How to Put Your Podcast On Google Podcasts
Nov 19, 2018
There seems to be a little bit of confusion when it comes to the difference between Google Podcasts and Google Play Music.
Where should you submit your RSS link to get listed on the brand new Google Podcasts app?
Google doesn't make this very easy for the podcaster who is trying to list their program across different syndication platforms. Where most syndication platforms make it easy with step-by-step instructions, Google really doesn't explain this a whole lot.
And you really have to go searching for the answer inside of a Google search in order to really find something substantial.
In today's post I want to breakdown a simple step-by-step process that will help you get your podcast listed in the Google Podcasts app as well as Google Assistant and Google Home.
ARE GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC AND GOOGLE PODCASTS THE SAME THING?
Google Play Music was a service that was dropped a few years back where people could listen to music like they listen to music on Apple. It was Google's answer to iTunes--but for Android users.
A few years later, Google added the option to list your podcast inside of Google Play Music. Google provided a podcast portal where you could submit your RSS feed to be listed inside of Google Play Music. This was a cool thing for Android users, because they could now listen to their podcast and music in one application.
However, anyone with an Apple device couldn't listen to podcast through the Google Play Music app.
The justification was that people were using an iPhone and could listen to podcast through the Apple Podcasts app. If you're not aware, there will always be discrepancies on a how an application will work between an Android device and an Apple device.
If an app is made by Google, it will likely work better on an Android device. The same can be said for any applications made specifically for Apple.
So now, let’s answer the question, “ Are Google Play Music and Google Podcast the same thing?”
The answer to this is “yes and no”.
I know that isn't much help, but just know that if you are listed inside of Google Play Music, your podcast is likely showing up in Google Podcasts. But as a reminder, Google Play Music is only available for those in the US and Canada at the time of this post. So, not everyone is able to list their podcast inside of Google Play Music.
But let's get to the important stuff...
You can't forget listing your podcast on Google's Assistant app [Download for Android] - [Download for iPhone] . This application is tied in with the Google Home device and likely hasn't indexed your podcast for people to consume.
You definitely want to have your podcast showing up on this app and device--and it should put your podcast in Google Podcasts too.
HOW TO LIST YOUR PODCAST ON GOOGLE HOME AND GOOGLE ASSISTANT
- Copy your RSS feed link from your hosting provider (Libsyn, Blubrry, Podbean, etc).
- This will be the same link you use to submit to Apple Podcasts.
- Go to your website and enter this code between the “<head>” of your front homepage:
-
<link type="application/rss+xml" rel="alternate" title="YOUR PODCAST NAME HERE" href="https://YOURPODCAST.libsyn.com/rss"/>
- This is what mine looks like right here: <link type="application/rss+xml" rel="alternate" title="Swing Shift Side Hustle Podcast" href="https://swingshiftsidehustle.libsyn.com/rss"/>
- Make sure that you have https:// as a part of the RSS feed you are submitting.
- Link your website on your RSS feed.
- This can be found in your podcast host settings where you would enter in the vital information where people can get in touch with you. This is typically somewhere in the Dashboard Settings of your hosting provider.
- As a note, your website should be linking to your podcast hosting service and your hosting service should be linking back to your website. Make sure your website matches.
- Check to see if your podcast is being indexed through your website by using this developer tool: https://search.google.com/devtools/podcast/preview
- Enter your RSS feed link in the first field to make sure your podcast host and website are talking with each other.
- Don’t worry about previewing your podcast in the second field. More on this below…
HOW SOON BEFORE MY PODCAST SHOWS UP ON GOOGLE HOME, GOOGLE ASSISTANT AND GOOGLE SEARCH?
When I first followed the steps above, I was able to see my podcast show up in Google Assistant, on Google Home, but not inside of Google Search.
First, make sure that you download Google Assistant and ask it to play your podcast. It should recognize your podcast within a couple of hours. In my case, I was able to see my podcast show up within a few minutes after putting the code on my website.
I then asked my Google Home to play my podcast and it did.
However, when I went in to search for my podcast through a Google search, nothing showed up.
Google shares documentation for podcasts showing up in search and says that it will take time for your podcast to show up. In other words, you have to wait for Google to crawl your website and index your RSS link that is in your “<head>”.
Don't be alarmed, but it will take some time.
If you are impatient, go back to that developer link that I had mentioned above and read about manually submitting a crawl to your website so that your link can be indexed for search.
Personally, I'm not too worried about whether or not it's going to be found in search right away. What I do care about is having it show up inside of Google Home and Google Assistant.
This way, when I jump onto my podcast, I can tell people to ask Google Home to play my podcast instead of using any type of app.
WHY DO I WANT MY PODCAST LISTED ON A GOOGLE HOME DEVICE?
2018 research suggests that devices like Google Home, Alexa, and Apple's Homepod are on the upswing. More people are getting used to using these types of devices and will eventually learn how to play podcast through them more efficiently.
Research is continuing to suggest that more people are listening to podcasts in the evening after primetime television.
This means that people winding down with podcast in the evening while they prepare for their next day. Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone is listening to their home device in the evening.
I think it's important to note that being listed inside of some type of home device can only drive up podcast downloads for your program. Plus, you make a deeper connection whenever you are in more places than just someone's phone.
