How to Rank Higher in Apple Podcasts

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Hey, Podcasters! 

Let’s be honest: everyone wants to know the secret to ranking higher in Apple Podcasts, but for years, no one really knew how it worked.

I’ve sat through countless conference sessions promising to “crack the code” on podcast SEO, and most turned out to be pure snake oil. But now we have credible data straight from Apple.

If you’ve ever wondered how to help your show climb the charts and get discovered by more listeners, this one’s for you.

What Podcast SEO Means

Podcast SEO can refer to two things: 

• Improving your website’s visibility on Google or 
• Optimizing your show inside directories. 

We're going to focus on optimizing your show inside Apple Podcasts, which is where most listeners (about 70%!) discover new shows.

How Apple Podcasts Search Works

Apple ranks search results using three main factors:

Metadata
​Apple indexes your podcast name, episode titles, author tag, and channel name for search results. So you'll want to include clear, keyword-rich titles that describe your content! 

Popularity
​This one isn't a huge surprise: podcasts with more followers and plays rank higher. 

If you want to increase your popularity, add an Apple Smart Banner to your website so visitors can follow your show directly in Apple Podcasts. If you're using a Buzzsprout website, you already have one!

User Behavior
Apple rewards shows with active engagement, meaning the number of plays, follows, and episode completion rates. 

We've also learned these can be time sensitive, so promote new episodes right after release to boost early engagement.

Top Charts
If you're looking to climb the charts, momentum matters! 100 new followers in a day impacts rankings more than the same number spread out over a month. 

So you want to focus on promoting new episodes within the first 48 hoursto build traction!

Key Takeaways

• Use specific, keyword-aligned titles for your podcast and episodes
• Add Apple’s Smart Banner to drive followers
• Promote new episodes immediately to increase engagement

We break down these tips and more in the full guide on Podcast SEO.

Read Blog

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That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!