Podcasts are the perfect medium for keeping up to date with where the SEO industry is headed.
A larger number of podcasts this year are producing content with original takes on every facet of search marketing.
The following SEO podcasts were chosen for their helpfulness, deep insights, and their regular publishing schedule.
Every podcast on this list is a winner.
1. Search Engine Journal Show
- Host: Loren Baker.
The Search Engine Journal Show takes a deep dive into virtually every aspect of search marketing, including content, technical SEO trends, paid search, and local search – and it always keeps an eye on what’s hitting the search industry in the near future.
Host Loren Baker is the founder of both Search Engine Journal and the digital marketing and development agency Foundation Digital. With 20+ years of search marketing experience, Loren’s interviews and conversations are always informed and come from a place of experience and knowledge.
Recent shows covered these topics:
If you’re new to the Search Engine Journal Show, you’re in for a treat because there are hundreds of episodes to listen to.
Listen to new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and TuneIn.
2. SERPs Up
- Hosts: Crystal Carter & Mordy Oberstein.
SERPs Up is the Wix SEO podcast that focuses on popular topics relevant to search marketers at every level of expertise.
Expect to listen to conversations about new and trending topics, like investigating whether AI content actually ranks, as well as more evergreen topics, such as finding the right content mix.
Recent podcasts also discuss whether expert opinions in content are important and a conversation with Martha Van Berkel, founder of Schema App, about structured data.
Martha is one of the most informed people I know on the topic of structured data, so that episode really shows how SERPs Up has the expertise behind it to deliver podcasts that are well worth listening to.
Listen to the SERPs Up podcast on Amazon, Apple, Google Podcasts, and Spotify
3. Conversion Tracking Playbook
- Host: Brad Redding, Founder & CEO at Elevar.
Search rankings are typically the highest priority for SEO, followed by organic traffic, bounce rates, and other similar metrics.
It’s too easy to forget that the number one KPI is conversions and how much money the enterprise is earning. Everything about SEO eventually ends with the twin goals of conversions and earnings.
That’s why Elevar’s Conversion Tracking Playbook podcast is a natural fit for every search marketer to consider.
As the podcast title indicates, its main focus is improving conversion tracking for online businesses, including those on platforms like Shopify.
Typical episodes focus on accurate tracking, analytics, the impact of privacy-related trends (such as iOS updates), and strategies for using existing data to track and help increase conversions and business goals.
A spokesperson for Elevar shared what to expect from the Conversion Tracking Playbook:
“We release weekly episodes that dive deep into tracking, analytics and conversion optimization. If you value data-driven strategies and learning new incremental revenue strategies, be sure to subscribe!”
Listen to the Conversion Tracking Playbook at Apple and Spotify.
4. Webcology
- Host: Jim Hedger and Kristine Schachinger.
Webcology is a long-running podcast that features the wisdom and insights of not one but two SEO legends: Jim Hedger and Kristine Schachinger.
Listen along as they interview guests and share their insights into the latest events in the search marketing industry, as well as commentary on the search marketing news you should know about. There’s so much to keep up with, but it’s easy to cut through the noise with Jim and Kristine.
Kristine Schachinger, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a highly experienced search marketer with twenty years in the search industry. Her depth of experience, knowledge of SEO, and the technical side of development add greatly to the Webcology podcast.
Jim Hedger is a Toronto-based search marketer with over 25 years of experience working on the Internet. His wide-ranging curiosity keeps him in touch with current events, and he has a keen ability to discern and predict their impact on the search industry.
If you only listen to one SEO podcast a week, Webcology should be at the top of your list.
Listen to new episodes on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and RedCircle.
5. Search With Candour
- Host: Jack Chambers-Ward.
UK-based Search With Candour publishes an episode weekly that addresses topics of interest to search marketing professionals, such as technical SEO, the usefulness of storytelling in marketing, the recent Google and Reddit agreement, and how to make helpful content.
Guests are well chosen for their expertise, such as technical SEO expert Beth Woodcock and Gus Pelogia, SEO Product Manager at Indeed.
Listen on Apple, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
6. The SEO Mindset Podcast
- Hosts: Tazmin Suleman and Sarah McDowell.
The word “engaging” has been used so often that it has almost lost its meaning. But listen to this podcast, and you’ll agree that it holds your attention in a way that is indeed engaging.
Hosts Tazmin and Sarah reliably publish weekly episodes. Recent episodes include “Stop Excusing Bad Behaviour,” a discussion of the reasons why people might excuse bad behavior and how to deal with difficult conversations, directly addressing issues for one’s well-being, and encouraging a respectful and positive working environment.
Another episode is dedicated to identifying and learning from trusted resources in SEO, emphasizing how to discern reliable information.
I asked Sarah about the origins of the podcast and what listeners should expect from it.
Sarah shared:
“Whilst there are amazing SEO podcasts out there, Tazmin and I saw that there aren’t many that just focus on soft skills, personal growth, and career development.
Yes, some touch on these topics, but we definitely saw an opportunity to create a podcast that solely focuses on giving SEO professionals actionable tips and advice, so they can optimize their careers, not just the algorithms. Cheesy tagline, but true!
Go on and give some of our episodes a try!”
Listen to the SEO Mindset Podcast at Amazon Music, Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts.
7. The SEO Rant (with Mordy Oberstein)
Host: Mordy Oberstein
I was pretty blown away by the SEO Rant podcast. Mordy’s unconventional but interesting topics and the high-quality guests who discuss them make this podcast a must-try for every search marketer.
Recent episodes:
- How Not To Market Your SaaS Product.
- SEO Testing: How to Do It & Sell It to Clients.
- Is the Helpful Content Update Defective?
- Like It or Not, SEO Requires Critical Thinking.
- Should Google Be More Transparent?
- The Problems with Tracking Rank & SEO.
I admire what Mordy is doing because he’s combining unique topics with actionable insights. There’s nothing trendy about this – just solid, useful content. That’s not an easy thing to do in general and even harder to execute on a regular basis.
Listen on Apple, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube.
8. SEO Pioneers
Host: Shelley Walsh
SEO Pioneers interviews industry greats who helped to shaped the industry at its formation, or contributed in a significant way.
Every pioneer has a different story, with plenty of insights into the foundations of SEO, how search engines evolved, and what is still relevant today.
In every episode, the approach is for the pioneer to offer a unique story and then share something they have never shared in public before. Listen to Dave Naylor for one of the best stories!
All episodes in this series are winners and must-listens for search marketers at every level. John Mueller even credited the show as ‘one to watch’ on Google Search News.
Listen and watch on YouTube.
9. Near Memo Podcast
- Hosts: David Mihm, Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal.
The Near Memo podcast covers the latest news and trends hitting local search as well as covering trending topics related to regular search. Recent episodes focus on Google Gemini, Google SGE, and a lot about Google Business Profile (often referred to as GMB).
Dave Mihm is a longtime local search pro who has been working on local search since before Google Local was a thing. He is a true local search expert.
Listen at: Amazon, Apple, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube.
10. Good Signals SEO Office Hours Podcast
- Hosts: Michael Chidzey, Jo Turnbull, Ruth Turnbull.
This podcast shares the exact same name as Google’s more famous podcast, which follows Google’s format of answering questions. The difference between the two podcasts is that the agenda for this one is focused on practical, hands-on concerns for anyone building a business from our side of the search box.
They answer questions that address real concerns, such as the ROI of link building, tips on handling internal links, getting the most out of an SEO conference, and how to determine the reasonable cost of a domain.
- Hosts: Greg Finn, Jessica Budde, Christine ‘Shep’ Zirnheld, and Nicole Waddington.
Listen to the fresh perspectives on recent SEO and digital marketing news with the dynamic hosts of Marketing O’Clock.
Episodes so far in 2024 tackled the impact of Google’s recent rebranding of Perspectives to Forums, Instagram’s new ad type, Google’s Consent Mode V2, and updates to Microsoft Ads. There’s a strong dose of what’s going on in paid search with some SEO thrown in here and there.
Their podcast is released on a weekly schedule. Put it on your calendar and tune in to the latest episodes.
Listen to new episodes on Apple, Stitcher, and Spotify.
12. Branded Search (And Beyond) SEO Podcast
- Host: Jason Barnard.
Search marketer Jason Barnard publishes a thinking person’s podcast on digital marketing. I really don’t know how he manages to publish such high-quality and insightful discussions on a regular basis. Each episode offers a creative perspective on search marketing that will not be found elsewhere.
Recent episodes include:
- Leveraging Omnichannel Content Design into Digital Marketing (Larry Swanson and Jason Barnard).
- Publicity – Get Known Everywhere With Guerrilla Publicity (Jill Lublin and Jason Barnard).
- How to Incorporate Insights in Your Branding Campaigns (Chris Kocek and Jason Barnard).
- 8 Essential AI-Driven Strategies for Business Growth (Isar Meitis and Jason Barnard).
Keep an eye out for a “limited run” of 50 five-minute unscripted podcasts called “Growing Your Personal Brand with Jason Barnard,” which offer a step-by-step tutorial on how to grow and manage your personal brand – essentially a class in podcast form.
Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
13. Google Podcast: Search Off The Record
- Hosts: Gary Illyes, John Mueller, Lizzi Sassman, Martin Splitt.
Search Off the Record is an informal podcast about search and SEO from Google’s perspective. Topics range from a behind-the-scenes look at search crawlers and indexing to the considerations that went into rewriting Google’s SEO Starter Guide, search ranking updates, and the concept of quality in search.
Two factors make Google’s podcast notable:
- Variety: There’s no other podcast that relates search and SEO from the search engine’s point of view.
- Authoritative source: The fact that it’s created by Google is a compelling reason to tune in.
The podcasts tend to ramble in the beginning with some extended banter and kidding around. But once the hosts get going, the insights start.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
14. EDGE Of The Web
- Host: Erin Sparks.
Edge Of The Web offers a roundup of the week’s news plus interviews with guests like Julia McCoy discussing AI content, Greg Gifford on how to dominate local SEO, Ola King on user experience design, and GA4 insights with Brie Anderson.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Podcasts To Keep An Eye Out For
The following podcasts are gearing up for a new season. Put them on your shortlist, and get ready to be blown away.
15. WTSPodcast
- Hosts: Isaline Muelhauser and Areej AbuAli.
The Women in Tech SEO Podcast (WTSPodcast) is a biweekly podcast that features women and GNC in search. The last season focused on the business side of SEO from a woman’s point of view, and the season before that one zeroed in on technical SEO.
The 2024 season of the Women in Tech SEO Podcast kicks off in the second half of this year, so be sure to bookmark it for listening!
Listen to Women in Tech SEO on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
16. Search News You Can Use
- Host: Marie Haynes.
Marie Haynes offers insights into the latest developments in SEO. Although the podcast is published “sporadically,” she did let me know that it will become more active in the near future.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube
17. Azeem Digital Asks Podcast
Host: Azeem Ahmad.
UK-based Azeem currently has 76 podcasts recorded and has let me know that he has a new studio and will return this year with a brand new season.
He offered this preview of what’s to come:
“The podcast returns for a new season in 2024 – and you can expect even bigger things than previously. What initially started out as audio only is moving to video this year.
Expect great guests and topics connected to marketing and wider disciplines.”
2024 SEO Podcast Shows
It’s exciting to see so many new podcasts of exceptional quality making the list this year.
The broad scope of topics reflects the richness of search marketing and the high-quality talent that’s putting the time in to produce such great content.
More resources:
Featured Image: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock