A ninety-day podcast SEO plan for show discovery

What to take away

A ninety day podcast SEO plan is a sequence of evidence checks, not a content calendar. Start with the ICO's business-to-business marketing guidance before any outreach email goes out.
The first thirty days are for data gatheringsearch demand, listening behaviour and competitor gaps, using the sources named below.
Days thirty-one to sixty are for publishing and technical fixes, days sixty-one to ninety for measurement and a decision on what to repeat.
Every claim you make about audience size should trace to a named source with a date, or be labelled as an illustrative example.
Budget the same ninety days for compliance as you do for content. Sponsor deals and host-read ads sit under the ASA's advertising codes.

Days one to thirty: source the data

Start with search demand. Use Google Keyword Planner to find keyword ideas, then check actual queries and page performance in Google Search Console. The gap between what people search for and what you rank for is your first content list.

Days 1-30: Source the data

Pull query data from keyword tool
Check against Google Search Console
Identify gapsearched vs ranked
Build first content list
Use ONS for audience context
Read ICO B2B marketing guidance

For UK podcast listening context, use Ofcom's published research on audio and podcast listening; use the ONS for wider internet use and media habits rather than a vendor's own survey. ONS releases carry a publication date, which lets you state a figure honestly instead of repeating a stale number.

This is also the stage for outreach groundwork. If you plan to email potential guests or sponsors, read the ICO's business-to-business marketing guidance and check the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR before building a list. The rules that apply depend on the type of contact and message, so record the basis for using each contact and honour objections.

Days thirty-one to sixty: publish and fix

Publish against the demand list, one episode page per query cluster. Each page needs a descriptive title, a summary a human would read, and show notes that name the guest and the topic in plain words.

Publish and fix checklist

One episode page per query cluster
Descriptive title on each page
Human-readable summary
Show notes name guest and topic
Feed titles match page titles
Feed descriptions match page descriptions

Fix the technical layer at the same time. Podcast platforms read your feed, not your website, so check episode titles and descriptions in the feed match the page. Verify how they appear in Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and use Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators to manage listings and review the analytics each makes available. Inconsistent naming splits your signal.

Set the objective before committing the ninety days: choose reach, retention or revenue, then define the measure you will use for that objective. This keeps publishing choices and the day-ninety review tied to the same goal.

Days sixty-one to ninety: measure and decide

Use Google Search Console to track impressions, clicks, click-through rate and average position for episode pages. Review plays and consumption data in Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators where available; use Google Analytics 4, with event tracking configured, to record visits to episode pages and player clicks. Log enquiries in your CRM or a simple enquiry record, and ask how the person found the show; compare these measures with the baseline from days one to thirty.

At day ninety, decide what to repeat by checking results against the objective and baseline. If episode pages rank but do not earn the intended action, review the page's call to action and relevance. If site search impressions remain weak while platform plays are present, revisit episode topics, metadata and distribution.

Use your starting period as the comparison rather than assuming a universal benchmark. Repeat topics and page formats when the measure tied to your chosen objective improves.

Compliance runs alongside the plan

Sponsorship and host-read ads are advertising, and the ASA's advertising codes apply to them. Recognisability matters: a listener should know an ad is an ad before it starts.

Audio formats also sit inside the wider digital ad portfolio. The IAB UK's two minutes on the new online ad portfolio explains where audio fits alongside display and video, which is useful when a sponsor asks for a cross-format deal.

Worked example: a ninety day budget

For example, a two-person team in Manchester running a weekly interview show might allocate £3,600 across the ninety days:

Item	Days	Cost
Keyword and search data tools	1-90	£300
Editing and show notes support	1-90	£1,800
Page copywriting	31-60	£900
Compliance review of sponsor copy	31-90	£600
Total	90	£3,600

That is an illustrative split, not a market rate. The point is that compliance and page work get a line, rather than being absorbed into editing time.

Common questions

How many episodes should a ninety day plan cover?

One a week is enough to test demand without overcommitting. Fewer than six episodes makes it hard to separate a topic problem from a distribution problem.

Do I need a lawyer for sponsor reads?

Not usually. Reading the ASA codes and keeping a record of the claims your host reads aloud covers most small shows. Get advice if a sponsor makes a health or financial claim.

What if the data contradicts the plan at day sixty?

Change the plan. The ninety days are a testing window, not a contract. Keep the objective and adjust the topics.

Can I run outreach during the publishing phase?

Yes, but keep the two separate in your calendar. Outreach needs a working day of its own, or it slips and the guest pipeline empties in month three.