The Google Podcast Search Update – What it Means for Law Firms

Do you have a favorite podcast? How did you come across it – perhaps by following a favorite author, or a recommendation from a friend? Now that Google is serving a new podcast search update, law firms are able to come across new content simply by searching for what you might like to hear. 

Google has recently announced that they are going to make podcasts easier to find. For example, if someone searches about a niche topic, Google will now return individual podcasts on that subject as well as the typical search results like articles or web content. Currently, for a podcast to appear, people would need to include the word “podcast” in their search query. That’s all about to change!

So what does this mean for law firms? 

For now, Google is automatically transcribing all of the podcasts it can find for search indexing. Podcasters who publish with an RSS Feed will have their shows automatically indexed, and over 2 million shows have already been indexed. So, for law firms that already have podcasts, there is a chance some of the important work will be done for you. 

That being said, Google will take certain criteria into account when returning podcast results. Things like how many people listen to a show or how authoritative the site is will matter. This means it’s important to treat your podcasts as a serious part of your digital mix if you want them to be found. Make sure you’re promoting them properly and take SEO into account. You should use SEO best practices when you title your podcast or write the description. Cover art will also matter since it may be rendered with the search results. 

Takeaway 

The bottom line: if podcasts are part of the way that you share information and credibility (and we think they should be for most law firms), legal marketers should start paying attention to what the new Google podcast search update means for their firms. Is your firm doing podcasts? If so, how are you preparing for Google’s new changes? If you need further assistance starting your podcast, or finding effective methods to market it, contact us!