We all have things that we're great at and/or enjoy and things that maybe we don't like/drive us insane. SEO is one of those things for me. Which is one of the reasons that I have and encourage everyone else to have a podcast: it's an easy way to boost your SEO!
One of the reasons that I assume you're here is because by now you're aware that podcasting (when done right!) is an efficient way of spreading your original content out into every possible corner of the internet. But you probably don't realise that regular podcasting has excellent SEO (Search Engine Optimization) results.
Here are some of the main SEO benefits of podcasting and how to utilise them:
1. Higher Organic Search Traffic Due to Keyword Phrases
Let's start at the very beginning here: what is a keyword phrase?
You may have heard of ‘keywords', which is usually only one word (sometimes two) that is relevant to your topic or post. In my case, it might be ‘menopause'.
A keyword phrase is two or more words used in search engine optimization (SEO). An example of a search someone might do using a keyword phrase is, ‘menopause hot flushes'.
We can use keyword phrases to attract a more specific audience and get more hits.
In the not-so-distant past, keywords and search terms spoken within the recording weren’t as important as those placed within the written episode titles themselves because major search engines weren’t able to scan through recorded speech.
But evolving technology in subtitling, transcription, and audio content indexing is changing all that. Now, search engines can automatically convert audio into metadata in order to compare and rank podcast topics and keywords, with many other software developers quickly following suit.
How to: When picking a podcast episode topic, do a search for keywords and keywords phrases relevant to your topic and make a note of them. Then both you and your guest can drop those keywords and phrases into the conversation throughout the podcast.
Note: Make sure to also include the keywords and phrases in the episode title and description for the best SEO results.
2. Get More Site Visitors Due To Your Posting Schedule
Both audiences and search engines appreciate regularity and a predictable schedule. Whether it’s a podcast episode a day, a week, or a month, regular user traffic to your podcasts and website tells search engines that you are a trusted content creator in your area of expertise. This improves your website’s overall search rank and reputation over time. While many internal and external factors can influence how often a podcast goes live, the key is to find a schedule that works for you and then stick with it.
How to: If you already have an audience, run a quick poll to gauge how often they want new episodes. Also, check out how often two or three of your closest competitors post. Use that combined information to develop a content calendar that you know you can – and will – maintain.
3. Build Better Links and Closer Relationships
Again, these kinds of words make me go cross eyed! Okay, let's start with the basics:
Backlinks are links to your website from other people's websites, in this case, your guests. Developing strong backlinks is a crucial part of every successful SEO strategy. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more authoritative and trustworthy your site is considered in the eyes of search engines and potential listeners alike.
So, having guests, putting their links on your website and your links on their website is a great way of boosting everyone's SEO ranking.
How to: When you co-create a podcast, invite guests, or appear on someone else’s podcast, make sure the show notes contain links to every participant’s pages to help boost everyone's SEO.
4. More Social Media Engagement
Maximise the way that your audience can connect with you by plugging your social media channels in both spoken and written form. That creates virtual circles of engagement that will keep people cycling through your pages over and over again.
How to: Keep your social media up-to-date and backlink to your website and podcast regularly. If you have a lot of social media channels, consider focusing on just one or two to make the most of them.
5. Repurpose Your Resources
This is one of the key advantages of using the audio, video and transcript of every episode you record: you're maximising the impact of everything you do.
Other ways you can repurpose your episodes (or your existing work) are blog posts, infographics, white papers, presentations, and ad reels. Make the most of the resources you already have.
How to: If you have the time and the skills, turn your podcast episodes turned into SEO-optimized blog posts for instant sharing. If this isn't one of your superpowers, you can find freelancers who can do this on Fiverr or Upwork.
6. Multiple SEO Efforts = Greater Results
The more SEO-boosting strategies you implement at a time, the greater the cumulative results to your total SEO scores and rankings. So, experiment and work out which solutions work best for you to take your website and podcast visitation to incredible new heights.
Give yourself the edge, keep up to date with the latest information and join a community of podcasters all taking their businesses to the next level. Join the Speak Up Collective Podcasting Academy today and take your business to the next level.
