Google Will Begin To Surface Podcast Episodes In Google Search

Google is on a mission to make podcast discovery and listening easier. The company recently announced that individual podcast episodes will now surface in Search results.

When you search for a specific topic or interview and include the word "podcast," Google will show you relevant podcast episodes alongside web pages, news, images, and videos. According to an announcement blog post written by Zack Reneau-Wedeen, a Product Manager for Google Podcasts, podcast episodes that surface are “based on Google’s understanding of what’s being talked about."

Photo: Google

Later this year, Google will bring similar functionality to Google Assistant and Google Podcasts for the web. When you ask Google Assistant about a specific topic, it will provide relevant podcast suggestions while Google Podcasts will let you search for relevant shows and episodes and listen directly from your device. 

The company is also working on helping podcasters build their audiences and ultimately grow their businesses. It plans on doing this by giving podcast publishers the ability to specify where their podcasts can be heard. In cases where publishers want to offer exclusive podcasts via subscriptions or purchases, this will be extremely useful.

This news comes at a time where podcasts listenership is at an all-time high. With more and more people turning to podcasts for entertainment as well as news, bringing podcasts discoverability to Search is a no brainer and somewhat, overdue. Not only will it help podcast listeners find podcasts about specific topics they care about the most, podcast publishers will benefit as this increase their chances of bringing in new listeners.

If you're a brand or a influencer that is on the fence about podcasting, this news should convince you to dive into the world of podcasting.

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SOURCE: Google Blog