Updated: May 4, 2018. For some time now, Google has been enhancing the way they handle how podcasts display in search results using an Android device.
There have been several new articles which are gaining a lot of coverage in the podcasting community and are bringing a new light to this functionality, like this article:
Exclusive: Inside The New Google Podcasts Strategy That Could Double Audiences Worldwide
Some of the functionality, such as the player and playlist that can appear in Google Search addressed in these articles, is worth paying attention to, though many of us are already optimized and don’t even realize it.
Note: The experience is available globally in all languages by searching in the Google App or Chrome on Android, and it’s also a part of Google Home and the Google Assistant for English-language users.
Optimizing for this functionality is simple. Google even has written their own set of guidelines for Podcasts, but it boils down to two important details:
- A valid RSS feed
- A link to your RSS feed on your website
If you are hosting with Libsyn, you already have access to a fully valid and compatible podcast RSS feed. Now, you just need to link that feed to your website.
Using the Libsyn Podcast Page
If you are utilizing Libsyn’s Podcast Page, rest assured that the page is already optimized for this functionality. To make full use of the option, follow these steps:
- Log into your Libsyn Dashboard
- Select Settings –> Show Settings
- In the Website field, enter your website URL
- Hit Save
Pro Tip
Make sure to enter the full website address:
Be sure to include ‘www’ if you traditionally use it with your site.
Using Your Own Website
You should always link to your feed on your home page of your site so that potential listeners can select your feed and use it to subscribe using whatever app they wish.
But, a special link should also be used:
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="YOUR PODCAST NAME" href="https://yourfeedurl.libsyn.com/rss" />
For example, this code would look like this for Libsyn’s podcast The Feed:
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="The Feed: The Official Libsyn Podcast | Podcast Strategy | Podcasting Tips | Media Hosting" href="http://thefeed.libsyn.com/rss">
We recommend placing this line of code in the header of your site (in between the <head> and </head> tags). How this is done will depend on how your site is built, and the template you are using. Again, be sure to use the full URL for your site:
Be sure to include ‘www’ if you traditionally use it with your site.
First, we want you to know that if you host with us and use our podcast pages, you are covered.
Google is keeping things simple. all you need is: a valid RSS feed and a the above link to your RSS feed on your website. That’s all!
If you have questions, reach out to support(at)libsyn(dot)com so they can take a look at your setup and let you know if you need to make any changes.
Editing notes: we got some feedback from Google which gave us more specific information. The post that you see above is the edited version
