Are You Optimizing Your Podcast Name for Discovery?
There are very few people who can go by just one name.
Prince. Madonna. Wednesday. If you Google any of these folks, the person you’re thinking of right now will show up first in the results. That won’t work for everyone.
Heck, the current U.S. President has a name so common, people are called, “Average Joe.” And indeed, if you google “Joe,” the president is on the first page, but just barely.
Luckily, when we name people, we don’t need to optimize for discoverability, SEO, or uniqueness. We have other factors (like last name and SSN here in the U.S.) to consider.
But naming your podcast — well that’s another story.
What’s in a Podcast Name?
One of the most common mistakes I see when I do my podcast audits is not optimizing the podcast name for discovery.
I made this mistake for a long time. How I Built It is a fun name, but not great for discovery, and there are several shows with similar names.
Since changing it to How I Built It – Case Studies & Coaching for Creators and Solopreneurs, I’ve seen a 20% increase in downloads month over month without doing anything else differently.
I also rank high for the term “Solopreneurs” and will occasionally rank number one for “Coaching for Creators.”
Make Your Podcast Name Descriptive
Make sure your title is descriptive, and includes terms your audience is searching for…especially in Apple Podcasts, where the show’s description doesn’t factor into search.
But don’t keyword stuff. There’s a difference between a helpful title and just shoving words you want to rank for into it.
“How I Built It – Coaching for Creators, Coaching for Solopreneurs, Entrepreneurs, solo business owners, podcasters, newsletter operators, parent solopreneurs, and anyone making money online,” doesn’t work. It’s too long, and obvious keyword stuffing.
Title + a good tagline with 2-3 helpful terms should do it. The rest you can handle in episode titles and descriptions.
If you’re not sure where to start, ask your audience how they describe your show.
Or you can use a tool like Voxalyze to do some podcast-specific keyword research, and see where your show ranks.
