Creating a podcast website means building a home for your show that fully represents you and your brand. To continue to grow your podcast, you must find and engage with listeners. A podcast website is a perfect tool to do that. Having a strong web presence that increases organic search results for your show and brings value to your listeners is a no-brainer, right?
Well if I don’t have you convinced yet, hopefully by the end of this post you’ll be inspired to create one.
1. Increase discoverability / SEO for your show
By having a podcast website dedicated to your show, you’re increasing the amount of indexable material that can be read by search engines, which will lead to your show being included in more search results. More search results that include your show mean more exposure, increased discoverability, and the potential to connect with more potential listeners.
Consistently published content is key. This could be blog posts associated with each episode, episode notes, or transcripts from your show. The sky is the limit. Remember to do a little research to ensure your content and website are as discoverable as possible by paying attention to key SEO principles. This post from SEORush.com does a great job highlighting core SEO best practices.
2. Control your content
When it comes to podcast directories (where it is essential to list your show), you don’t have much control over the way your content is presented. You can usually add one small image (usually your cover art) and a short show summary. That’s it—not a lot of opportunity for a listener to get to know you and your brand.
By creating a podcast website, you have full control to present your brand and connect with the listener through multiple forms of content: blog posts, images, videos, etc. Your website also allows you an opportunity to collect email addresses to further stay in touch with your listeners (more on that later).
3. Provide bonus material / added value
Your podcast website offers the opportunity to provide more value to your listeners. What can you share with them to go along with your audio? What would enhance their listening experience? Your website is the place to continue to reinforce and incentivize listeners to come back and continue to engage with you and your podcast.
Bonus material can be beneficial if you have a relatively involved topic that you can help explain through the use of photos, maps, timelines, or other supplementary items. Serial season one is an excellent example of a super detailed and intricate story that benefits from extra materials like letters and timelines.
4. Snazzy / detailed archive
Once you’ve created a large archive of episodes, it can be very frustrating for a listener to search through it. Most directories only show a handful of episodes at a time, and there’s no search functionality within the archive.
Creating your own archive can empower the listener to search for topics that may interest them. You could even have a page devoted to each episode and the resources and extras associated with it (a great SEO strategy). The more details you can add about each episode, the more likely it will show in search results.
5. Promote other products / sales funnels
If you have other products in addition to your podcast, like merch, pay-walled content, courses, ebooks, etc., having a website where listeners can easily see and learn more about them is a no-brainer. As a listener, I very well may not know that you produce other content. And if I like your show and have gotten to know you through your podcast, I’m the perfect potential audience for your other products.
6. Build community / collect email addresses
Your podcast website is an additional touchpoint with your listeners. They likely spend a lot of time listening to your voice. They can even start to feel like they’re getting to know you. This is an opportunity to strengthen that connection and let them into your world and brand.
If you’re not collecting email addresses from your audience and communicating with them regularly, you’re missing out. You have to foster and cater to your core listeners, even though you’re always looking to grow your audience.
7. Recieve feedback
Your website should provide multiple ways for a listener to get in touch with you. This could be through a simple email form, survey, reviews, or all of these.
I would suggest humanizing yourself as much as possible by providing a direct email address. The big key here is you must be consistent and diligent about responding. If the amount of email coming in begins to become overwhelming, you could switch to a form type of communication.
8. Control and promote your brand
Your brand has detail and nuance. Give it the amazing home it deserves by building a website devoted to it. Sell yourself and your show by creating a space that truly represents you and your show.
Having full control of your brand ensures that the correct information and brand assets are easily accessible, ensuring it’s easy for others to promote your show. Adding a media kit to your website is a guaranteed way to provide potential news outlets and media with a one-stop-shop for everything they could need to promote you.
9. More analytics
More data means more informed decisions. While you likely have access to certain analytics through your podcast host, learning how users interact with your website and what content works best for your audience allows you to create more and more of that content.
More content is great for SEO, and content that successfully engages new listeners is even better.
10. Memorial / easy to remember / branded URL
The URL provided to you from most podcast directories are long and sometimes complicated, sometimes including long id numbers that are impossible to remember and promote. Your website URL is your chance to create and share an easy-to-remember branded link for your show.
Obviously, the best-case scenario is that your URL matches the name or simplified name of your show. By matching your podcast title to the name of your website, you’re increasing the likelihood that a listener’s search results will include your website.
11. Present yourself as professional and engaging
Creating a website for your podcast is not absolutely necessary; however, the fact that you have one presents you and your podcast as professional and engaging. It’s the difference between wrapping a birthday present in a newspaper vs. a beautiful paper with a detailed bow and tag. It’s a complete and well-thought-out package. Listeners will notice the extra effort, and your show will benefit from the added exposure you’ll get for your show.
12. A podcast website can be simple
Your website will evolve and grow over time. Don’t let a lack of content hinder you from creating a simple website for your show. You don’t have to have a blog or additional products or services to create an engaging and successful website for your podcast. You can add those items over time as you continue to optimize and grow your brand and your website.
There you have it! That is just 12 of the hundreds of reasons you should create a website for your podcast. Remember, building a brand takes time, but you have to start somewhere. A website gives you the flexibility to continue to grow and evolve while still taking advantage of organic search and increased value for your community of listeners.
