How To Optimize Your Podcast For Search With PowerPress
PowerPress 6.0 introduced search engine optimization (SEO) features to help improve the discovery of your podcast on search engines such as Google, and within the Apple Podcasts directory.
To enable Podcasting SEO features in PowerPress, go to PowerPress settings > Feeds tab menu and select “Podcasting SEO” from the left-side menu.
Optimize Your Podcast Episode Titles
One of the best ways to maximize your podcast discovery and to manage your SEO is to maintain a separate title for your web pages and your podcast feeds (titles in your feeds are what appear in podcast directories such as Apple Podcasts).
Specify Custom Episode Titles For Podcast Feeds
Enable this option to create custom episode titles (item feed titles) for your podcast episodes. There are three options when utilizing this feature.
- Feed episode title replaces post title (recommended)
- Feed episode title prefixes post title (for advanced users)
- Feed episode title appended to post title (for advanced users)
Here is an example of prefixing your post titles:
Post Title: How to Boil Water
Episode Title: Cooking 005
The episode will appear in podcast apps and directories as “Cooking 005 How to Boil Water.”
Here is an example of appending your episode title:
Post Title: How to Boil Water
Episode Title: Cooking 005
The episode will appear in podcast apps and directories as “How to Boil Water Cooking 005.”
Appending A Podcast Show Title To Episode Titles
When searching a directory, episodes are listed in a separate result from the programs. To get your episodes to appear in search results when your show title is searched, you can append the show title to your episode title. If you already mention your podcast’s show title in your episode titles or blog post titles, you do not want this option.
Enabling AudioObjects For SEO
Enable this option to include Schema.org audio objects in microdata format in your Web page HTML markup.
Note: AudioObjects are currently NOT indexed by Google search. Though it is not used for Google search, it can still be enabled. Presently we know of no search service that indexes AudioObjects.
VideoObjects and Google Search Video Data Type
Enable this option to include Schema.org video objects in microdata format in your web page HTML markup. VideoObjects are used by Google search. Learn more about the Google Search video data type.
Google Search Podcast Data Type
Google search indexes podcasts by scanning podcast RSS feeds. By maintaining rich metadata within your podcast show notes, titles, and Apple Podcasts tags you will automatically take advantage of this data type. Learn more about the Google Search podcast data type.
Apple Podcasts (previously iTunes) SEO Guidance
Use this option to enable and highlight features that help with Apple Podcasts SEO:
- Highlight fields for Apple Podcasts SEO
- Enables iTunes Author field & Subtitle field when editing episodes
- Turns on Enhanced iTunes Summary feature
- Program level fields include SEO suggestions
These fields can help you with search optimization on iTunes.