Yes, there are 2.4 million active podcasts out there. Yes, your neighbor’s cat probably has a weekly show about hairball prevention. But here’s the thing: most podcasts fade away before their tenth episode, and even fewer understand how to be found by their ideal listeners.
Your podcast about traditional bookbinding techniques or urban beekeeping disasters might be exactly what someone’s been searching for—they just don’t know it exists yet. So, whether you’re working from your garage in Northumberland, a private office in Melbourne, or a sleek podcasting studio in LA, you can drastically improve your chances of success if you take the steps most novice podcasters miss. And conveniently, we’ve got all 11 of those steps covered below:
- Transcribe Like Your Listeners Depend on It
Search engines can’t listen to your dulcet tones, but they can read. Full episode transcriptions aren’t just good for accessibility—they’re SEO gold. Use tools like Descript or Otter.ai to turn your words into searchable text, then clean them up properly, so the little AI errors don’t make you look unhinged.
Your transcripts will give search engine bots something to grip onto, allowing them to understand what your podcast is about and which users to place them in front of. Transcripts are also helpful for those who prefer reading and for journalists who may want to pull quotes.
Tools to bookmark: As mentioned, we like Otter.ai and Descript. But there are more and more transcription tools coming out, so feel free to experiment with free trials until you find one you like. And if you prefer the human touch and want to give someone some work, you can find great transcriptionists on sites like Fiverr and Upwork.
- Write Episode Titles That Humans Actually Search For
“Episode 47: Chat with Sarah” might work for Joe Rogan, but you’re not Joe Rogan (unless you are, in which case, hi Joe). Instead, try “Urban Beekeeping Disasters: How One Woman Accidentally Started a Honey War in Brooklyn.”
Tools to bookmark: Use Google’s autocomplete and tools like Answer The Public to find what people actually type into search bars.
- Own Your Niche’s Long-Tail Keywords
If you’re doing a show about artisanal cheese-making, don’t just target “cheese podcast.” Go after “small-batch Gouda aging problems” or “cheese cave humidity disasters.” These specific phrases have less competition and more dedicated searchers.
Tools to bookmark: SEMRush’s Keyword Magic Tool is fantastic for finding long-tail keywords in your niche. You can even target specific geographical areas. We also love Keywords Everywhere, which allows you to search right in Google and see how many other people are searching those terms.
- Create Episode-Specific Landing Pages
Give each episode its own home on your website. Include the transcript, show notes, relevant links, and additional resources. Listeners will love this, but it also gives search engines more pages to index and more reasons to send people your way.
Tools to bookmark: To make sure your podcast pages (and other web pages for that matter) are being indexed, you’ll need a Google Search Console account. This is free, though it can take a bit of setting up. Once you’re up and running, you can check if a page on your site has been indexed and if it hasn’t, you can submit it.
- Optimize Your Podcast Description
Those 4,000 characters Apple Podcasts give you? Use them. All of them. This is your podcast’s resume, elevator pitch, and love letter to potential listeners all rolled into one. Include key topics, guest credentials, and what makes your show uniquely valuable.
- Tag Strategically, Not Desperately
Sticking with our urban beekeeping example, you would not want to bookmark your show as “true crime” just because it’s a popular category. But do tag it with “urban agriculture,” “sustainable living,” and “bee rescue.” Choose categories that actually reflect your content while capturing adjacent interests.
- Build Episode Clusters
Create themed series within your show. Say you’re doing a podcast about personal finance—three episodes about getting out of credit card debt could become “The Debt-Free Journey” series. Each episode could tackle a different angle: emotional spending, balance transfer strategies, and negotiating with credit companies.
You would then link these episodes together, reference them in show notes, and create a dedicated landing page that serves as a complete guide. This kind of organized, thematic content helps listeners binge related episodes and signals to search engines that you’re providing in-depth coverage of specific topics. Plus, when someone searches for “how to get out of credit card debt podcast,” you’ve got an entire series ready to help them.
- Lean Into Guest Expertise
When interviewing guests, use their credentials in your episode titles and descriptions. “Traditional Bookbinding with Harvard’s Head Conservator” carries more SEO weight than “Talking Bees with Jane.” Plus, guests with followings often share their episodes, giving you a valuable shot at picking up some new listeners from their audience.
- Create Complementary Content
Turn special episode moments into blog posts, YouTube shorts, or Instagram carousels. Each new piece of content you create from your podcast is another chance to be discovered. That story about your failed attempt at aging blue cheese in an NYC apartment? It deserves its own blog post. That moment you made a celebrity interviewee laugh? It’s begging to be made into an Insta reel.
- Use Platform-Specific Features
Spotify has episode topics, Apple Podcasts has season numbering, and Google Podcasts has automatic transcription. Learn each platform’s quirks and use them to your advantage. Yes, it’s extra work. No, most podcasters won’t bother—which is perfect, because you’re not here to add yours to the world’s largest collection of abandoned dreams.
- Monitor and Adapt
One of the biggest things you need to know as your podcast grows is how listeners are finding you. If your episode about traditional Japanese bookbinding techniques is mysteriously popular in Milwaukee, figure out why and make more content to serve that audience.
Tools to bookmark: We love tools like Chartable or Podtrac for understanding your audience and where they’re coming from.
Starting a podcast in 2025 might seem as sensible as opening a video rental store, but here’s the truth: while everyone can start a podcast, few really commit to making it findable. The podcast graveyard is full of great shows that nobody knew they needed to hear.
Your voice, your expertise, and your charming anecdotes deserve to be found. The roadmap above won’t guarantee overnight success, but it will put you ahead of the 2.39 million podcasts that didn’t bother with SEO at all. Now go forth and create something worth finding!
