There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about podcast search-engine optimization (SEO). I have this information in my SEO for Podcasters course (https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/store/seo-for-podcasters/), and I want you to have the core understanding for what SEO stuff actually does and doesnât matter in podcasting.
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Common podcast SEO bad advice and myths
Before I get into what does matter, I need to point out some common misconceptions, bad advice, and myths Iâve heard from many podcasters (even some podcasting experts).
Misconception: Podcast transcripts help SEO
Getting your podcast audio transcribed is not an instant solution to podcast SEO. For the most popular podcast apps, those transcriptions will not affect your SEO at all. For websites, a transcript for show notes is better than a single sentence or paragraph.
The fault of transcripts is in the amount of words relative to the quality of the content. Solo or interview podcasts may result in somewhat helpful transcripts, but conversation podcasts give horrible transcripts.
Bad advice: Treat your author tag as a subtitle
Although the author tag appears along with the title of your podcast in iTunes and other podcast apps, it is not a subtitle and should not be treated as such. The author tag is the place to put the creator (or creators) of the podcast, not to expound on the title or subject matter.
Bad advice: Stuff your author tag with keywords
The author tag is where you list the actual authors/creators/hosts of the podcast. The is not the place to stuff it with keywords, similar podcast names, names of your guests, or names of relevant famous people.
Hereâs an example of the kind of bad author tag Iâm talking about. I changed this to protect the quite guilty.
Daniel J. Lewis chats with entrepreneurs Michael Hyatt, John Lee Dumas, and Pat Flynn with motivation from Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander the Great. If Seth Godin had a podcast, this would probably be it.
Of all those names, who actually creates and hosts the podcast? Only one of them. And of all those names, who is actually alive?
This kind of stuff will look horrible in your podcast listing, and it can even get your show blacklisted by Apple!
Myth:Â ID3 tags affect your SEO
ID3 tags are metadata you attach to your MP3 files. These are helpful for compatibility with various podcast apps and players, but they donât affect SEO because they arenât searched until they downloaded. Even after being downloaded to your subscriptions, some apps may not search the ID3 tags.
I think this confusion comes from cross-platform terminology, like âtags,â âmeta tags,â âmetadata,â and âmeta information.â These are is often used in reference to RSS feeds and webpage stuff, which do affect some SEO. But these tags in your ID3 tags donât affect SEO.
Myth: Your podcast description is not searchable
While itâs true that some podcast apps donât search the description, other podcast apps do! (Iâll point out which do one below.)
The main purpose of your show description should be to tell someone why they should subscribe to the podcast and what to expect. That can be done with some SEO keywords, but it shouldnât be a priority to stuff the keywords.
For example, if your description includes something like, âWe talk about awesomeness, things that are awesome, and give tips for being awesome in your daily life,â you are both including keywords and telling more truth about your podcast.
Myth: Podcast ratings and reviews affect iTunes ranking
There are plenty of good reasons and uses for podcast ratings and reviews (https://theaudacitytopodcast.
