The Beginner’s Guide to Podcast SEO

Now imagine this: It’s late at night, and someone’s scrolling through Apple Podcasts or Spotify, searching for advice on how to fix a problem they’ve been wrestling with all day. They type a few words into the search bar — your niche, your expertise, the exact thing you cover on your show. But instead of your podcast, they see a list of other shows. They click one, hit play, and you? You’re invisible.

But what if you knew how to make your podcast appear in the top five search results on Apple or Spotify? In this guide, I’m teaching you how to do it with podcast SEO — what it is, why it matters, and how to use it to get your show in front of people actively searching for what you offer. 

You’ll learn how to find the right keywords and use them to dominate podcast search results, putting your show directly in front of the audience already looking for a podcast like yours. Ready to create a bingeworthy top podcast that gets discovered by new listeners every day? Read on.

The Proven Discoverability Strategy That’s Quietly Changing the Game (But Won’t Stay a Secret for Long)

It was standing room only.

I looked out at the crowd from the stage at Podcast Movement, sharing the spotlight with two of the top podcast growth strategists in the industry. Their ideas were brilliant — strategies to grow your audience, increase visibility, and keep your listeners engaged.

The problem? Every single suggestion required more time, more energy, and more effort. And let’s be real: you’re already putting in the effort. You’re showing up week after week, creating high-value content, meticulously editing your episodes, writing show notes, and coming up with titles that (hopefully) grab attention. You’re wearing all the hats, doing all the work.

So while the crowd furiously scribbled notes, I couldn’t help but wonder… how many of them would actually walk away and implement what they’d just heard?

Not many, if I had to guess.

The mic squeaked as I raised it to speak. “SEO,” I said. “Podcast SEO.” I saw a few eyebrows raise, but I kept going. “It’s the number one thing every podcaster should be doing to get discovered by new listeners every day,” I continued. “Plus once you’ve got your top 10–15 keywords dialed in, it will take you zero extra time to implement.”

“You already write show notes for every episode. You already title every episode. What if you could take what you’re already doing, and start getting found by new listeners without any additional effort on your part?” The crowd was still. I leaned in. “That’s the power of podcast SEO.”

“Oh, and it has a compounding effect, just like podcasting itself. Every episode you optimize for podcast SEO increases your chances of dominating that keyword. And when you can dominate a keyword?” (Okay, I might have paused for dramatic effect).  

“You can dominate the competition.” 

The crowd erupted in applause. Just kidding. But there was a line of people waiting to talk after the event, and one of the other strategists leaned over and said, “You’ve gotta come on my podcast to dig deeper into this.”

Why Your Podcast Isn’t Getting Found (and How Podcast SEO Can Fix It)

Here’s the truth most podcast experts won’t tell you: the Achilles’ heel of podcasting isn’t what’s inside your episodes. It’s whether anyone can find them in the first place. With millions of podcasts out there now, even the most brilliant shows get buried without a strategy for discoverability.

Enter podcast SEO.

This is about to become the buzzword everyone in the podcasting world is talking about. (Just remember you heard it here first.) It’s a strategy I’ve been teaching to our most advanced students for years. Until now, though, we haven’t had a way to track its performance.

But that’s all changing. Today, you can use tools to:

• See the exact keywords your competitors are ranking for.
• Find out how often specific keywords are searched on Apple and Spotify.
• Identify terms that can position your podcast directly in front of your ideal listeners.

Here’s the easiest way to think about podcast SEO: it’s like getting your show on page one of Google (but for podcasts.)

Let’s say someone searches for “how to avoid burnout” on Apple Podcasts. If your show appears in the top five search results, they’re far more likely to click on your episode than scroll further down the list. And just like with Google, when your podcast shows up in the top five search results for a keyword, not only does it instantly give you credibility, listeners are more likely to click because they’ll assume it’s the best fit for what they need.

The First Steps to Using Keywords for Your Podcast

Let’s talk about keywords: the cornerstone of podcast SEO. These little gems are what help your podcast get discovered by listeners who are actively searching for a show like yours. Here's what you need to know: 

1. Know That Not All Podcast SEO Keywords Are Created Equal

Broad terms like “business” or “health” might seem like a good idea — but they’re saturated and highly competitive. Your podcast is more likely to get buried than discovered. What you really want are keywords that aren’t too broad, aren’t too niche, and just specific enough to attract your ideal listener. (Think “online business marketing” instead of just “business,” or “self-care for moms” over “health.”)

Here’s why this matters: when your podcast title or description matches what someone’s actively searching for, guess who’s getting that click? (Hint: it’s you.)

(Want to dive deeper into keyword nuances? This guide explains the basics. For podcast-specific tips, keep reading — I’ve got you covered.)

2. Place Your Keywords in the Right Spots for Maximum Visibility

Apple Podcasts and Spotify are like search engines, and just like Google, they look for keywords in specific places. Here’s where you need to focus:

• Podcast Name Field: Think of this as the H1 header of your podcast. If your show name doesn’t make it clear what your podcast is about, you’re already losing listeners. And if your name doesn’t include keywords? Listeners who are searching for a podcast like yours will be even less likely to find you.
  
• Podcast Description: This is your elevator pitch to potential listeners — and the algorithms. The key here is to naturally incorporate keywords into your podcast description (keyword stuffing will be penalized).
  
• Episode Titles: When a listener searches for a keyword or keyword phrase in Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it doesn't just pull up podcasts – it also pulls up specific episodes. The more your episode titles include your specific keywords, the more you’ll increase your chances of getting found in those searches.
  
• Episode Descriptions: Use your keywords here too, but always incorporate them naturally and keep it conversational.
• Spoken in Your Podcast: Don’t underestimate the power of saying your keywords out loud in your episodes. Why? Because platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify are using AI to transcribe audio and match it with search terms. If your keywords are part of your conversation, you’re giving your podcast another way to show up in search results. 
  
  

Your Next Step: Building Your Podcast SEO Keyword List

Ready to roll up your sleeves and start using podcast SEO to get found by more listeners? Here’s your step-by-step guide to creating a keyword list that will put your podcast in front of the right audience.

1. Analyze Your Top Episodes

If you already have a podcast, look at your most popular episodes. (If you don’t have a podcast yet, skip this step and proceed to step 2.) Head into your hosting platform and look at your most downloaded episodes. What topics or themes do they share? Now, take a closer look at your episode titles. Pay special attention to the words or phrases. Do any patterns emerge? Jot these down.

2. Think Like Your Listener

Put yourself in your listener’s shoes. What problems are they trying to solve? What questions are they typing into the search bar? For example, if your podcast helps entrepreneurs manage burnout, they’re probably searching for phrases like “entrepreneur burnout”. 

Start by brainstorming the exact language your audience uses to describe their challenges. Bonus: you can also look at the questions people frequently ask you to get even more ideas. Write down every possible search term or question they might type into Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or even Google — I’ll show you how to pick the ones that help you stand out against the competition in the next post. 

3. Type These Keywords in Search Bars and Look for Adjacent Keywords
   This is where it gets fun. Take the terms and phrases you brainstormed and start typing them into the search bar on:

• Apple Podcasts: See what shows or episodes appear. Are they similar to yours?
  
• Spotify: Unlike Apple Podcasts, Spotify operates on a recommendation algorithm. So don’t skip the step of checking your keywords for ideas here, too.
• Google: Type the “keyword + podcast” into Google and look at the results (e.g., “time management tips + podcast”). Notice what pops up.

What you want to look for is the auto-suggestions that populate in the search bar on each of these apps. These are real-time clues about what people are actively searching for. Add them to your list.

By now, your list should be getting pretty big — that’s intentional. You want an exhaustive list of keywords here so we can find the best positioning for your show. Once you’ve followed these steps to build an initial keyword list, you’re ready for the next step: narrowing it down to the keywords that will help you stand out against the competition. (Spoiler alert: that’s what we’re covering in the next post.)

What You’ve Learned (and What’s Next) 

Let’s recap: the Achilles’ heel of podcasting isn’t your content — it’s whether anyone can actually find it. That’s where podcast SEO is changing the game, and now you know how to start using it to get your show in front of the people who need what you offer.

We’ve covered the essentials: what keywords are, why they matter, and where to put them to boost your visibility. You’ve even got the steps to start building your keyword list (and if you haven’t done that yet, get to it. Every day you wait, someone else is capturing the audience you’re after) But we're not done. The real secret? 

Knowing how to pick the right keywords that will set you apart from your competition. Because knowing which keywords will actually work for your podcast isn’t always straightforward. Developing a keyword strategy that aligns with your podcast and gets you discovered by the right listeners is just one of the 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, you’ll learn how to uncover the exact keywords your competitors are using, pinpoint the best ones for your show, and craft a podcast SEO strategy that helps your show stand out and get discovered by new listeners every day. Plus, I’ll share the latest tools you can use to track and refine your keyword strategy for even better results. Ready to dominate the search results for your podcast topic? Don’t miss the next episode!