Whether you’re just starting out with your podcast or looking to grow an existing audience, simply creating great audio isn’t enough anymore. You also need to make sure real people can find your podcast when they’re searching online. This is where podcast SEO comes in.
Perhaps you already have a good understanding of what SEO is, and many of the principles of traditional SEO would also apply to SEO for podcasts.
Want to listen to this educational content rather than read?
In this blog, we’ll cover:
What is Podcast SEO
How to increase your E.E.A.T through podcasting
Why SEO matters for podcasts & key industry stats
6 actionable strategies to optimise your podcast for platforms and search engines
How does YouTube fit in Podcast SEO
Tools for Podcast SEO
Should you get help with Podcast SEO
What Is Podcast SEO?
Let’s start from the beginning. What exactly is podcast SEO?
Podcast SEO is the set of strategies and optimization techniques that make your podcast more discoverable in podcast players such as Apple Podcasts.
In platform podcast SEO - The process of making a podcast visible in podcast players/platforms.
Podcast SEO, as in link building - Growing a brand using podcasting as a link-building or PR technique.
Content repurposing with SEO - Creating content that ranks and linking it to your podcast.
Podcasting to increase E.E.A.T - Making your brand more reputable for both search engines and LLMs.
Unlike written content, podcast platforms, search engines, or LLMs cannot natively “read” audio files, although this is already changing; there are still limitations. Search engines rely on text clues like titles, descriptions, metadata, transcripts, and related content to understand your content and rank it for relevant searches.
This is why all those “extras” are so important in supporting your audio recording as part of your podcast marketing strategy.
What Is E.E.A.T And How It’s Linked To Podcasting?
E.E.A.T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This is what Google uses to determine how worthy you are as a brand to rank in search results. E.E.A.T is typically built on demonstrable credibility, real-world experience, recognized expertise, authoritative validation, and transparent trust signals.
And you guessed it, podcasting fits perfectly into this game. Having a podcast gives strong trust signals that you, as a brand, have all four components.
Why Podcast SEO Matters in 2026
There are over 4.5 million podcasts, according to Lime Light Digital as of January 2026. And that number is just going to get bigger. So, doing everything you can to make your podcast stand out from the rest is a must.
On top of that, in this new AI world, strengthening your E.E.A.T is key to brand visibility, not just in podcast players, not just in search engines, but also in LLMs, the new way of information search.
Podcasting can help you achieve E.E.A.T which stands at the backbone of SEO.
Quick Stats
These quick-fire podcast stats help highlight how important podcast SEO is:
As of January 2026, according to Lime Light Digital, there were around 4.5–4.6 million podcasts worldwide.
Teleprompter estimates 584 million people listen to podcasts globally in 2025, up year-on-year, and forecasts suggest this will hit 650 million by 2027.
The latest Edison Research report shows that 51% of the UK population aged 16+ frequently tune in to podcasts.
What this means for podcasters is simple: competition is fierce. You’re not just competing with other podcast shows. You’re competing with millions of pieces of content for attention on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and beyond.
Podcast SEO helps your content show up where people are searching. Nail podcast SEO and you’ll notice a boost in organic discovery, long-term traffic, and consistent listener growth.
It’s the magic key to success!
Podcast SEO Best Practices (Start Here)
So, now that we know what podcast SEO is, let’s dive into the best podcast SEO practices. Below are some key, actionable strategies you can start implementing right away!
Tried any of our tips out and seen big results? We would love to hear about it!
Just as blog SEO does, SEO for podcasts begins with solid keyword research.
To begin, identify the terms your target audience is searching for. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs can help uncover high-traffic queries.
Although these tools are designed to measure discoverability on Google, they can give you an idea of how much interest there is in a specific topic.
Once you’ve identified your keywords, use them naturally in:
Your show title
Podcast episode titles
Episode descriptions, show notes, and metadata
By using keywords effectively, you will help both search engines and podcast platforms understand what your episodes are about. Using keywords naturally also helps your audience identify with the subject.
Both are key points!
2. Write Detailed Episode Show Notes
Search engines love text. This is because text is something search engines can crawl. Remember this when you’re writing show notes, blog posts, or anything to do with your podcast episode.
For every podcast episode you publish, include detailed show notes in your podcast host and add a full transcript. Transcripts transform speech into text that Google, Bing, and LLMs can crawl and rank. Again, this is the fuel behind podcast SEO growth.
3. Use Timestamps & Chapters
Timestamps categorise your podcast content into bite-sized, searchable sections. And of course, searchability is crucial for podcast SEO.
Not only do timestamps improve listeners' usability, but when included in show notes, they also help your show become more discoverable in podcast players.
If you can pair timestamps with keywords, then you’re on the right track!
4. Optimize Titles
Your title is one of the most important ranking elements for each podcast episode.
We highly recommend avoiding vague episode names like “Episode 10” — instead, lead with descriptive, keyword-rich titles like:
One technique we’ve seen working well at Saspod is using regular blog articles as a platform for podcast discovery.
Create a blog article on the same topic or similar to the podcast episode
Use the best traditional SEO practices to rank that article
Quote your episode in key points of the article
Embed your podcast in the article and gain listeners
6. Use Podcasts As a PR Asset To Earn Media Mentions
This is probably one of the most powerful techniques you can use to grow your podcast.
If your podcast is high-quality and relevant, pitching specific episodes or facts to media outlets can land you in major publications such as The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, or The Rolling Stone.
This is all PR gold that affects your show’s discoverability, earns you backlinks, traffic, and further increases your E.E.A.T.
Podcast SEO on YouTube and Social Platforms
Never underestimate platforms like YouTube. In fact:
YouTube is now the most popular podcast platform for many listeners, with more than 1 billion people checking out podcasts on YouTube each month. In fact, a new term can be introduced here, - YouTube SEO.
Posting video or static audio episodes on YouTube with SEO-optimised titles, descriptions, tags, and chapters significantly boosts your chances of showing up in the second-largest search engine (YouTube). Since Alphabet owns both YouTube and Google, YouTube videos get heavily indexed in Google.
Platforms like YouTube are search engines in their own right. YouTube optimization pays off both on the platform and across search engines.
Create Searchable Surfaces, Everywhere
Remember, SEO for podcasts isn’t just in one place. Podcast SEO is about creating multiple entry points for discovery. These entry points could be:
Your podcast page on your website
Individual podcast posts on your website
Your show in multiple podcast players
Separate blog posts that expand on episode topics linked to your podcast
YouTube video versions
Social snippets and short clips optimized for search and engagement
Third-party mentions through PR
Creating more searchable surfaces greatly increases the chance that new audiences (who might never have found your show otherwise) discover you organically.
Tools For Podcast SEO
We recently talked to Andrea De Marsi, the founder of PodSEO. Not only is it a well-rounded tool for in-player podcast SEO, but it is run by awesome, friendly people. Using PodSEO, can show you insights on how your podcast ranks on podcast players, giving you that competitive edge.
Tools like this can:
Help refine episode titles and descriptions
Improve keyword alignment
Strengthen optimisation for podcast players
Increase discoverability across search engines
Should You Seek Expert Podcast SEO Support?
By now, you’ve probably realised something: Podcast SEO isn’t just one task, but a system.
For many podcasters, especially founders, brands, and busy creators, managing all of this consistently can become overwhelming.
That’s where expert podcast SEO support can make a real difference.
When It Makes Sense to Bring in Experts
You might benefit from specialist SEO support if you recognize any of the following:
Your show isn’t appearing in search results
You’re relying entirely on social media for growth
You’re publishing episodes without a website strategy
You don’t have time to research and optimise every episode properly
You want to treat your podcast like a serious authority-building channel.
Podcast SEO isn’t just about ranking. Podcast SEO is about building a sustainable audience pipeline and growth.
How Saspod Supports Podcast SEO and Growth
At Saspod, we don’t just produce podcasts. We also help brands turn their podcasts into visibility growth assets.
That means supporting podcasters with:
SEO-optimized show notes and episode pages
Keyword strategy tailored to your niche
YouTube optimization and video repurposing
Blog content built around episode themes
Platform optimization (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.)
Podcast growth with PR
Ongoing marketing strategies to drive long-term audience growth
We have worked with over 200 podcast shows over the years. Let us help you with our experience and knowledge.
Podcast SEO should never be an afterthought. It’s baked into how we think about production and marketing from day one.
Because the reality is simple: If people can’t find your podcast, they can’t listen to it.
And in a world of over 4 million podcasts, discoverability is everything.
Bogdan Bratis
CEO & Founder of Saspod. Podcast Producer & Digital Marketing Expert. I'm based in Glasgow, where on the side I play keyboard in function bands throughout Scotland, and I'm addicted to coffee.
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