Until the middle of 2019, podcasts have not been associated with SEO. However, Google has changed everything with the announcement that podcasts will be transcribed and crawled by search bots. Thus, they will be ranked and influence the position of a platform in the search results.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Podcasts
Since that time, this method of information provision is gaining its popularity. Some platforms use them as an addition to their blog, while others are focusing on the promotion of the audio counterparts only. What are the benefits? Let’s figure out.
- Optimization of podcasts positively influences the number of listeners, therefore, the target audience is expanded.
- This leads to the increase of brand awareness, therefore, the site will be ranked better in the SERP.
- Also, when users are listening to podcasts on your site, they spend more time there, which serves as a positive signal to Google that your platform is interesting to users, thus can be trusted.
As you can see, the decision to add the library of podcasts to your platform will contribute to the promotion of your site.
Tips for Podcasts’ Optimization
It is crucial to remember that not the presence of the podcast matters. Content is the King. This applies to audio files as well. The information on your podcasts should be interesting for users to listen to. Aside from being voiced properly, a podcast should be optimized.
- Keywords: Just like before writing a blog post, it’s necessary to get ready for the podcast recording. Check which requests are the most popular among users (this will help choose topics) and use the relevant keywords. They should be also used in tags and heading, though, be careful in order not to overspam it.
- Answer Users’ Questions: Nowadays, people are tying their questions into Google search bar. Your heading can be made based on these questions (in the form of a question), while the responses will be provided in the podcast itself.
- Provide a Transcription: Of course, the search engine can carry out this on its own, however, the transcription will help not only Google but also users who will appreciate that the information is provided in both formats, audio and printed. The table of contents with time frames will also come in handy.
- Share It: Provide users with the possibility to share your podcast, as well as encourage them to do so. If your resource is shared on social media, Google will perceive this is the sign of popularity and reliability.
- Google Podcasts: As the search engine has begun to seriously rank podcasts, do not miss the chance to add your audio materials to the collection of Google Podcasts.
The Reason for Popularity
The fact that the search engine has paid its attention to podcasts means that its specialists value the importance of this type of information presentation. Nowadays, there are podcasts on diverse topics, while an SEO podcast can be listed among the most popular ones because this is a niche where specialists never stop learning.
The convenience of podcasts cannot be underestimated, you can get new valuable knowledge while driving or doing sports. Some of them can be downloaded to a smartphone or simply listened to online. Aside from convenience, this is an undeniably useful pastime. Due to SEO podcasts, a beginning specialist can gain so much knowledge that can be compared to several years of experience in an SEO agency or as a freelancer.
If you are an SEO beginner, do not miss out on the opportunity to get additional knowledge from podcasts, namely:
- Discussions of various marketing strategies and their effectiveness;
- Tips for search engine optimization;
- Digital marketing and all the related topics;
- PPC and other types of ads;
- New Google algorithms that influence SEO;
- Other news and related materials.
Top Useful SEO Podcasts
Taking into account how useful and convenient these audio blogs are, we have collected the list of the most interesting ones for a beginning and even experienced SEO specialist:
- Webcology: If you are a person with a sense of humor and interested in the influence of innovations on SEO, this is the right podcast for you. Check out their weekly releases on web marketing, PPC, social networking, and work ethic, and you will become their regular listener.
- Authority Hacker Podcast: This is one of the most top-rated podcasts on iTunes (4.9/5). It is founded by Gael Breton and Mark Webster who have decided to launch the podcast to discuss matters that do not fit the format of their blog. They reply to the most interesting questions from the audience and invite experts, which has contributed to the popularity of their blog.
- Search Engine Nerds: This podcast in the format of the journalistic interview covers one topic at a time. The leading SEO experts are invited to answer the questions from the audience and hosts related to PPC, international, local, mobile, and voice search. If you want to get to know more about the best search tools and analytics, this is the right podcast for you.
The above list is undeniably not full. For a beginning specialist, it is just important to understand that podcasts are a great and free source of information about the most challenging SEO questions. In the meanwhile, owners of sites (especially informative platforms) should keep in mind that podcasts are among the cheapest promotional tools that should not be missed out on.