Episode 295 | Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast | Courtney Elmer

If you read the post before this one, then you’ve got the basics of podcast SEO down: understanding podcast keywords, knowing where to place them, and why this is crucial for getting your show discovered by listeners who are actively searching for a podcast like yours. But knowing what to do is just the beginning. The real magic happens when you move beyond the basics and zero in on a podcast SEO strategy that not only gets you found, but also positions your show as the obvious choice in a crowded sea of competitors.

So here’s where we dig into the next phase: narrowing your keyword list, spying on your competitors analyzing the competition, and using the right tools to refine your podcast SEO game.

Refining Your Podcast SEO Keywords

Your initial keyword list should be big — like, scary big. But to create a winning podcast SEO strategy, you need to narrow your list to 10–15 highly relevant keywords you want to dominate. These are the keywords that will help your podcast stand out in search results and get discovered by listeners who are ready to hit “Follow.”

Here’s what makes a great podcast SEO keyword:

• High relevance: It aligns perfectly with your podcast’s content and your expertise, and specific enough to attract the right listener.
• High search volume: It’s frequently searched for, which means listeners are already looking for content like yours.
• Low competition: The keyword competition is “low” — meaning it will give you a better chance at ranking higher in search results for that keyword.

For example, let’s say you host a parenting podcast. A keyword like “parenting tips” might feel like a no-brainer, but it’s way too broad to help you stand out. A more targeted option could be “gentle parenting tips.” Notice how this keyword is highly-relevant, targeted to a specific niche (parents who want gentle parenting tips), and much more likely to connect you with your ideal listener.

Spying on Your Competitors

With this in mind, the next step is to look at the keywords your competitors are using. Why? Because understanding their podcast SEO strategy can help you better position yourself to stand out against them as the obvious choice, and give you insight into where there’s room for you to dominate.

So, starting with the big podcast SEO keyword list you made by following the steps in the previous post, you now want to analyze your competitors keywords. Luckily, it’s easy to do with a little help from AI. 

1. Choose at least 10 competitor podcasts to analyze: Look for shows in your niche on your topic that your ideal listener might also tune into. (These are the shows your ideal listeners might be comparing to yours.) Focus on active podcasts that release episodes weekly and have been consistently publishing for a year or more. However, don’t overlook inactive podcasts entirely — especially if they have an extensive back catalog or still appear prominently in search results. You'll also want to include any relevant limited series podcasts in your research. The goal here is to identify patterns in the keywords your competitors are using and pinpoint opportunities where your podcast can stand out.
2. Then for each of the competitor podcasts you’ve identified, type this prompt into Chat GPT:
   
   “Give me the 10 most optimized SEO keywords in the metadata of this podcast, using only data from this link: [insert Apple podcast link].”
   
   This clever approach, inspired by podcast SEO tools like Ausha.co, will help you extract frequently used keywords from your competitors’ podcast metadata, such as episode titles, descriptions, and show notes. While ChatGPT can’t provide information on how relevant these podcast SEO keywords are for your show or give you details on search volume or competitiveness, it’s a quick way to identify the search terms that dominate your niche. 
   
   

Identifying Overlap and Standout Keywords for your Podcast SEO Strategy

Now that you’ve gathered keywords from your competitors using the ChatGPT prompt, it’s time to organize and analyze the data (Fellow spreadsheet nerds? Please stand up). 

1. On the far left, create a column for all the keywords that you identified in your brainstorm. 
   
2. Next, create a column for each competitor and list the keywords you’ve extracted from their metadata. (This makes it easy to spot patterns across multiple podcasts.)
   
3. Sort each column by A → Z.
   
4. Scan each column and frequently used keywords in one color.
   
5. Use a different color to flag underutilized keywords that still align with your niche. These are your opportunities to stand out in search results.

The goal is to identify a mix of high-potential keywords—some that highlight your podcast’s relevance to your niche and others that help it stand out from competitors. This visual approach makes it much easier to prioritize the terms that will make the biggest impact for your podcast. 

With your spreadsheet prepped and your podcast SEO keywords sorted and color-coded, the next step is to analyze these terms further using keyword-specific tools to validate their potential and refine your shortlist. 

Here’s how to do that to make sure your final list is packed with highly-relevant and highly-searched keywords that will set your podcast apart:

Validating Your Keywords with Podcast SEO Tools

Once you’ve identified overlap and standout terms, it’s time to put your keywords to the ultimate test using tools specifically designed for podcast SEO. (This step will help you make sure the 10-15 keywords you put on your final shortlist have enough search volume to make an impact and aren’t too competitive to rank for, to give you the best chance of standing out). 

Here’s how to refine your list:

• Ausha.co: A podcast-specific tool that measures keyword frequency and competitiveness across Apple and Spotify. It’s not free, but if you’re serious about growing your podcast, it’s a must-have for fine-tuning your podcast SEO strategy. (At the time of this writing, it’s also the only podcast-specific tool available for comprehensive podcast SEO analysis. While other tools may emerge, Ausha.co is hands-down my top recommendation. And no, you don’t need to host your podcast there to access their podcast SEO (or “PSO”) feature — just reach out and tell them Courtney Elmer at PodLaunch® sent you their way).
  
  Pro Tip: If you’re a PodLaunch® client, we can guide you step-by-step on how to use this tool to identify the absolute best keywords for your podcast. Ask your PodCoach for details.
  
  
• Google Keyword Planner: While designed for traditional SEO, this free tool can also help you get a general sense of search volume and competitiveness of a keyword across the world-wide web. It’s not podcast-specific, but it is free. So if you’re not ready to commit to a full podcast SEO strategy just yet, you can use this tool to cross-check your keywords and pinpoint the ones with the highest search volume and lowest competition to help you refine your keyword list.

By the time you finish this step, you should have a rock-solid list of 10–15 keywords that meet all the criteria for relevance, searchability, and competition. These are the keywords that will form the foundation of your podcast SEO strategy, positioning your show to stand out and get discovered by the listeners who need it most.

Using Your Keywords to Optimize Your Podcast

Now that you’ve refined your keyword shortlist, it’s time to put those podcast SEO keywords to work. As we covered in the previous post, your keywords need to be placed strategically in key areas of your podcast’s metadata to maximize their impact:

1. Podcast Title
2. Podcast Description
3. Episode Titles
4. Episode Descriptions
5. Spoken Content (Yes, say your keywords out loud! Platforms are using AI to transcribe and match spoken content to search terms.)

By incorporating your keywords across these elements, you increase the likelihood of your podcast appearing in search results for those terms.

Tracking and Refining Your Keyword Performance

Once you’ve done this initial legwork, podcast SEO is (almost) a “set it and forget it” strategy. While podcast SEO is a system that will run 24/7 in the background of your podcast and compound your visibility over time, you’ll still want to regularly track how your keywords are performing.

If you’re using a tool like Ausha.co, it will show you exactly how your podcast is ranking for your shortlisted keywords. You’ll be able to see which terms are working and where there’s room for improvement.

If you’re not using Ausha, you can still manually track your performance to some degree. Simply search for your shortlisted keywords on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to see if your podcast appears in the results. If it doesn’t, it’s a sign that you may need to integrate the keyword more frequently into your podcast’s metadata (written text).

Set aside time once a month to review your keyword performance:

1. Search Apple and Spotify for your keywords to check if your show is ranking.
2. Use tools like Ausha.co or Google Keyword Planner to validate your keyword performance and adjust based on what the data tells you.
3. Update your metadata with any new keywords that align with your audience’s evolving needs.

This regular review process ensures your podcast SEO strategy stays relevant and effective for years to come.

Bringing It All Together

The bulk of the work for your podcast SEO strategy happens upfront — building your keyword list, analyzing competitors, and refining your shortlist. But once that’s done, all that’s left to do is continually use your 10-15 shortlisted keywords throughout the metadata of your podcast, and you'll have a discoverability engine that keeps working in the background to attract new listeners to your podcast every single day.

From there, you’ll simply check in periodically to analyze your results and refine your process when needed. 

So to recap the entire step-by-step process that we covered between the previous post and this one:

1. Start with a brainstorm exercise to create a big list of potential keywords.
2. Analyze your competitors to spot patterns and standout opportunities.
3. Refine your keyword shortlist using tools like Ausha.co or Google Keyword Planner.
4. Strategically incorporate these keywords into your podcast’s metadata.
5. Track your performance and make small tweaks monthly.

The beauty of podcast SEO lies in its compounding effect. Every episode you optimize strengthens your visibility, making it easier for new listeners to find your show without taking up much time at all on your part once you’ve completed the initial legwork. 

By the way, developing a podcast SEO strategy that aligns with your podcast and gets you discovered by the right listeners is just one of the many things we teach our clients for creating a bingeworthy top podcast that drives business growth. So if you’re an established coach, consultant, or creator and you’re ready for a proven strategy to launch and scale a podcast that grows your business, book a free strategy call with our team to find out if you’re a fit for PodLaunch® — we’re here to help.

Or if you’re just here for the content and want more free advice on starting a podcast, growing a podcast, and turning more of your listeners into clients, make sure you hit “Follow” for Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast on your favorite podcast app so you never miss a new episode.

Up Next:

In the next episode, I’m joined by James Cridland from Podnews to explore the biggest changes shaking up the podcasting industry right now. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been podcasting for years, James will share insights on what these shifts mean for your show and how to navigate them to stay ahead. From the rise of niche podcasts to why video might not be as essential as you think, you’ll learn what it takes to create a podcast that lasts in today’s evolving landscape. Ready to learn what’s working right now to grow your podcast? Don’t miss the next episode!