Attended a ‘lunch and learn’ session with Dorz Brown, host of Let’s Get Visible podcast and an SEO specialist. I did a bit of research on podcasting when working as a Digital Strategist and it’s a great tool for arts organisations to maximise reach and get content out there, so these takeaways are very applicable across the board.
SEO generally:
- Having a podcast can be a good way to maximise reach, and is fun too
- Need to understand how to build an organic presence online via SEO before diving into podcasting
- SEO connects across website/blog, links (eg other online directories), social media, content, email marketing, images, etc
- Your website needs updating – don’t just leave it
- ‘SEO is a marathon, not a sprint’
- SEO is “… about human connection and building relationships with online users”, it’s also a lot of commonsense!
- Put yourself in the mindset of the searcher/user and what is their intent? What would I be typing into Google??
- Everything you need to say needs to be in the Google results (your ‘metadata’), do a ‘free’ Google search to start with to see how users are searching and what questions they are asking
- As a rule of thumb, for a Google search, titles should be 60 characters and the description 160 characters
- Think about creating a FAQ section on your website to get those who are searching by asking questions
- For website have a separate Home page (what you do) and About page (who you are)
- SEO will never be replaced by AI or bots, as can’t replace the human element
AI integration and SEO:
- AI enables more advanced algorithms
- “Machine learning enables search engines to learn from user behaviour and continually refine algorithms to produce more relevant results”
- Allows search engines to collaborate effectively with e-commerce platforms
Common Mistakes:
- Trying to get visibility for everything all at once, pick a focus area using shorter-term goals
- Jumping on latest trends too quickly (eg TikTok!): ‘shiny toy syndrome’
- Saying ‘this is all too hard’, avoid this by keeping your strategy simple
Podcasting for SEO:
- Adds another dimension to your content
- Brings out your own personality
- Every single podcast is an SEO opportunity
- Podcasting with a guest expands your audience (OPA = other people’s audience)
- Know your target audience
- Solve problems
- Position yourself as an expert in your field, better than spending $$ on marketing that audiences may not respond to anyway
- Make content valuable and shareable
- Needs to be planned, have the right equipment and location (wardrobes are good for this…)
- Interesting title, targeted keywords in the description, show notes as SEO assets and a call to action
- Cross-promotion is super important
Set goals:
- Today – quick wins that make an instant impact
- Tomorrow – short-term goals that make impact in 3-6 months
- Future goals
There’s some amazing resources on Dorz’s Let’s Get Visible website, including a Digital Marketing blog and her podcasts so I recommend checking them out if you want to know more about how to make SEO work for your (small) business.
And, if you’re in the Southern Highlands or even just visiting, think about booking a desk at The Office Bowral. They even have a full podcasting studio so you can avoid having to use your wardrobe!
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