Google continues to update its search results to provide the user with the most efficient experience. It is no secret that that even in the age of video, audio files (better known as podcasts) have thrived. Their easily digestible format allows users to learn on the go – making podcasts a better alternative over reading or watching videos for some people.
With the continued surge of podcast content, Google has released an update to search results that will now include podcasts. If your search returns podcast results, you will be able to visit the website it is being hosted on and the most recent episodes. Here is a screenshot from a search I did on my desktop:
While my search wasn’t looking for a specific show or episode, you can see the podcast selections allow the user to see the title, date published, running time and a play button to listen with just one more click. By clicking “More Episodes” you are also brought to the Google Podcast main page that features a long list of other episodes from different hosts you can scroll through:
Impact: If your brand produces podcast content, you are likely promoting that through your website, on streaming platforms, or both. Google has provided a reference page explaining how to properly use their structured data so your podcast is picked up by search engines. This feature will not only crawl your podcast title and meta data, but Google has also included an audio search within the code that allows Google to transcribe the words in your podcast – meaning a user searching for topics within your podcast could see your show in search results as well.
Blog content has been a huge focus for many brands and you should not pull away from that strategy. However, if your brand currently produces podcasts you should look at the frequency, quality and strategy behind them. Google is telling us that podcasts are important to search engines, which means they are important for users. Owning the search landscape with authoritative content is a goal many work to achieve – with this latest update, podcasts are just as important as any other form of content.