Podcast SEO for African Creators: What Works and What Doesn’t
A practical look at how indie podcasters in Africa can get found faster, without chasing hacks that don’t help.
Let’s call it what it is: Podcast SEO is still broken for indie African creators.
Search visibility is largely dictated by platforms that don’t fully understand our context, languages, or cultural nuances. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.
If you're trying to get discovered without a marketing budget, here's what’s working in 2025, what’s not, and what’s worth focusing on.
✅ What Works (when done with intention)
1. Podcast Title and Author Field
Don’t get clever. Get searchable.
Your podcast title should include keywords your audience might search for, while still sounding natural.
Better: Sisterhood Circle: African Women, Faith & Mental Health
Weaker: Sisterhood Circle
Your author name is indexed, too. Don’t waste it.
Better: The Thrive Podcast | By Ada Eze (Therapist & Storyteller)
Weaker: Ada
2. Episode Titles
Your title is your hook; don’t bury it under “Ep 003.”
Weaker: Episode 14 – Vibes
Better: How African Creatives Can Survive Burnout | with Wana Udobang
Short, clear, and keyword-rich beats cryptic and cute every time.
3. Show Description
Use the first three lines to answer:
Who is it for?
What value does it bring?
How often does it drop?
Then sprinkle in regionally relevant terms:
West African women, Nigerian youth, Swahili stories, Lusophone Africa...
4. Episode Descriptions
Most podcasters skip this. Don’t.
Treat each description like a mini blog post. Include:
Keywords from your episode
Guest names
Relevant topics
A clear summary
Hashtags? Only if your host distributes them to listening apps (like PocketCasts). Otherwise, skip them.
5. Transcripts
Transcripts increase your keyword density and help Google index your content.
Even partial transcripts work. Use tools like:
6. Website or Landing Page
A basic site with:
Embedded player
Episode notes
One blog post per episode
…can seriously boost your search visibility.
Use tools like:
Even a well-built Linktree-style page helps.
❌ What Doesn’t Work (Anymore or Ever)
1. Relying on Apple or Spotify Search Alone
Their algorithms favour:
Big followings
Frequent streams
Perfect metadata
If you're an indie podcaster, that’s a tough field to compete on without help.
2. Hashtags in Titles
This isn’t Twitter (abi na X dem dey call am these days).
No: #afropodcasts #newnigerianpodcast
Yes: Real keywords in natural language.
3. Keyword Stuffing
“Nigerian podcast Nigeria Naija Nigerian Naija Podcasting Lagos African”
That’s not SEO. That’s unreadable. And it rarely works.
4. Overdesigned Visuals Without SEO
Your cover art file name matters.
Bad: final_art4.jpg
Good: Lagos_Foodie_Podcast_Cover.jpg
The same goes for thumbnails, promo graphics, and audiograms.
5. Leaving Audio Files Unnamed
Even though Google Podcasts is gone, RSS and hosting platforms still index MP3 filenames and slugs.
Use clear, descriptive filenames.
E.g. nigerian_parenting_stories_ep7.mp3
🧠 Bonus Moves for Indie Creators
Guest Strategy: If your guest is searchable, put their name in the title and description. Boosts long-tail SEO.
Chapters: Apps like PocketCasts and YouTube index episode chapters. Use them.
Shorts & Reels: Use short clips to draw people in. Tag them clearly:
“Kenyan money podcast” or “Ghanaian Christian podcast.”Consistent Metadata: Keep your show name, author name, and description uniform across Spotify, Afripods, YouTube, ListenNotes, etc.
💡 What We Need (but Don’t Have Yet)
Pan-African podcast directories optimised for local search
Multi-language support for African dialects and localised spelling
Visibility guarantees from platforms, editorial features for indie African shows, not just “Top in Nigeria”
Until then, strategy is your strongest mic.
Podcast SEO might not guarantee virality, but it absolutely improves your odds of being discovered by the right listeners, one search at a time.