You’re likely here because you’ve taken the leap to start your podcast. 

Congratulation! It’s a big step, and a world of opportunities awaits. But if you want to tread the path of success, you’ll need a well-crafted website for your podcast.

Yea, yea…we know you’re probably debating whether building and maintaining a podcast website is worth the effort, time, and investment. Well, it’s not technically a must—but it gives you an edge. Failure to have an accompanying website is a B2B podcasting mistake that could cost your dearly.

Websites for podcasts offer heaps of advantages when it comes to taking your show to the next level. They complement all the hard work you’ve put into creating your show by improving its effectiveness and increasing your reach.

This lesson of the “Podcasting Mastered” course is a comprehensive guide on the benefits of websites for podcasts and how to go about creating one for your new or existing show.

This post is the 17th in a series of “Podcasting Mastered” chapters designed to help you launch and grow an enterprise lead-generating podcast.

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What are the Benefits of Websites for Podcasts?

Think of websites for podcasts as a show’s home on the internet—where users can discover and interact with your content.

Most podcasters (if not all) start and run their shows with the intention of reaching as many people as possible. After all, the listeners you attract and keep are arguably the most essential telltale of a successful show. A podcast website is a powerful tool that allows you to achieve just that.

More specifically, here’s what you stand to gain by going the extra mile to create a podcast website:

1. Boost Your SEO.

Discoverability has often been pushed as one of the greatest setbacks for podcasters. But we argue that this is more of a podcasting myth than a fact. The issue is less about shortcomings with the media format and more to do with a failure to promote a show in the right way and place. Case in point, websites for podcasts are a potent way to address the ‘discoverability issue’ in the industry.

Key Takeaway: Discoverability is not the problem. You can discover podcasts on any subject you want. Go to any podcast app, type a subject in the search, and press enter. Boom! Discovery solved. There is also Google.

Type the subject you are looking for and add the word “podcast,” and you will get results. The people that say there is a discoverability problem are saying that because their show is not coming up in the search results. My guess is they have an ‘If I record it, they will come’ mentality.”

Don’t get us wrong, podcasting alone can be a major driver of organic growth—with Google making considerable efforts to index podcasts since 2019. But regardless, web copy remains the most important criterion for search engines. Combining your B2B podcasting efforts with a robust SEO strategy could prove to be the key to unlocking your success.

Around 75% of digital marketers rate SEO as ‘very effective’ or ‘extremely effective’ in realizing their marketing goals.

A dedicated podcast website gives you more opportunities to optimize for search. And with 7 in 10 online experiences starting with a search engine query, this is an opportunity you cannot afford to miss.

Websites for podcasts turn your episodes into content that search engine bots can crawl and index—making you more accessible to online users and prospective listeners. By implementing SEO strategies like having a meta description, link building, and incorporating appropriate keywords in your show notes, articles, or transcriptions, you increase your odds of ranking higher and growing your footprint.

And once prospects get on your podcast website, the fantastic content you’re producing should get them hooked to your show.

Expert Tip: SEO is an ongoing process—not a set-and-forget strategy. You need to be adaptable and up to date on the best practices. Evolve along with your audience!

2. Streamline Marketing Channels.

Websites for podcasts offer a home for your brand. A podcast website is that one place where you send people for everything. It’s a one-stop -shop that houses and links all your marketing channels.

Got social media channels where you engage with your audience? Point them towards your website for more details. Likewise, redirect your podcast listeners on popular directories (Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc.) to your site for show notes and other relevant information regarding an episode.

The homepage includes everything from a CTA for email marketing, user reviews, links to all podcast directories, and social media buttons. And when you open any episode on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast directory, there’s always a CTA to redirect you to the well-designed podcast website.

3. Lead Generation and Engagement.

You want more listeners, right? But what are you doing for lead generation and retention beyond producing exception audio content? How are you nudging your audience to tune in to the next episode?

While social media is an excellent avenue for capturing leads, podcast websites put more power in your hands. By tinkering with your CTAs and web design, you can optimize each step of the lead generation process. You can create an effective conversion path and nurture leads with strategies like live chat and personalized email marketing.

And with websites for podcasts acting as central hubs for your brand, there’s a potential for cross-pollination between your different channels.

Think about it: The people on your Facebook contact list may not be the same as those interacting with your Instagram account or scrolling through your episodes on a podcast directory. But they can be—and your website in the link.

It highlights how websites for podcasts can capture and nurture leads by leveraging visual and written elements. We highly recommend you study how their landing page is structured.

4. Share Original or Repurposed Content.

Your business podcast has a lot more potential beyond the audio content! Yes, pouring your great ideas into a mic is the main essence of podcasting—but you can take it up a notch with supporting content. Here’s what we’re talking about…

Let’s say you have a podcast episode with a guest discussing “Challenges of B2B Podcasting and How to Address Them Effectively.” You do your research and come up with a couple of questions for the guest and a few facts to support your own arguments. After a successful recording session, you have a compelling episode that appeals to your audience.

But you can only squeeze so much into your content beyond the recommended 30 to 60-minute episode length without distracting or losing the listener. And this is where websites for podcasts come in.

With a podcast website, you can use the information you researched for your episode to create an SEO-optimized blog post under the same title. Or you can link your research sources in the episode show notes. You can even include a behind-the-scenes narrative of how your interaction with the guest went down.

And as much as you’re mainly targeting an audience that consumes audio content, consider that some people prefer to read or watch a video depending from time to time.

5. Improve the Experience of Your Listeners.

You’re in this game for the audience! So it only makes sense to improve their experience as much as possible. Editing your podcast to elevate the sound quality is one way to go about this. But going a step further by curating their experience beyond what is offered by a podcast directory could help you stand out.

There are several podcast website examples of how to deliver a great user experience. But one of our favorite designs is by the Smart Gets Paid podcast. The show by Lead Neaderthal hooks you from the first line and goes on to present valuable content after valuable content in a seamless design from there on.

Now, what do you stand to gain by enriching your listeners’ experience? Well, a lot! You get to create an opportunity for listeners to engage with your podcasting brand. This fosters a sense of community and goes a long way in building a dedicated following. Still wondering why this matters? Nearly all (96%) of your dedicated podcast fans or “super listeners” are loyal evangelists willing to recommend your content to their social circle.

6. Monetize Your Podcast.

If monetizing a podcast is on your to-do list, websites for podcasts are an effective way to go about it. You can unlock more revenue opportunities through several means. This may include paywalled content, a direct donation link, a Patreon account, affiliate links to earn commissions, and selling your products/services.

But remember, valuable content must always precede any sale attempts. You must give listeners a solid reason to invest in you.

How to Create a Website for Your Podcast?

We can’t stress enough the benefits of websites for podcasts. Your show needs a permanent home. And your listeners will be more inclined to listen in and stick around when they interact with you at ‘home’ (i.e., website) versus at a public place (i.e., podcast directories).

Convinced? Great! Now to the main course—building a podcast website.

There are several ways of building websites for podcasts—some better than others, depending on your unique needs/position. Making sense of the chaotic and sometimes conflicting online information can be a headache.

For this reason, we’ve simplified the most popular ways of building websites for podcasts into 4 categories.

1. Using Existing Websites for Podcasts.

Let’s say you have a branded website, as every business should. An easy, quick, and inexpensive way to build a podcast website is by expanding the existing business website to include a “podcast” category—similar to how you’d have a “blog” category.

Simply create a corresponding post on your business website immediately after you submit an episode to your podcast directories. This post can include an embedded player from the podcast hosting provider, show notes, a transcript, and any other details you may want to provide. But remember to maintain the same aesthetic across the board—including a similar title and branding.

The advantage of this approach (aside from the cost-saving and simplicity) is that you get to increase the discoverability of both your business and your podcast. Podcast leads may turn into business leads and vice versa.

The main drawback of using existing websites for podcasts is that your show may seem like an afterthought, and you’ll be limited on what you can do with the podcasting brand.

2. Podcast Websites by Hosting Provider.

As mentioned in our previous lesson on podcast hosting providers, most platforms offer a free podcast website with some of their packages.

This is a simple solution to create websites for podcasts without having to worry too much about extra costs or web design technicalities. The templated web designs are typically optimized for podcasting content. Some features you may get include an embedded player, analytics, and subscribe or social buttons.

There are a couple of reasons to take this route. For one, it’s usually free with a podcast hosting subscription to popular platforms like Captivate, Libsyn, Transistor, PodBean, and BuzzSprout. It’s also easy and quick to set up—making it an excellent option for new podcasters or people who only need a simple podcast website that works. But you’ll have to compromise on customizability and functionality.

Some of the best podcast website examples created through a hosting provider include:

3. Using Web Builders.

Modern web builders might be a good fit if you need a dedicated podcast website that gives you more freedom of expression. Platforms like Wix, Podcastpage.io, Weebly, and Squarespace are popular and powerful ways to create dedicated websites for podcasts with ease.

Don’t stress over your lack of web development or coding experience. Web builders do the technical heavy lifting for you. All you have to do is subscribe to a service and then customize the look and functionality of the podcast website to your liking.

Compared to websites offered by podcast hosts, web builders give you more flexibility for branding and styling. They’re also feature-rich, offering more functionality to make the most of your podcast website. Of course, all these added perks come at an extra cost and time to set up.

Some of the best podcast website examples created using web builders include:

4. Building Websites for Podcasts Using WordPress.

WordPress was initially released as a platform for blogging around 2 decades ago but has since evolved into a multi-purpose CMS (content management system). Today, more than 2 in every 5 websites are powered by WordPress—eclipsing alternatives like Joomla and Shopify.

As one of the most well-established CMS, WordPress is an excellent way to build websites for podcasts. With thousands of plugins and tools at your disposal, WordPress gives you more customization options than you’d ever need.

Building a podcast website using WordPress may appear complex, but it is really a straightforward 5-step process.

1. But a domain name – preferably under the same name as your branded podcast or similar.
2. Find a reliable web hosting service, e.g., BlueHost, SiteGround, WP Engine, or GoDaddy.
3. Install WordPress through your hosting provider.
4. Find a clean, relevant WordPress podcast theme and customize it.
5. Install WordPress podcast plugins to improve functionality—and you’re ready to go.

The vast opportunities for customization allow you to create a unique podcast website that matches your brand. But with more power in your hands comes the risk of breaking stuff. Luckily, WordPress has a massive reach in the online community boasting countless articles and tutorials to address any concerns.

Here are a couple of the best podcast website examples created using WordPress:

Ready to Build Your Presence with a Podcast Website?

Websites for podcasts are crucial! And by now you should have a good idea why we insist on this. Creating a podcast website is not only great for the listener experience, but you also have a lot to gain from your efforts.

So explore some of the methods we’ve mentioned on how to build websites for podcasts and create a permanent home for your show. And while you’re at it, tap into some of the best podcast website examples for inspiration.

Don’t know where to begin? Get started with our free B2B Podcasting course.

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