When you hear “SEO,” you probably think about blogs and websites, right? And yes—SEO strategies are super important for ranking Google search results. But here’s the fun secret most people miss: search engine optimization isn’t just for blogs. Podcasts can benefit from SEO too!
That means with the right strategy, your podcast episodes can rank higher in search results—both on Google and your favorite podcast platform—so more listeners discover your show.
Without SEO, uploading your episodes can feel like throwing darts in the dark. You put out an episode and cross your fingers that it lands with your audience (and maybe a few new listeners). But when you start using SEO tactics, you suddenly have more control, more reach, and way better results.
And here’s the best part: most podcasters aren’t optimizing for SEO at all. That means you’re not just ahead of the game—you’re standing out while doing it. The result? More engagement, better platform optimization, and a higher chance of garnering more listeners.
But if you’re just beginning your SEO journey, it can feel like an intimidating landscape. That’s why we’re giving you all the tools you need when it comes to podcast SEO. We teased the topic in THIS post on our Instagram, but today, we’re breaking it all down. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to use SEO to grow and optimize your brand.
What Is Podcast SEO?
Podcast SEO is how you make your podcast findable on Google, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere your listeners hang out. Since search engines can’t actually “listen” to your episodes, you’ll need to give them text clues. You can do this with things like keyword-rich titles, detailed show notes, transcripts, and smart metadata.
When you optimize both your episode pages and your podcast platform details, you unlock huge discoverability. That means your episodes can show up in Google search results and even land in app recommendations.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out our Instagram post about how to use SEO to grow your podcast. And if you love the insight in that clip, make sure to check out the whole podcast episode, titled: “Using SEO to Grow Your Brand, Thriving as a Mom & Entrepreneur ft. Jordan Becerra.”
What Is the Importance of SEO for Podcasts?
Increases Visibility and Discoverability
When you create SEO-friendly podcast episodes, especially ones published on your podcast website, you set yourself up for major visibility wins. Suddenly, when someone searches your topic, your show can pop up in top Google results. Or it can even come up as a recommended listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube.
Do it really well, and your podcast might even land in Google’s coveted Featured Snippets. (AKA the prime real estate of search results). And when you rank higher, you get more organic traffic, more new listeners, and a bigger audience reach. This kind of positive exposure is exactly what you want for your podcast, brand, and business.
Establishes Topical Authority
When you embrace Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust), your podcast content becomes way more than just audio. It becomes a trusted resource. And here’s the bonus: Google loves recommending trustworthy content.
So when your show starts popping up in top search results, listeners are more likely to believe in your expertise and stick around for more. The secret to building that authority and trust? Smart, consistent SEO practices. There’s no better way to earn your spot at the top.
Boosts On-Site SEO
Sure, publishing your podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts is a must. But here’s the game-changer: your podcast also needs its own website.
Ultimately, cross promotion is what can take your podcast to totally new levels. Think about it this way: Transcripts are great, but they don’t rank well alone. The blog post is what people will search for, click on, and explore. And, let’s be honest, it’s a lot easier than making landing pages for every single episode.
With the right schema markup, smart internal linking, and lightning-fast load times, you’ll show up in more search results. That means that even more people discover your podcast and hit play. We break down these technical terms a little more in our post, “SEO Strategy for Lead Conversion.”
Generates Backlink Opportunities
SEO isn’t just about what happens on your site—it’s also about what happens off it. Enter: off-page SEO.
This is all about getting your podcast mentioned and linked to from other websites and social platforms. Here’s the angle: you feature a guest on your show. They’re most likely going to share the episode and link back to your site on their platforms. That’s an instant backlink win.
But why does it matter so much? Well, when a high-quality site links to your podcast, it boosts your domain authority. As a result, Google sees that as proof you’re legit and trustworthy. That means your content gets pushed higher in search results, and you get double the engagement.
Attracts Targeted Traffic
When you sprinkle in relevant keywords and long-tail phrases your audience is actually searching for, you make it way easier for people to find you. The best way to add those keywords and phrases is through the podcast description, title, and transcript.
Those keywords act like little signals to Google (and podcast platforms) that say: “Hey, this episode has the answers you’re looking for!” Which means more of your dream listeners will land on your content.
How to Build Podcast SEO
Conduct keyword research for podcast episodes.
One of the biggest pillars of podcast SEO? Keywords. You want to find out exactly what your audience is searching for and then build your episode topic around it.
Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest make it super easy to uncover high-demand, specific keywords in your niche. That way, you’re not just guessing, you’re creating episodes people are already looking for. Learn how to find keywords in our blog post “Podcast Keyword Research” for actionable tips.
But here’s the secret: keywords aren’t just for planning your talking points. You’ll also want to weave them into your episode title, description, and categories. Since search engines can’t “hear” your podcast, the text around your episode is what helps you rank and get discovered.
Optimize podcast episode titles.
Insider tip: always place your primary keyword right at the start of your podcast title. Not only does this make Google happy, but it also makes your episode easier to find.
Keep your podcast episode’s title under 60 characters and balance it with both SEO and human appeal. Yes, it’s a little bit of a juggle, but when you nail it—you’ll get more clicks and more streams.
For example, if you run a business podcast, you might title an episode: “How to Start Freelancing: Your Ultimate Guide to Success.” The keyword “how to start freelancing” grabs the algorithm’s attention, while the rest of the title teases the value your audience will get. Best of both worlds!
Write SEO-friendly show notes.
When you upload your podcast, don’t skip the episode description box! A solid 300-500-word summary packed with relevant keywords will help your episode get found on streaming platforms.
And if you’re publishing on your website, go all in. Use H2 and H3 headings to structure your content and signal different topics to your readers. Use key terms, add bullet points with timestamps, include guest bios, and sprinkle in internal and outbound links.
Basically, treat your show notes like mini blog posts. The more SEO-friendly they are, the more likely Google is to notice (and reward) you with higher rankings. SERP will thank you, and so will your readers. For more on why this matters, head over to our post, “How Web Design Impacts Your SEO.”
Publish podcast transcripts.
Want a quick SEO win? Transcribe your podcast episodes. Tools like Otter.ai or Descript make it ridiculously easy. You’ll have a polished podcast transcription in minutes, ready to publish as blog posts.
Giving search engines text to crawl is like rolling out the red carpet—they can understand what your podcast episode is about. But don’t just copy-paste. Like we mentioned above, format it for readability. Add speaker names, timestamps, and sprinkle in internal and outbound links your audience will love.
This way, you get the best of both worlds—your podcast lives as both audio and text. That means more chances to rank on Google, more user-friendly content, and more traffic from listeners and readers alike.
Apply structured data and schema markup.
Think of schema markup as giving Google a cheat sheet for your podcast. Instead of making the algorithm guess what your content is about, the schema adds labels to your website. Therefore, Google knows exactly what’s what.
Here’s the good news—you don’t need to be a coding wizard to use it. If your podcast lives on WordPress, you can easily add schema markup without touching complicated codes. Use labels like PodcastEpisode or PodcastSeries with details such as type, name, description, URL, datePublished, duration, and transcript. It’s basically you waving at Google, saying, “Hey, here’s my podcast—make sure people find it!”
Submit your RSS feed to major platforms.
Think of your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed as your podcast’s magic delivery system. Every time you drop a new episode, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts (and more!) instantly grab it. All the exposure, no extra work from you.
Behind the scenes, an RSS feed is just a text file packed with details like your episode title, description, audio link, publish date, and cover art. But the real magic lies in discoverability. Submitting your feed not only makes your podcast pop up across streaming apps, but it also helps your SEO.
Each app that pulls your RSS feed? That’s a backlink boosting your authority. Plus, the metadata inside your feed (title, keywords, descriptions) tells Google exactly what you’re about—so you’re more likely to rank.
And the best part? One file updates everywhere. That means less time managing, more time creating, and consistent SEO signals that keep your podcast growing.
Promote your podcast and earn backlinks.
Promoting your podcast on social media and featuring guests isn’t just great for visibility—it’s also a smart SEO move. Every time a guest shares your episode or you drop links across platforms, you’re building opportunities for backlinks.
And here’s why that matters: backlinks from trusted websites give your domain authority a major boost. In Google’s eyes, that makes you look more credible and more worthy of a top spot in search results.
Choose the right audio player for your site.
When you host your podcast on a website, you’ll need an audio player so listeners can easily hit play. But here’s the catch—not all audio players are SEO-friendly. Some can slow down your site or even block Google from indexing your content (yikes).
Look for a lightweight player that won’t hurt performance and also improve user experience. Bonus points if it’s customizable, lets you edit metadata, and supports transcripts. And just in case your player doesn’t load for some reason, always include backup options like links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or even a simple download button.
A few solid choices? Fusebox Player, Simple Podcast Press, and Spotify’s Embed Player.
Optimize your podcast website for mobile.
Since your podcast website plays such a big role in SEO, you’ll want to follow all the best practices. And one of the most important? Making everything mobile-friendly.
Here’s why: 96.3% of internet users browse on their phones. If your site doesn’t load fast, look clean, or make it easy to hit play on your podcast from a mobile device, you’re instantly losing potential listeners (and SEO points).
Make sure your site is responsive, quick to load, and easy to navigate on mobile. This way, your podcast is always one quick tap away.
Podcast SEO is the secret to getting more listeners and streams on your episodes—here’s how InfluencerSEO can help!
We get it—you’re a podcaster, not a blogger (and definitely not a developer). So when we start talking about SEO best practices, like making your website user-friendly, adding an RSS feed, or setting up schema markup, it might feel a little overwhelming.
But here’s the good news: with InfluencerSEO, leveling up your podcast SEO has never been easier.
Our SEO experts can help you:
- Identify the best keywords so you can plan episodes around what people are actually searching for.
- Make sure your podcast website is fully optimized and Google-friendly.
- Bulk up your content with SEO-focused blog posts written by our copywriting team.
We do the heavy lifting, you create content and watch your numbers soar. Basically, exactly what we talk about in this post on our Instagram. Because yes, boosting your SEO really can be that easy! Want to grow your podcast audience and get found in search results? Check out our SEO packages today and see how we can make it happen!
Jordan Becerra, founder and Lead SEO Strategist at InfluencerSEO, has spent almost 15 years in the creator internet space, the last nine building InfluencerSEO into the go-to SEO partner for content creators, with 500+ creators served from pre-launch to massive publication. She learned creator monetization and community building strategy from the inside working for Lauryn Bosstick of The Skinny Confidential prior to founding InfluencerSEO, so she understands both halves of the game: how search actually works AND how creators actually build a strong community online and make money. Her job now is to stay ahead of where search engine optimization is going, especially as AI rewrites the rules, and to make sure the creators she works with get there first.
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