Podcasts have become a mainstay of our media diet. Companies have joined the podcast push as a way to inform customers and have a voice in industry conversations. And while podcast listeners may find your podcast on their own, there are proven ways to optimize podcast episode pages on your site to improve search engine visibility.
Below, we outline 6 key SEO and content recommendations to optimize individual podcast pages for improved search engine visibility and user engagement.
Recommendations for Optimizing Podcast Pages
There are several ways to optimize individual podcast pages for strong organic search performance. Here are some key strategies:
1. Request Input from an SEO Team for the Topic
Before finalizing the podcast topic, consult your SEO team to find ideas that meet two key criteria: engaging your audience while filling gaps in your industry’s thought leadership.
SEO teams can provide keyword research and even help choose a target keyword variation with the maximum organic search volume.
2. Incorporate Keywords into the Podcast Script
Include keywords from the SEO research when working on a podcast script or questions. This will optimize the podcast content, increasing its chances of ranking higher in organic search and driving traffic to the site.
3. Optimize URLs
Create SEO-friendly, descriptive URLs for each podcast episode. Keep URLs concise and include relevant keywords if possible (even if the title of that episode doesn’t contain the target keywords).
4. Optimize Titles and Meta Descriptions
Before the podcast goes live, request optimized titles and meta descriptions from the SEO team.
If you choose to optimize these SEO elements yourself, follow these guidelines:
A page title should:
- Always exist
- Be unique for each page
- Contain the keyword
- Be between 30 and 60 characters
- Be “precise” to the topic of the page
- Be concise and avoid unnecessarily long text
A meta description should:
- Always exist
- Be unique
- Contain keyword(s)
- Be between 70 and 160 characters
- Be written in complete sentences
- Contain a strong CTA (call-to-action) using verbs. For example, try something like: “Listen to [Episode Title]”
5. Optimize On-Page Content
To meet SEO best practices, the content of an individual podcast page should include:
- Engaging headings: Incorporate keywords into the main podcast topic.
- Links to the podcast: Provide links to the podcast on various platforms.
- Podcast date: Display the date of airing.
- Speaker information: Introduce podcast speakers and provide links to their bio pages (if available). (This is beneficial for E.E.A.T.)
- Episode summary: Write a detailed summary of the episode.
- Key topics: Include a list of key topics discussed in the podcast.
- Full transcript: Provide the complete transcript of the episode. This not only improves accessibility for those with hearing impairments but also allows people to scan or search the conversation.
Make sure the transcript is easy to read by incorporating a variety of content elements such as:
- Headers
- Video (if available)
- Bullet and numbered lists
- Quotes
- Images
- FAQ sections
6. Optimize Internal Linking
- Link relevant episodes together using internal links to improve the overall SEO structure. For example, if multiple episodes cover a similar topic, interlink them to guide listeners and search engines.
- Link to relevant service pages, blog posts, articles, or resources that expand on the episode content.
7. Use Schema Markup for Podcasts
Implement structured data using PodcastEpisode Schema to provide search engines with detailed information about your podcast episodes. This can improve visibility in rich search results. Note that this will require developer’s support.
Things to Avoid When Optimizing Podcast Pages
Now let’s go over some of the common mistakes to avoid when it comes to maximizing SEO for podcast content.
Keyword Cannibalization
Keyword cannibalization is the overuse of the same or similar keywords on multiple website pages. This confuses search engines, making it harder for them to determine which page to rank, which will ultimately weaken SEO efforts.
Podcast pages often cannibalize keywords because their transcripts are published on individual podcast pages and reused in blog posts as conversational or thought leadership content.
Here are some ways you can avoid keyword cannibalization when publishing podcast content:
- Use podcast transcripts exclusively on individual podcast pages.
- Avoid republishing them on the site’s blog or other informational sections.
- Do not create additional pages that closely duplicate podcast content. It is acceptable to use short quotes from a podcast, but make sure that the content that uses these quotes has a unique user intent.
Low or No-Demand Topics
The topics that content creators cover on podcasts often have low organic search volume. While it’s crucial to focus on topics that drive interest in your conversations rather than just follow search trends, it’s also beneficial to adjust some topics to align with popular search terms, when feasible. This strategy encourages a steady flow of organic traffic to podcast pages, even after active promotions on other traffic sources have ended.
To find out if a topic or primary keyword has organic search volume you can use tools like seoClarity. You can also ask your SEO team to check the search volume, complete keyword research, and suggest alternative topics.
As podcasts continue to provide another way for organizations to prove value to their customers, maximizing search engine visibility is critical to improving engagement and attracting new users. Take the time to avoid common pitfalls and optimize your individual podcast pages for best results. Good luck!