Large podcast directories such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify are important for promoting your content. But you also need your own podcast website. We'll show you how to set it up with WordPress.

A podcast website is an important part of your brand to help potential listeners discover your content. What's more:

• Other media will take notice and report on your program
• Sponsors decide here whether the content fits their advertising needs

That's why a website is an important part of getting your podcast off the ground. In this article, we'll explain why you need a podcast website. We'll also give you some tips on what it should contain and how you can create it with WordPress.

Why a podcast website?

The podcast website is your base. It's your personal platform where you can publish everything and grow your audience however you want. The most important advantages of having your own podcast website are

• It ensures that your content is always available. With a website, you are not dependent on another provider's platform. Apple could shut down its podcast app at any time and your show would still be available to your audience.
• Creating pages with content shows Google that your website is a good place to learn about the topic of your podcast. A better ranking means more traffic and more listeners.
• An appealing website supports the appearance of your brand, offers your audience a comprehensive user experience and helps them to identify with your program.
• You can collect listeners' email addresses for your email marketing.
• If you already have a website for your brand, embedding your podcast into this existing website complements the rest of your business.

In addition, you can get your listeners to discover and buy other products, e.g. courses, e-books, coaching sessions, merchandising items, premium content or other products.

Create a WordPress podcast website

Creating a podcast website with WordPress is similar to creating any other blog, but with a few important differences. Here are the key steps to creating an engaging website that attracts visitors and turns them into listeners.

WordPress hosting and a podcast plugin

We recommend that you install WordPress. It's a flexible tool that allows you to create complete websites without having to write code. WordPress is free and you can extend its features with unique WordPress themes (website designs) and WordPress plugins (additional features). If you use managed WordPress hosting from Raidboxes, managing your projects is also particularly easy.

Next, you need a theme. WordPress comes with a default theme, but it's pretty plain. You need something that's more appealing. We recommend installing a WordPress theme specifically designed for podcasting.

Take the time to search for your own theme. There are many free options, but if you spend 40 to 80 euros on a premium theme, you can give your potential users a great experience. Check out our list of the best podcast website themes.

Finally, you'll need a few plugins to get the most out of your podcast website. Start with a podcasting plugin, such as Seriously Simple Podcasting. It's a free plugin that allows you to upload your audio files directly to your WordPress dashboard.

Seriously Simple Podcasting creates an RSS feed that is compatible with all podcast platforms. You can set the title, subtitle, description, category and other details of your podcast. You can even manage all updates to your podcast's RSS feed from within WordPress. Here's how it works:

If you use the Castos platform, the changes are automatically synchronized with your Castos hosting account when you update your podcast or upload a new episode. Learn how Castos and Seriously Simple Podcasting work together in this guide.

Once you've installed a podcasting plugin, you'll need a few more tools to round out your package. Here are some WordPress plugins that I think every podcast website should install:

• Yoast SEO so you can optimize your pages for search.
• Elementor for the design of high-quality pages.
• With CSS Hero, you can make CSS adjustments to your site without coding.
• W3 Total Cache for caching pages and improving website performance. Server-side caching like Raidboxes is even better.
• Monster Insights to display your Google Analytics data in WordPress.
• OptinMonster to collect email addresses for your list (this is called lead capture).
• BackWPup to back up your website files in case something bad happens. Raidboxes customers can also use the integrated solution here.

Important elements of the podcast website

Your homepage is an important opportunity to convince visitors to explore the rest of your podcast website. If they find your homepage interesting, they will be more willing to go to the subpages or episode pages.

Your homepage should start with an elevator pitch. This is a short summary of who you are and why someone should listen to your show. Try to use the language of your listeners so that they know they are in the right place.

Take a look at the Wellness Mama podcast website as an example. Their homepage clearly states what the show is about:

You should put this on your homepage:

• Links to the latest or best episodes (more on this in a moment)
• Links to subscribe to your show on the major podcast platforms
• Information about the team of presenters and producers 
• High-quality photos on the topic of the podcast and/or from the production team

Make sure your site is mobile-optimized

The following point should go without saying, but I didn't want to leave it out. Already in 2020, over 68 percent of all website visits were from mobile devices, so you need to be prepared for this traffic. If your website doesn't work on small screens, visitors will leave and look for another website. 

How do you optimize your pages for mobile devices? The simplest solution is to choose a WordPress theme that is suitable for use with mobile devices. But before you publish a site, you should make sure that it actually displays well on small screens.

Suitable branding for your topic

Is your program about health and organic food? Then your website branding should use earth tones and images of plants. Is your show dark and eerie? Then your website design should reflect that too. Ask yourself what you want your fans to think about your show and how you want them to feel. Then design a website that matches this.

Create a separate page for each episode of your podcast

Each episode of your podcast deserves its own subpage on your website. These pages give listeners the opportunity to learn more about your episodes before they commit to listening. Plus, these pages create valuable written content that Google needs to rank your website properly. Each episode page should include the following:

• Title and number of the episode
• The date of publication
• An audio player
• Content description of the episode
• Your Podcast Show Notes
• The complete audio transcription

The great thing about these pages is that you have full control over the content, unlike the subpages on a listening platform like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can include images, links to sources mentioned in the episode, or anything else. A great way to give your listeners a better experience.

If you are using Seriously Simple Podcasting, you can create a new page by clicking Podcasts > Add New in the left-hand menu. There you will find the typical WordPress options as well as a menu for uploading a new audio file.

Links to the major podcast directories

Listeners may discover your podcast for the first time on your podcast website, but they will listen to it regularly via their favorite podcasting app such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and all the other directories. We highly recommend adding links to your episode pages on the platforms your RSS feed is set up for.

For example, here is an episode page of our podcast "Audience". Note the series of subscription links that take you to the most important podcast platforms:

Ensure easy sharing of your page on social networks

Add share buttons to each episode page so that users can recommend it with a single click. It's hard to say how effective this technique is, but 66% of podcast websites use it. And they certainly can't do any harm. Just make sure your sharing plugin is configured correctly so that your posts appear on social media with the right titles, descriptions and images.

Show your best episodes

Many who produce a podcast display their latest episodes on their homepage. While it's good to make your episodes easily accessible, not all of them are equally successful. Some are better received than others. 

Instead of showing the latest episodes, you should present your visitors with a selection of your best podcast episodes - i.e. those that have been downloaded the most or have the highest engagement. These episodes are more likely to turn random views into regular listeners.

Note how the Criminal Podcast, for example, offers a custom selection of episodes that are not in chronological order:

Create important pages

Fortunately, a podcast website doesn't have to be complex. You don't need a lot of pages, but you do need a few important ones:

• About the podcast: Introduce yourself and explain why you are the right person for the topic
• Contact: A general contact page where people can get in touch with you
• Press/media: Show the media how they can contact you and give them material (images, logos, photos, texts, etc.) that they can use 
• Sponsors: Explain why other brands should sponsor your podcast

Use a lead generation tool

Building an email list for lead generation is an important part of your brand growth. You need a reliable way to reach your audience at all times. You'll want to send an email when you release new episodes, but you can also use your email list to sell other products and services. Pay attention to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Earlier in the post, we recommended OptinMonster to capture email subscriptions. But you can use any tool that allows you to create forms and embed them on your pages, see this post. Just make sure that your plugin also integrates with your email marketing tool so that the emails are forwarded directly to your list.

Where should you place your forms? You can embed them anywhere you want. But most people have success embedding their forms at the end of their posts, in the sidebar or in pop-up overlays.

Conclusion on the podcast website

Your brand is not complete without a professional podcast website. Use the tips from this post to create a website that attracts potential listeners and converts them into subscribers. An engaging podcast website will take your message to the next level.

Are you ready to create your own podcast website? Raidboxes saves you time and money on WordPress hosting, development and managing your projects. See our article Managing 5 to 100+ WordPress projects.