You have a great podcast. You share amazing stories, give helpful advice, or make people laugh. But sometimes, it feels like you are talking into an empty room. How do you get new listeners to find your show?
The answer is not just about making good audio. It is about making sure people can find your good audio. This is where a special kind of magic called podcast SEO comes in. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the art of helping Google and Spotify understand what your show is about so they can show it to the right people.
Think of it like this: if your podcast is a book in a giant library, podcast SEO is what writes the title and summary on the cover. It is what helps the librarian know which shelf to put it on. Without it, your book might get lost in the basement.
At Mavit Digital, we help podcasters like you use smart podcast SEO to fill that empty room with eager listeners. Let’s break down how you can get found on both Google and Spotify.
Also Read: SEO Agencies in Canada: What to Look for When Hiring
Why Your Podcast Needs More Than Just Good Talk
Many podcasters think that if they just upload their episode, listeners will come. Unfortunately, the internet does not work that way. There are millions of podcasts out there. Platforms like Google and Spotify need clues to understand yours.
Without these clues, they cannot recommend your show to people who are searching for your topics. Podcast SEO provides these clues. It tells the platforms: “This show is perfect for someone interested in [your topic].” It is the most important thing you can do to grow your audience without paying for ads.
How Google and Spotify “Listen” to Your Podcast
You might wonder, “How can a computer understand my spoken words?” This is where amazing technology called voice indexing and audio search comes in.
Voice indexing is like a super-smart robot that listens to your audio. It turns all the spoken words into written text. This is called a transcript. Google and Spotify can then read this transcript to understand exactly what you talked about in your episode. They don’t just listen for keywords; they try to understand the meaning and context of your conversation.
Audio search is what happens when someone looks for something. On Google, someone might type a question. On Spotify, someone might type a topic or even speak into their microphone. The platform then searches through all the voice-indexed transcripts to find shows that are a perfect match.
So, if your episode is about “easy recipes for beginners” and someone searches for that phrase, your show has a chance to appear. But only if the platforms can read what you said.
Getting Found on Google: Be a Webpage First
Google is the world’s biggest search engine. People don’t just use it to find websites; they use it to find podcasts, too. The key to getting on Google is to treat every episode like a blog post.
This means you need a dedicated webpage on your website for every single episode. This page is your most powerful tool for podcast SEO.
On this episode page, you should have:
- A Clear Title: Your title should tell people exactly what the episode is about. “Episode 10” is not helpful. “How to Start a Garden in a Small Apartment: Episode 10” is perfect.
- A Full Description: Write a paragraph that describes the episode. What questions do you answer? What stories do you tell? Use the words you think your listeners would type into Google.
- Show Notes: List the main points you discuss. This gives Google even more text to read and understand.
- The Transcript: This is the most important part. Adding the full text of what was said is like giving Google a perfect map of your content. It allows for deep audio search and voice indexing to work its magic.
When you do this, you are not just making a page for listeners. You are making a page for Google. Each episode page is another chance to show up in search results and bring new people to your podcast website, where they can then click to listen on Spotify or other platforms.
Also Read: How Canadian Businesses Can Benefit from SEO Services
Getting Found on Spotify: The Inside Game
Spotify is like a search engine just for audio. People go there specifically to listen. To get found here, you need to optimize your show inside the Spotify app.
Your podcast host (where you upload your files) sends all your information to Spotify. Here is what you need to focus on:
- Your Podcast Title and Description: Just like with Google, your title and overall show description must be clear. Tell people exactly what they will get when they hit play.
- Episode Titles and Descriptions: Again, make them clear and helpful. Use keywords naturally. What would someone type into Spotify’s search bar to find an episode like yours?
- Categories: Choose your categories wisely. Don’t just pick “Education”; be more specific. Is it “Education – How To” or “Education – Self-Improvement”? This helps Spotify put your show in the right section of its library.
- Your Transcript is Key Here Too: Spotify uses voice indexing to create transcripts for your episodes. This powers their audio search feature. By providing your own accurate transcript, you help Spotify understand your content better, making it more likely to be recommended.
Simple Steps to Start Your Podcast SEO Journey
This might sound like a lot, but you can start small. Here are three simple steps from us at Mavit Digital to get you started today:
- Fix Your Titles: Look at your last five episodes. Are the titles clear and descriptive? Do they include the main topic? Change them to be more helpful if you need to. This is the easiest fix with a big impact.
- Write Better Descriptions: For your next episode, spend 15 extra minutes writing the description. Pretend you are explaining the episode to a friend. What are the key points? What will the listener learn? Use those words.
- Try a Transcript: For one episode, try making a transcript. You can use free tools or the automatic ones in apps like Spotify for Podcasters. Copy and paste that text onto your website’s episode page. See if it makes a difference in your traffic.
Also Read: SEO Services vs. Paid Ads: Which Is More Effective?
How Mavit Digital Can Help Your Podcast Get Discovered
At Mavit Digital, we understand that you would rather be creating content than worrying about voice indexing and audio search. That’s where we come in. We do the technical work so you can focus on talking.
Our team specializes in podcast SEO. We can help you with:
- Creating a website that is perfect for your podcast episodes.
- Writing titles and descriptions that both humans and search engines love.
- Managing transcripts and making sure every episode is fully optimized for audio search.
- Building a strategy to help you climb the rankings on both Google and Spotify.
We believe your voice deserves to be heard. Getting found is the first step to building a loyal audience.
Remember, podcast SEO is not a one-time task. It is a habit. Every time you publish a new episode, you have a new opportunity to be discovered. By taking these small, simple steps, you can turn your podcast from a hidden secret into a show that finds its perfect audience.
