At Google I/O, we briefly heard about Google promising to bring podcasts directly to the search results screen. We also heard this was coming a few months ago. Well, it is now rolling out, and I can personally see it myself in the mobile and desktop search results.
Zack Reneau-Wedeen, founder and head of product for Google Podcasts, posted this news on Twitter Thursday morning saying, “Rolling out this week you’ll be able to search for and play podcasts directly in Google Search across Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, a step toward making audio a first-class citizen across Google.”
What it looks like. Zach from Google also posted a video screen grab of it in action:
Here is what it looks like on mobile:
When you click on the “more episodes” you are taken into the Google Podcast interface:
Here is a screen shot of it on desktop:
Deeper Podcast search. This feature doesn’t only search for the title or meta data of the podcasts but also can search for the audio – as Google transcribes them — directly within the podcast show itself.
Podcast markup. There is special Podcast structured data that you can use to help Google with discovering and understanding your podcast. Google says, “You can enable your podcast to appear in Google Search results and Google Podcasts, along with individual episode descriptions and an embedded player for each. This feature is available through the Google Search App for Android (requires v6.5 or higher of the Google Search App), Google Podcasts app, Chrome for Android , Google Home, and Google Assistant.”
Why we care. As Zack Reneau-Wedeen from Google clearly said, this is “a step toward making audio a first-class citizen across Google.” Those who produce podcasts can finally get more visibility in search to their content. Make sure to use Podcast markup to ensure you get the most visibility from your audio files.
About The Author
Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land’s News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.