
Check Out Other Podcasts: Look at other podcasts related to your topic and see what they’ve covered.
Google Search: Search your topic on Google and analyze the first few results. These results likely reflect solid keyword research, making the topics they cover great to explore or narrow down further.
In your episode, explore what questions people are asking. Take that keyword and insert it into a site like AnswerThePublic or Ahrefs Keyword Generator. You’ll get a list of questions people are asking about that keyword, helping you plan the content of your episode and the questions you want to answer. Look for highly searched topics, which you can identify using key indicators.
Rewrite Episode Titles for SEO
You may think that clever or catchy episode titles are the way to go and they might be for your current audience. But if you want new listeners, you need to rethink your strategy. SEO loves straightforward, keyword-rich titles.
For example: Instead of titling it “Lights, Camera, Action! The Hidden Gems of 90s Cinema,” try something more SEO-friendly like “Best 90s Movies You’ve Never Heard Of.”
It’s not as flashy, but it’s going to pull in way more people searching for “best 90s movies.”
Use Keyword Research Tools
Use keyword research tools to get started. A free tool with significant functionality is Wordstream. Search each of your episode ideas one by one. For example, if you want to create an episode on “photography freelancing,” search that term. Ensure the term has low competition but high search volume, meaning lots of people are searching for it, but there’s not much information online about it. Based on the volume and competition ratio, this could be a great keyword to use. Once you’ve found it, move on to the next step.
It’s easy to think that SEO is something only bloggers need to worry about, but that’s far from the truth. Podcasters have a wealth of content and with the right strategy, can boost their visibility online. Just like Sam, you can turn your passion project into something that not only reaches more people but also grows your influence in your niche.
Remember, SEO isn’t about gaming the system — it’s about making your content easier to find by the people who need it. And when done right, it’s a win-win for both you and your audience.
I have made a broaden discussion in my full blog, where I have shared some more tips on how you can boost your podcast SEO, by creating website, cross promotions and more and provided some useful links. To read my full blog Click Here.