Join three of Reddit’s top executives in this exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) to discover how you can tap into Reddit’s unique platform to drive brand growth.
Maximize your SEO efforts in 2024 with insights on Google’s SGE, algorithm updates, and expert tips to keep your site ahead.
Download this guide and learn how to optimize and manage Google Performance Max campaigns, with expert insights and actionable strategies to ensure your campaigns are effective.
Join us in analyzing 3 case studies that show the importance of driving brand search behavior and engagement, and how to do it in months, instead of years.
Join three of Reddit’s top executives in this exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) to discover how you can tap into Reddit’s unique platform to drive brand growth.
Join us as we dive into exclusive survey data from industry-leading SEOs, digital marketers, content marketers, and more to highlight the top priorities and challenges that will shape the future of search in 2025.
Google’s Gary Illyes reveals Googlebot collects links instead of “following” them, contradicting official documentation.
In a recent episode of Google’s Search Off The Record podcast, Analyst Gary Illyes clarified how Googlebot interacts with links during the crawling process.
His insight contradicts the widely held belief that Googlebot navigates websites by following links in real-time.
According to Illyes, the Googlebot gathers links for later processing rather than following them in a linear fashion.
This misunderstanding stems from Google’s own documentation.
“It’s my pet peeve,” Illyes stated during the podcast, referring to Google’s support pages.
He continues:
“On our site, we keep saying Googlebot is following links, but no, it’s not following links. It’s collecting links, and then it goes back to those links.”
Google’s official documentation on crawlers states (emphasis mine):
“Crawler (sometimes also called a ‘robot’ or ‘spider’) is a generic term for any program that is used to automatically discover and scan websites by following links from one web page to another.”
The document implies that Googlebot navigates the web by actively following links in real-time.
This highlights a discrepancy between Google’s public messaging and the actual functionality of their crawler, raising questions about other potential misunderstandings in the SEO community.
This revelation has several potential implications for how we understand Google’s crawling process:
Many SEO strategies are built on the assumption that Googlebot traverses websites by following internal links like a visitor on a page.
If Illyes’ description is accurate, it suggests that Googlebot’s behavior is more complex than previously understood.
While this revelation doesn’t invalidate current SEO best practices, it does highlight the need for SEO professionals to stay informed about the nuances of how Google operates.
Hear Illyes’ statement in the podcast below:
Featured Image: Ribkhan/Shutterstock
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, …
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How To Get a Podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes Connect Guide) – Rev
Forget meeting fatigue, missed details, and tedious tasks. VoiceHub will change the way you work. Coming soon.
Forget meeting fatigue, missed details, and tedious tasks. VoiceHub will change the way you work. Coming soon.
Forget meeting fatigue, missed details, and tedious tasks. VoiceHub will change the way you work. Coming soon.
Forget meeting fatigue, missed details, and tedious tasks. VoiceHub will change the way you work. Coming soon.
Team of one. Global operation. Everything in between. We’ve got it all covered. Rev handles the tedious job of transcripts, captions, and subtitles so you’ll get work done faster. If you haven’t found what you need yet, we still bet we can help.
Team of one. Global operation. Everything in between. We’ve got it all covered. Rev handles the tedious job of transcripts, captions, and subtitles so you’ll get work done faster. If you haven’t found what you need yet, we still bet we can help.
Here’s how to get your podcast on Apple Podcasts with an iTunes Connect guide. Plus, tips on how to get new listeners to find your podcast show.
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Podcasting is the 21st-century form of storytelling—you don’t have to buy expensive equipment or be rich and famous to create quality, professional-sounding content that people want to listen to.
And listen they do: Podcast listenership continues to grow by leaps and bounds each year, with Edison Research reporting that, as of 2019, 51% of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to a podcast, with 32% having listened in the last month. And in the Podcasting World, there’s only one king: Apple. (Looking for how to upload your podcast to Spotify? We’ve got a guide for that too)
Apple recently updated its podcast app to include transcript search. Get ahead of the curve and transcribe your podcast audio and include a full transcript in your show notes for each episode so you can attract new listeners searching for the content topics you’re covering.
Easily the most popular podcast directory on the planet, Apple Podcasts (or iTunes) is historically important to the medium. Think about it: For people with iPhones, this was likely their introduction into the wide, wonderful world of podcasts.
In other words, if you’re starting a podcast, Apple is where you want to be. Here’s how to get your show hosted, and ultimately published on the Apple store—plus tips on how to get people to actually listen.
So, you’ve recorded your first episode and exported the file to MP3. Now, it’s time to find the right podcast host for your show, establish your RSS feed, and finally, learn how to upload your show to Apple:
Finding the right place to host your MP3 file is crucial. Then, you can start distributing your show to podcast directories and apps, like Apple, via RSS feed (more on that later). While, technically, you can use your existing website platform (like WordPress or Squarespace) to host your podcast, this isn’t the best platform in terms of speed and user-friendliness. Rather, here are some of the best (free!) podcast hosting platforms out there:
Especially if you’re new to podcasting, trying out each host’s free services is a great idea. Then, once you’ve found a platform that you like, you can start paying for hosting.
You need a podcast RSS feed to submit your podcast to iTunes (or any other podcast directories). Here are the major Apple Podcast RSS feed requirements, as outlined by Podcast Insights:
(Here is an example of what your podcast RSS feed should look like for iTunes Connect.)
Some hosting sites have a built-in validator for RSS feeds, so it’s already ready to go. But, if for some reason you built your own feed, use Podbase (Apple’s recommended podcast validator) to test out your feed and make sure it’s Apple Podcast-ready.
Which brings us to…
After you’ve successfully uploaded your first podcast episode to Apple, you can access and manage it from the iTunes Connect section. The benefits of iTunes connect include the ability to manually update your RSS feed and keep your subscribers if you do so, via the Mirror URL feature, which allows you to keep a static URL for each podcast listing.
Now, it’s time to focus on how to grow your audience should be your next step. First, you should learn how to check and track your analytics, since they give information about listener locations and where listeners may drop off listening in specific episodes. This will help you improve your content and expand your audience.
To check your listener behavior data, simply log in using your Apple ID and select Podcast Analytics from the dropdown menu; from there, you’ll be able to check out all your listener data.
And, here are some other tips on how to increase your reach:
Submit your podcast to aggregators. Podcatchers, or apps that play podcasts, are a great resource when you’re trying to promote your show. For instance, PodcastLand has a featured podcast of the month; both Stitcher and Overcast are popular, as well. Get to submitting!
If you’re not already, consider transcribing your podcast show. You can include the transcript in your show notes or description, and repurpose your spoken words as text for social media, blogs, videos, and other content.
With Rev, you can transcribe your podcast episode for only a $1 per minute of audio. If you’re on a budget, you can also try the auto-transcription service.
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Ordered list
Unordered list
Text link
Bold text
Emphasis
Superscript
Subscript
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The Benefits of a Topic-Focused Marketing Strategy with Jesse McDonald [PODCAST] – Search Engine Journal
Join three of Reddit’s top executives in this exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) to discover how you can tap into Reddit’s unique platform to drive brand growth.
Maximize your SEO efforts in 2024 with insights on Google’s SGE, algorithm updates, and expert tips to keep your site ahead.
Download this guide and learn how to optimize and manage Google Performance Max campaigns, with expert insights and actionable strategies to ensure your campaigns are effective.
Join us in analyzing 3 case studies that show the importance of driving brand search behavior and engagement, and how to do it in months, instead of years.
Join three of Reddit’s top executives in this exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) to discover how you can tap into Reddit’s unique platform to drive brand growth.
Join us as we dive into exclusive survey data from industry-leading SEOs, digital marketers, content marketers, and more to highlight the top priorities and challenges that will shape the future of search in 2025.
Jesse McDonald of IBM talks about the difference between a topic-focused strategy and a keyword-focused strategy, why it matters, and more.
Podcast: Download
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For episode 174 of The Search Engine Journal Show, I had the opportunity to interview Jesse McDonald, Global SEO Strategist at IBM and world-renowned expert and speaker.
McDonald talks about the difference between a topic-focused strategy and a keyword-focused strategy, why it matters, and more.
Jesse McDonald (JM): [W]ith things like E-A-T and BERT, it has been a big shift away from just this keyword focus and into more of a topical sort of focus when creating content for SEO, or at least considering content for SEO.
Basically when I’m saying that, I’m thinking of it from the perspective of back in the day you were going to create a page that you wanted to rank for, you did some keyword research on the keyword you wanted the page to really focus on, and basically that’s what you targeted on the page. Cut and dry, pretty simple.
But as the algorithms of search engines have evolved over the last few years, and we’ve gotten smarter and understand the relationship between multiple pages and the aspects that make up a topic, it’s become a bit more complex than just quick keyword research.
Now you have to think of it from the perspective of, “What do I need to cover to make a comprehensive?” I guess focus, on a topic itself. It’s not necessarily just a single page in some instances.
Sometimes there are multiple things you need to cover. You need to cover more of that broad early funnel sort of content, that someone’s really just trying to figure out what problem they’re actually having.
Then you need to look into what type of solution you or your product can offer them. And it’s things like that.
It’s looking at the topic holistically and figuring out exactly where you need to go to have this almost, we like to call it the right to rank. What gives you the right to rank for this topic. That’s kind of what I’m thinking of when I say that.
JM: What I always like to do, either working with a new site or working with something that’s been around for a while is really making sure to dedicate an appropriate amount of time to strategy building.
When I’m doing that, I take a look at everything that the site is offering, be it products, be it services, whatever. I start trying to break that down as a user and into a broad perspective…
Then doing the usual keyword research… throwing them into whatever tool you prefer using keyword research, especially if it has a semantic or a natural language sort of perspective to it.
Seeing what other recommendations are there to rank for this, sort of portion of a topic, what do you need to cover in it?
Then that’ll start sending you down these rabbit holes of, “I need to cover this on a page,” or “this wouldn’t merit being a page in itself.”
Basically using that to map out everything as early on as you can, and as you’re allowed to.
JM: Once I understand what I need to focus on topically, then I start diving into the trenches portion of the work – actually looking into the searches themselves of the keywords and topics that I’ve identified and [identifying] what is the intent behind this. What does this mean?
Because I, at IBM, work more with the cloud side, I will take the products or topics that we’re working on and [determine]:
Then taking that and building an information architecture (IA) structure out of that.
If it is that “early learn”, this is where it’s going to sit, this is what it’s going to link to, this is what I need to get to link to it.
By that, I’m saying early on, “User, here’s the information for you. If you want to leave, that’s fine because you know what your problem is now.”
That’s giving them an opportunity to either consider us in the future or continue to move forward if they are moving closer to that buy stage.
Mapping intent and then the information architecture and structure of the site so that it can complement the early steps of the funnel and lead deeper into it.
Those sorts of things would be kind of what I would do next after identifying the topic.
JM: Theoretically, you would get sort of the same end goal. I think with more of a topic focus you would get there faster.
I’ve been preaching about having a user-first approach to SEO for a while. The way I’ve always thought of it is, if your user isn’t happy, then your SEO is working for no reason.
If you’re giving the user an experience and the content that that works for them, then your SEO will only benefit further from it.
Theoretically, if you create a topic focus, put your effort into creating content around a topic, and giving a more holistic approach to a topic, you’re going to satisfy users more often than not.
Plus, you’ll be giving them more information, which will build up your authority in a certain area – people’s awareness of you and people’s trust in you. So you have the E-A-T model.
By doing that, you’re more likely to drive more of a conversion to your site, be it a service or a product, because you’re genuinely trying to help people.
You’re putting content out there to help them, even if it’s not necessarily super marketing-driven early on in the funnel, you’re not shoving your product down their throat, you’re just giving them more information.
Because of that, you’re more likely to gain that trust, and hopefully, that sell in the long run.
JM: For me, I really enjoy the kinds of BERT, the natural language processing portion of things.
It’s something that I’m actively working on internally at IBM and I’ve been thinking about for about a year or two now anyway, because I think that truly does help solve user needs more efficiently.
While it can be a bit of a pain, and can take some time and investment to get into, I think it’s going to yield the most lasting results. For me, in my day-to-day work, that is what I’ve enjoyed the most.
Visit our podcast archive to listen to other Search Engine Journal Show podcasts!
Image Credits
Featured Image: Paulo Bobita
Managing Partner / Owner at Search Engine Journal with over 18 years experience in Digital Marketing, specializing in Reddit, Search …
Conquer your day with daily search marketing news.
Join Our Newsletter.
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In a world ruled by algorithms, SEJ brings timely, relevant information for SEOs, marketers, and entrepreneurs to optimize and grow their businesses — and careers.
Copyright © 2024 Search Engine Journal. All rights reserved. Published by Alpha Brand Media.
SEO Vendor Launches RankLens: World's First and Only Platform to Measure Brand Visibility in Large Language – EIN News
Podcasting Starter Guide: 7 Tips for a Successful Podcast – Search Engine Journal
Join three of Reddit’s top executives in this exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) to discover how you can tap into Reddit’s unique platform to drive brand growth.
Maximize your SEO efforts in 2024 with insights on Google’s SGE, algorithm updates, and expert tips to keep your site ahead.
Download this guide and learn how to optimize and manage Google Performance Max campaigns, with expert insights and actionable strategies to ensure your campaigns are effective.
Join us in analyzing 3 case studies that show the importance of driving brand search behavior and engagement, and how to do it in months, instead of years.
Join three of Reddit’s top executives in this exclusive AMA (Ask Me Anything) to discover how you can tap into Reddit’s unique platform to drive brand growth.
Join us as we dive into exclusive survey data from industry-leading SEOs, digital marketers, content marketers, and more to highlight the top priorities and challenges that will shape the future of search in 2025.
You might have noticed that podcasts have been popping up like daisies everywhere you turn, and you would be right. Podcasts have never been more popular.
Podcasts have never been more popular than they are today.
In fact, there are more than 800,000 active podcasts as of 2019, which is a number that only looks to increase in the years to come.
So why are podcasts so popular?
Because they are incredibly huge moneymakers.
Almost a third of Americans listen to at least one podcast a month, and advertisers have noticed.
They poured in almost half a million dollars in podcast advertising in 2018, and it’s fairly reasonable to assume that number is just going to keep increasing as the months (and years) march on.
Not only that, podcasts are a form of marketing that can not only grow your brand’s audience, but also its credibility.
And the best part?
It has never been easier to launch one.
It used to be that you’d need prohibitively expensive recording equipment like mics and editing software to release a podcast, but those days are over.
With advances in technology, anybody with a reasonably functional laptop can record and release their very own podcast.
There are a million reasons to get one started, and not a single reason not to.
Having said that, there is a huge difference between launching a podcast nobody listens to and launching a successful podcast that can help with your brand’s marketing, branding, and maybe even brings in some big bucks.
Here are our top seven tips to launch a successful podcast.
While you don’t need to blow a few thousand dollars on state of the art recording equipment or software, you should at least have a decent microphone to start with.
After all, a podcast with poor audio quality probably doesn’t have much of a chance at success.
Podcasts are a form of entertainment.
Nobody wants to have to strain just to hear what you and your guests are saying.
Having a decent microphone, a headset, and some basic audio editing software can make huge difference in how your podcast audio sounds.
And sounding like a true professional can make all the difference when it comes to whether you will be successful in your new career as a podcaster.
The initial investment is relatively small compared to the potential gains, which makes it a no-brainer.
The theme of your podcast will play a huge role in determining its success.
This doesn’t mean that you should choose a topic you believe will capture a large audience, however.
What it means is that you should pick a theme you can commit to for the long haul.
If you are truly passionate about what you are talking about, that will resonate with others who share the same passion.
Nobody wants to listen to somebody spout out amateurish nonsense on a topic they clearly are not interested in.
Being genuinely informed and interested in whatever you choose to talk to will keep your audience engaged, and they will appreciate you for it.
Plus, there’s a higher probability that they will share your podcast with others who have the same interests.
If you’re only jumping on whatever bandwagon topic is trending that week, pretty soon you’re going to run out of steam, and your listeners will notice.
Stick to something you know and love.
The people listening will always be able to tell the difference.
This should be obvious, but it’s amazing how many would-be podcasters are so focused on their podcast’s title, artwork, and launch, that they forget about the most important thing: the podcast itself.
It may seem easy, but unless you are an experienced media veteran with years of broadcasting under your belt, your first few podcast episodes probably won’t be very good.
Like all things in life, you will have to practice podcasting to get good at it.
Joe Rogan wasn’t a podcasting expert when he started the Joe Rogan Experience a decade ago.
He made a lot of mistakes, but he just kept at it.
What you’re listening to today is 10 years’ worth of experience, learning, and practice.
In order to have a successful podcast, you are going to have to become a good podcaster.
And the only way to get to that level is to keep recording.
If you are serious about being the proud owner of a successful podcast, you are going to have to pay your dues.
Chances are, unless you are already some sort of celebrity, few people will be hearing those, anyway.
Keep learning and honing your craft, and keep striving to produce the best podcast content you can.
Eventually, you’ll get to a level where people will enjoy listening to what your podcast has to offer.
After some time, you will probably start receiving comments and suggestions from your listeners.
Some listeners may want you to change the format, and others will have requests for special guests.
While it’s always wise to hear out your audience, it is also important to stay true to your podcast’s identity.
It’s never a good idea to pander to your audience – a podcast that sparks real conversations will always be infinitely more interesting than one that just goes with the flow.
Be decisive, and control the direction of where you want your podcast to go and what you want your podcast to be.
Podcast audiences don’t want to listen to pushovers. They want real, hard-hitting podcasting.
Have an opinion, and a solid identity your listeners can slowly get to know and enjoy.
This isn’t to say that you should completely ignore what your listeners want, however.
This simply means that you should establish who you are as a podcast first, and then let your core audience help you smooth out the rough edges in your podcast identity later on.
While there are other great posts that cover Podcasting SEO in-depth (like this one and this one), it would be impossible to create a ‘how to create a successful podcast’ article without mentioning SEO.
Most people probably don’t realize that iTunes and Google Podcasts are actually search engines.
To illustrate this, try typing “paleo” in the search option of either app.
What pops out?
Lots of podcasts with “Paleo” in their title and/or descriptions.
Given this newfound information, it only makes sense to sneak in a few keywords in your podcast’s title and descriptions, if only to give you a little boost in the rankings.
Don’t go overboard with the keywords, though.
Get your keywords in, but try to keep your title sounding as natural as you can.
Having keywords in your podcast title, subtitle, and description should just make it a little easier to find and rank, and can definitely help your podcast’s success.
Guests can be an incredibly valuable factor in the success of your podcast.
An expert guest will not only have intelligent and interesting things to share on your pod for your listeners, but they will also most likely be bringing in plenty of their own followers.
You might be an expert on your podcast topic, but there is always value in hearing a different perspective than yours, both for yourself and for your audience.
Of course, if you are fortunate enough to get a great guest for your podcast, be sure to treat them with respect.
This means not only sticking to whatever questions and script you may have written out for the podcast, but allowing them to explore topics and experiences they want to share as well.
It also goes the other way. If you are given the opportunity to be a guest on another podcast, seize the chance to expose a whole new audience to your personality and podcast.
Promote your show at every opportunity you can get.
You won’t be stealing the audience of the podcast you’re guesting on, simply giving their audience the chance to discover something new they might enjoy.
Like everything in life, consistency is key when it comes to having a successful podcast.
Find a schedule you can commit to, and commit to it fully.
Your listeners want to know they can rely and depend on you to come out with a podcast on a regular basis.
You are in a relationship with your audience, and they need to know you can be counted on.
By giving them a sense of security that you are there for them, you can begin to build loyalty with your listeners.
Nothing will lose you listeners faster than a sporadic and inconsistent podcasting schedule.
You want to be part of their lives and their routines.
You want to be something they can look forward to in their commute or alone time.
Podcasting is definitely a medium that is here to stay. Podcasts are accessible, easy to listen to, and require very minimal effort for the listeners.
They are a great marketing tool, and a fantastic branding vehicle. For anybody looking to start a successful podcast, it would be a good idea to keep the tips above in mind.
Jon Clark is the Managing Partner and chief SEO at Moving Traffic Media, a boutique digital marketing agency in New …
Conquer your day with daily search marketing news.
Join Our Newsletter.
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In a world ruled by algorithms, SEJ brings timely, relevant information for SEOs, marketers, and entrepreneurs to optimize and grow their businesses — and careers.
Copyright © 2024 Search Engine Journal. All rights reserved. Published by Alpha Brand Media.