How to Choose the Right Keywords to Rank For

In the previous lesson, we explored how crucial keywords are to the organic visibility of your podcast. Without them, and without optimizing your written content, you risk going completely unnoticed in search results on podcast platforms.

According to a 2024 study by The Podcast Host, 50% of listeners use the search bar to discover new shows. In other words, a significant portion of your potential audience depends directly on your ability to choose the right keywords.

In this third lesson, you’ll learn how to identify, evaluate, and strategically organize your keywords. We’ll walk you through how to think like your audience, how to balance broad keywords with niche ones, and how to build a solid foundation for your podcast’s visibility using a simple three-level method.

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free

What is a keyword?

A keyword is a word or phrase your potential listeners might type into the search bar on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other platform to find content that matches their interests or needs. It can be a single word (marketing, podcast, entrepreneurship) or a longer phrase (how to start a podcast, marketing tips, etc.).

A strong keyword is therefore a term or combination of words that:

• Accurately describe your content
• Reflect your audience’s search intent
• Have strong visibility potential
  

Step #1 Understand your audience’s search intent

Before finalizing your keywords, you need to put yourself in your listeners’ shoes and understand how they search for content. A good keyword doesn’t just describe your topic. It should match the exact phrasing someone might use in a podcast platform’s search bar.

As covered in Lesson 2 of this PSO guide, platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify don’t rank podcasts randomly. Their goal is to match user intent with the most relevant content.

By aligning your keywords with that intent, you greatly increase your chances of appearing in search results and being discovered by your target audience.

How to think like your listeners

To better understand your audience’s search intent, ask yourself the following questions:

• What words or phrases would they use to find a podcast like yours?
• What problems are they trying to solve, or what questions do they want answered?
• What topics interest them, and at what level of detail or vocabulary?
• What are they hoping to achieve by listening? (e.g., learning, entertainment, relaxation, inspiration)
• What language do they naturally use when talking about your topic?
• When during the day or week do they usually listen to this type of podcast?
• Are they looking for a tone that is professional, educational, intimate, or entertaining?
• Are they familiar with technical terms in your field, or will you need to simplify things?
• What situations or emotions trigger their desire to search for content like yours?
  

By thoughtfully answering these questions, you’ll start to build a (non-exhaustive) list of keywords worth targeting.

Let’s look at a few practical examples to guide your brainstorming. A podcast about parenting shouldn’t just rely on a broad keyword like children. It could include more specific phrases such as baby sleep, positive parenting, or terrible twos: all terms real parents use when searching for content.

Similarly, an entrepreneurship podcast will improve its visibility by including terms like launch a startup, build an online business, or raise funds.

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free

Your audience already has the keywords. You just have to listen.

The first step to identifying potential keywords is to jot down the terms that come to your mind naturally. But the most relevant ones don’t always come from you. Very often, your audience is already expressing them naturally.

To spot them, observe where your audience expresses themselves and the words they use. Here are four particularly useful sources:

• Google search suggestions: Type a keyword and you’ll see a list of related queries frequently searched by users. These suggestions are a great starting point to broaden or refine your keyword ideas.
• Podcast reviews and listener comments: Whether posted on your show or on similar podcasts, listener feedback often includes words and phrases that reveal audience needs, interests, and expectations.
• Social media and niche communities: Platforms like Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn are filled with conversations where your audience shares questions, discoveries, and passions in their own words. These expressions can become valuable keyword opportunities.
• Frequently asked questions from your community: If you’re a brand, media outlet, or independent creator with an engaged following, the messages you receive—via email, social media, or in person—are goldmines of insight. They often contain concrete language you can repurpose into strategic keywords.

Step #2 Analyze Search Volume and Focus on High-Potential Keywords

Once you’ve created an initial list of potential keywords, it’s important not to treat them all the same. Not every keyword carries the same strategic weight.

Some are highly popular and frequently searched by listeners. Others are much more specific, less competitive, and can help you attract a more targeted audience. And some may be too vague, rarely used, or already saturated by well-established podcasts.

Analyzing a keyword’s search volume and difficulty allows you to make an initial strategic selection. This step helps you answer two key questions:

• Is this keyword actually being searched by my target audience?
• Do I have a realistic chance of showing up in results for this keyword?

This step is crucial to avoid two common pitfalls. If you rely only on keywords that are too broad or competitive, your podcast risks getting buried and never standing out. On the other hand, if you focus on keywords that are too niche or barely searched, your show may go completely unnoticed.

Your goal isn’t to find ONE perfect keyword. It’s to build a balanced keyword strategy that offers visibility, relevance, and reach.

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free

Why search volume matters…

Search volume measures how often people look up a keyword over a certain period of time. It’s a useful way to gauge how much genuine interest there is in a specific term among listeners.

The higher the search volume, the greater the potential for visibility. But high-volume keywords usually come with more competition. Many podcasts are likely trying to rank for the same terms.

On the other hand, a keyword with lower volume might not seem as appealing at first, but it can be easier to rank for, especially if it matches a very specific, niche search from your audience.

… combined with its difficulty score

The difficulty score, sometimes referred to as keyword competition, measures how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword or phrase. In other words, it shows how competitive the search results are when someone types that query into a platform’s search bar.

A keyword might have a high search volume, but if it’s already taken over by dozens or even hundreds of well-established podcasts, it will be much harder to rank for, especially if your show is new or not fully optimized.

On the other hand, a keyword with lower competition can offer better visibility opportunities, even if your audience is still growing. These keywords are often more specific, less commonly used, and aligned with a clear, focused search intent. This is what we call a niche keyword.

Then ask yourself how relevant each keyword really is

A keyword might be very popular… but have nothing to do with your podcast. Trying to rank for a trendy search term that doesn’t match your topic won’t help. You may get traffic, but it won’t convert into clicks or listeners.

That’s why relevance is a key (and personal) factor. It’s not something you can measure with data or KPIs. You have to decide for yourself whether each keyword truly fits your content, your audience, and your overall positioning.

Each time you add a new keyword to your list, ask yourself: If someone searched for this, would my podcast actually deliver what they’re looking for?

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free

Focus on high-potential keywords

Once you’ve reviewed the search volume, the difficulty score and the relevance for your keywords, it’s time to make decisions and refine your list. The goal is not to always choose the most searched or least competitive keywords, but to find a strategic balance.

Here are a few tips to guide your selection:

• Avoid the extremes: A high-volume but highly competitive keyword may not help your podcast stand out. Conversely, a keyword with very low search volume may be too niche to drive any traffic.
• Look for mid-range opportunities: A keyword with decent search volume, even if moderate, but with low to medium difficulty can be a great opportunity to rank.
• Combine different approaches: Combine high-volume keywords (even if competitive) to increase visibility, with niche keywords (which are less searched but highly specific) to attract a targeted audience.

Step #3 Sort Your Keywords to Build an Effective Strategy

Once you’ve selected your keywords, you shouldn’t just place them randomly in your titles or descriptions. To have a real impact on your visibility, keywords need to be organized strategically.

Not all keywords serve the same role: some should be used consistently to anchor your core positioning. Others help broaden your reach or capture more specific queries.

Structuring your keywords helps you to:

• Clarify the priorities in your PSO strategy
• Better distribute your efforts across your podcast’s metadata
• Avoid unnecessary repetition or missing key terms
• Maximize your presence in search results by covering both broad and specific queries
  

In this final step, we’ll show you how to group your keywords into three main categories: primary keywords, supporting keywords, and long-tail keywords. Together, these three types form a strong, well-rounded PSO strategy.

Primary keywords

Primary keywords are the foundation of your podcast’s SEO. These are the most representative terms for your topic, the ones that define the core of your content. They should appear consistently, almost systematically, across all your metadata.

These are the keywords your listeners are most likely to type in when searching for a show like yours. I recommend choosing just three or four primary keywords from your list built in the previous step. This will help you stay focused and maintain a clear editorial direction without spreading your efforts too thin.

📌 Where should you include your primary keywords?

• In your podcast name: You can enrich the official title of your show by adding one or more keywords, either after a separator or as a subtitle. This is recognized by platform algorithms, as explained in the previous PSO lesson.
• In your overall show description: Feel free to repeat your primary keywords multiple times, as long as it sounds natural. The more frequently they appear, the more weight they carry with the algorithm, increasing your chances of ranking for related queries.
• In each episode description: Don’t hesitate to repeat your primary keywords several times, as long as it sounds natural, to strengthen their weight in the algorithm. The more prominent they are, the higher your chances of appearing in related search results.

💡 Make sure to place your keywords within the first 500 characters of your description: These first lines are highly valued by algorithms, especially on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free

Supporting keywords (also known as secondary keywords)

Supporting keywords, also known as secondary keywords, help expand and enrich your semantic field. These are complementary terms or phrases that relate to your primary keywords by covering connected ideas or subtopics linked to your main theme.

They allow you to widen your reach in search results by targeting more specific queries, without straying from your main positioning.

Supporting keywords are especially useful for attracting listeners who are interested in your topic but use different wording or are looking for a more specific angle.

Let’s look at a few concrete examples:

• For a primary keyword like digital marketing, supporting keywords could include social media, SEO, email marketing, or online advertising
• For a parenting podcast with children as the primary keyword, supporting keywords might be baby sleep, infant nutrition, or preschool
  

The goal isn’t to use all of your supporting keywords everywhere. Instead, they should be distributed thoughtfully based on the content of each individual episode. A good approach is to select around 15 supporting keywords that can be used alongside your primary ones.

📌 Where to include your supporting keywords

• In episode titles and descriptions: Adjust the phrasing depending on the specific topic covered in each episode.
• In your tags: Ausha allows you to add up to 20 keywords per episode, which is a great way to strengthen your SEO without cluttering your written content.
• In episode descriptions or transcripts: These additional text elements are also analyzed by the algorithms of some platforms, helping you boost discoverability.

Long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases. While they may have lower individual search volume, they can attract a highly targeted and qualified audience. These keywords often reflect natural, conversational language, exactly the kind of phrasing listeners might type into a search bar.

To identify strong long-tail keywords, pay attention to how your audience speaks. Use the exact expressions they say out loud or write in comments, messages, or search queries. Google’s suggested searches can also be a great source of inspiration for building out your long-tail keyword strategy.

These keywords or phrases often include:

• Semantic variations (synonyms or alternate phrasings)
• Full question-based formats (such as “how to…”, “why…”, etc.)
• Common typos or informal language
  

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free

While each of these keywords may generate only a small amount of traffic on its own, their combined effect can be extremely powerful. They allow you to reach a more precise audience, often in a more advanced stage of their search journey, and therefore more likely to subscribe or listen right away.

Let’s look at a few examples:

• For a podcast with SEO as a primary keyword, long-tail keywords might include→ how to rank a website for free, SEO strategy for beginners, optimize blog SEO
• For a podcast focused on career change, long-tail keywords could be→ changing careers at 40, finding your path after burnout, career change without a degree
  

📌 Where to include your long-tail keywords

• In episode titles: If an episode answers a specific question or addresses a targeted issue, use your long-tail phrases directly in the title. These keywords can even help inspire new episode ideas.
• In long-form descriptions: This is the perfect space to naturally include complete questions or rephrased versions of your keywords.
• In full transcripts: Transcripts are indexed by some platforms and can improve your visibility by adding more depth to your content’s keyword coverage.

A great way to naturally strengthen your long-tail strategy is by including full transcripts of your episodes. This not only helps podcast platforms better understand your content but also allows Google to index it, boosting your visibility outside podcast apps. If you use an automated transcription tool, be sure to proofread the result. Poorly formatted transcripts can hurt your SEO instead of helping it.

Use Live Search to validate your primary keywords

Before finalizing your primary keyword selection, take advantage of the Live Search feature in the PSO Control Panel. This tool shows you which podcasts are currently ranking for the keywords you enter in the search bar. It helps you assess the competition for a keyword, identify strategic opportunities, and refine your choices based on real-world results.

This ensures that you’re not choosing your keywords “blindly”, but with a clear view of the competitive landscape you’re entering.

🎯 Well done! You’ve just completed Lesson 3 on keywords

Here are the key takeaways to remember:

The next lessons will show you how to analyze your competitors’ keyword strategies in greater depth (Lesson #4) and how to make a visibility audit of your podcast (Lesson #5).

100+ Podcast Keywords to Kickstart Your Visibility

Need inspiration to choose the right keywords? Download this free resource and explore over 100 high-performing podcast keywords, sorted by category, search volume, and difficulty score.

> Download for free