Ensuring strong podcast visibility is key to growing your audience. From listing your show across popular platforms to optimizing key metadata, we’ll show you in this article how to maximize your podcast’s reach. 🔥
How to properly reference your podcast on listening platforms
Of course, the first thing to do in order for your podcast to be well referenced on classic search engines and on Google is to make it visible EVERYWHERE! 😎
Start by listing all the listening platforms offering audio content and make sure to distribute your podcast there. Also, think about including Youtube to this list !
The combined audiences of these platforms offer your audio content plenty of exposure. 🚀
There are two options ✌️ for delivering your audio content: the manual or “Do It Yourself” way or the “turnkey” way, through an automated platform like Ausha. 💜
1. Submitting your podcast to platforms manually, e.g., “Do It Yourself” 🤓:
For your podcasts to be eligible for Google Podcasts (and all other platforms), here are the technical prerequisites:
- Display a valid RSS feed describing the podcast according to RSS 2.0 specifications
- Make sure the RSS feed contains at least one episode
- Make sure the podcast has a dedicated home page on your website. The home page must include a <link> to the RSS feed.
Generally speaking, you’ll need to respect classic Google indexing guidelines. The podcast’s pages and URLs must be searchable and able to be indexed by search engines.
2. Automated management by a hosting platform like Ausha 💜 (for example)
Ausha is the nex Generation of Podcast Hosting Platform :
- Secure hosting
- Promotional Tools
- Complete Analytics
- Podcast SEO
- Powered by AI
The use of hosting platforms have, among other advantages, the advantage of being easy to use. Everything is simplified, so a podcast creator can concentrate on the content of their programs.
Once your podcast is listed on all these platforms, you’re well on your way.
But you can also take your podcast’s SEO a step further. At WAM-Référencement, we’ll explain everything we’ve done to make our WAMCAST podcast visible. 🤙
Where do podcasts appear in Podcast Listening platforms : the exemple of Apple Podcasts and Spotify
According to a study, from The Podcast Host, on “How Do Listeners Discover New Shows?”, 40% of podcast listeners search for new show directly on their favorite listening apps.
Apple Podcasts Results
Today, when a user enters a keyword into the search bar to find a podcast to listen to, Apple Podcasts divides the results into four main categories:
- Top Results
- Shows
- Episodes
- Channels
This search organization is crucial as it presents podcasters with multiple opportunities to stand out !
At Ausha, we conducted an in-depth study to understand how Apple Podcasts’ search engine works and to provide creators with practical tips to optimize their visibility and reach a broader audience. Check out our complete study here
Spotify Results
Similar to Apple Podcasts, Spotify offers a search bar that allows users to find podcasts to listen to. However, unlike Apple Podcasts, Spotify is not just a podcast platform but also a music streaming platform. When it comes to podcast searches, the suggestions are divided into two categories:
- Podcasts & Shows
- Episodes
On Apple Podcasts, all users see the same search results for a given keyword. This is not the case with Spotify, where search results are personalized for each user based on their preferences and listening history.
In addition to our Apple Podcasts study, we also conducted an in-depth analysis of Spotify’s search engine. To explore our study, click here
In the next section, we will discuss strategies for effectively positioning your content on listening platforms and search engines.
Which metadata should I provide to properly reference my podcast ?
In order to optimize your podcast so that it’s well positioned on search engines and listening platforms, be sure to provide the podcast metadata (information) for your show and episodes. 🚀
Show name and podcast episode titles
Your show name and the titles of your episodes are key elements of podcast discoverability on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as they directly affect search rankings.
In our study, we have show that adding your best keyword at least 5 times in your episode titles could elevate your podcast by an impressive 7 positions in search results!
The episode description
The limit is 4,000 characters (nearly three pages), which leaves plenty of room to express yourself. It’s essential for proper podcast referencing.
In our study, we have show that adding your best keyword at least 6 times in your episode descriptions could elevate your podcast by 7 positions in search results!
As with a blog post, pay particular attention to your description by including keywords so that search engines and listening platforms will pull up your podcast from your main query.
Tags
Just like for video or audio content published on YouTube, adding classification that’s specific to each episode allows your content to be better referenced on all platforms that take these tags into account. 😁
Ausha, for example, allows you to add up to tags for each episode, so you can better contextualize the content of each episode and promote yourself in the search engines.
Dividing your podcast into chapters
Some tools (like Ausha) allow you to organize your episode into successive chapters.
You can use time codes to indicate when you address a specific subject in order to facilitate listening.
This feature is perfectly SEO-friendly since you’re enhancing your transcript with headings that correspond to the various sections of your content. 👌
The segmentation of your audio file into chapters is up to you to do. Then name the different parts.
Use the best phrase to describe what the passage in question is about by placing the targeted phrase as far left as possible (at the beginning).
This will be information that’s entirely readable by Google. 👌
Bonus : The cover
To make your podcast stand out from the crowd, pay special attention to the thumbnail of your show, as it is often the first thing that catches a potential listener’s eye. In our experience, covers featuring human elements or faces tend to be more engaging and can encourage people to give your show a listen.
Additionally, take the opportunity to optimize the name of your visual file so it stands out in Google Images! 💡
Before moving on to the next topic in the article, I wanted to share an exciting new feature from Ausha that will boost your podcast’s visibility while saving you valuable time: Ausha Intelligence. This AI-powered assistant helps you generate optimized content for listening platforms, including titles, descriptions, chapters and tags, as well as promotional content for social media and newsletters ✨
Learn more about Ausha Intelligence by clicking here 👈
What is transcription and how i could help with my podcast SEO ?
Transcription is the process of converting spoken words from your podcast episodes into written text.
This written content offers substantial SEO benefits by allowing search engines to index your podcast more effectively, making it easier for potential listeners to find your episodes through keyword searches 🔍
When you combine transcriptions with a dedicated Podcast Page using Ausha’s Website feature, you amplify these benefits. The Ausha Website, automatically generated for your show, serves as a centralized hub !
With Ausha’s transcription service, generating accurate, AI-powered transcriptions is quick and easy. By integrating these transcriptions on your Podcast Page, you not only improve SEO performance but also enhance accessibility and engagement with your audience 💜
To summarize:
We explored how to optimize your presence on listening platforms such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Then, we delved into enhancing your podcast’s visibility through SEO on search engines using your website and transcriptions 🚀
Pretty convincing, isn’t it? 😉
Conclusion
The podcast ecosystem continues to evolve and gain structure, presenting significant opportunities for growth and visibility 👀
Podcasts are perfectly suited to modern consumption habits—on the go and in multitasking environments—making them a popular choice for a wide range of listeners.
However, while podcasting may seem simple to launch, it demands a commitment to high-quality content. Creators must ensure their episodes are engaging and their delivery polished, as podcasts sit alongside traditional radio in terms of listener expectations and production standards.
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