How to Create SEO-Friendly Podcast Show Notes

6 Steps to Get AI to Recommend Your Brand

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In this post I’m going to show you how to create podcast shows notes that rank in Google.
(Step-by-step)

So if you’re looking for a way to grow your podcast with SEO, this new guide is for you.

Let’s dive right in.

Step #1: Transcribe Your Podcast Episode

Your first step is to get a transcription of your podcast episode.

A transcription is important for two reasons:

First, it helps you quickly review the content. That way, you can pick a keyword to optimize your show notes around.

Second, you can copy and paste a lot of the text into your show notes. Which will make your show notes more SEO-friendly.

You can find someone to transcribe audio on a freelance site like Upwork.
I personally use Rev.com to transcribe my stuff.

They’re a little bit expensive. But in my experience they do solid work. Plus, they’re super fast.

Then it’s time for…

Step #2: Choose a Keyword For Your Episode

Next, you want to find a keyword to optimize your show notes around.

Instead, you want to find a keyword related to your episode. And optimize your shows notes around that single term.

Note: This is super different than how you normally do [keyword research for SEO](/content/tools/keyword "Keyword Research"/index.html). You usually start with a keyword. Then, create your content around that term.

First, grab the episode transcript that you created in Step #1.

Then, jot down topics, themes and techniques that you talked about in the episode.

For example, check out this transcript:

When I look it over that episode transcript, I realize that I covered a handful of different topics, including:

So each of those MIGHT be good keywords to go after.

But you need to check [a keyword research tool](/content/keyword-research-tools "Keyword Research Tools"/index.html) to be sure.

Anyway, here’s how to do it:

I tend to use Semrush for this sort of keyword research. But you can use any keyword tool that works for you (like the [Google Keyword Planner](/content/google-keyword-planner "How To Use Google Keyword Planner"/index.html)).

So with that, I was ready for step #3…

Step #3: Format Your Show Notes Like a Blog Post

Traditional show notes are HORRIBLE for SEO.

For example, check out these show notes for a podcast that I recently went on:

A [recent search engine ranking factors study](/content/search-engine-ranking "Search Engine Ranking"/index.html) found that the average first page Google result contained 1,447 words.

Needless to say, 38 words isn’t enough to rank for most keywords.

Instead, rework your show notes page into a traditional blog post.

Your shows notes are now formatted for easy skimming. Which makes Google searchers happy.

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to rewrite the transcript for readability.

This video will help you level up your “show notes blog post” so it actually gets backlinks and shares on social media.

Step #4: Optimize Your Show Notes for On-Page SEO

Finally, it’s time to optimize your show notes around the keyword that you found in step #2.

Even so, there are a handful of things that you can do to make sure that your show notes are SEO-friendly, including:

Optimize your page’s title tag for SEO: Specifically, you want to optimize your title tag around ONE keyword.

Mention your keyword 2-3 times: You want to include your target keyword (including synonyms and variations) 2-3 times on your page.

You can also include that keyword in an H2 or H3 subheading.

Use internal linking: Add [internal links](/content/hub/seo/internal-links "Internal Links"/index.html) from your show notes page to other show notes page (or blog posts) on your site.

Add external links: You can weave these into your content, like this:

Now:

These four [SEO tips](/content/actionable-seo-tips "Actionable SEO Tips"/index.html) are usually enough to help get your show notes on Google’s first page for low competition keywords.

Conclusion

So that’s how to create SEO-friendly podcast show notes.

This process does take a little bit of extra work.

But once you turn your transcript into a legit blog post.
And optimize it for SEO.

Your show notes page suddenly has the potential to rank well in Google search.