In this episode of Press Play, I’m breaking down podcast SEO and why it absolutely cannot be skipped if you want your podcast to grow long term. As you’re getting ready to launch and set everything up behind the scenes, SEO is the piece that helps people actually find your podcast after the launch buzz fades. Social media is great, but podcast SEO is your evergreen strategy that keeps working for you over time.

I walk you through the two main types of podcast SEO you need to understand. The first is how your podcast and episodes get discovered inside podcast apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The second is how your show shows up in Google search results. These work together, and both rely heavily on clear keywords and intentional positioning.

The most important place to start is your episode titles. This is where I want you to stop being cute and start being clear. Podcast SEO depends on people instantly understanding what your episode is about. If someone were searching for help, what would they actually type into the search bar? That exact phrase should guide how you title your episode. Clear, specific titles are one of the biggest ranking factors you can control.

I also talk about why your podcast description matters so much. The first one to two sentences are critical because that’s what podcast platforms use to understand what your show is about. You want your description to sound natural while still using the main phrases your audience would search for. This helps podcast apps and Google correctly categorize and recommend your show.

SEO is a long-term play, and it compounds over time. You may not see massive growth right away, but when you do this correctly, even your older episodes can continue bringing in new listeners months or years later. Every optimized episode strengthens the overall authority of your podcast.

I also share how to approach SEO in a way that fits your workflow. You can either plan your episode titles and goals before recording or record first and optimize afterward. There is no one right way, but you do need to be intentional either way. The key is to start practicing now so SEO becomes part of your normal podcast process.

Your action step from this episode is simple: take one episode and intentionally write the title, description, and show notes with SEO in mind. Getting into this habit early will make your podcast easier to grow and easier for the right people to find.

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