Although the concept of podcasting or audio blogs has emerged recently, it has quickly become one of the most popular types of digital content that enables you to share ideas, experiences, and interests with a wide audience base of listeners.
There are also many podcast platforms that enable you to start publishing your audio content easily and quickly, such as Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, SoundCloud, Spotify, and other popular podcast platforms.
Although you can start a podcast and publish your own content without having your own website, we recommend that you create your own website to help you advertise your podcast content and facilitate the process of following all your podcast series in one place.
Even if you publish your podcast episodes on one of the popular platforms, having a podcast website can provide you with many benefits and features that you will need, which will help you market the podcast, attract listeners, and increase ways to make money from the episodes. .
In this article, we will learn about the most important features and features that you will get when creating a podcast website using WordPress, and then we will learn how to create a podcast website using WordPress step by step.
Why do we rely on WordPress to create a podcast website?
At first, you may ask why we chose to rely on WordPress as a content management system to create your podcast site over other content systems. The answer is that building your site using WordPress will give you more control options for customizing the site as follows:
1- Control the content of your site
Of course, there are many platforms that enable you to start in the field of podcasting without having to create and design your own website, but you must know well that you are publishing your content on a platform or website belonging to another party (for example, Google or Apple), and it may Your account may be suspended at any time or you may lose your account login information.
This is unlike your website. You are in control and you are the owner. You can add your own audio content to your site freely and without restrictions. You will also be able to add text with an unlimited number of words and the ability to attach images, video clips, buttons, and a subscription form. Mailing List.
2- Customize the appearance of the site to suit your specialty
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is necessary to choose a specific specialty to talk about in podcast episodes on your site, and therefore each specialty needs a custom design that fits well with it, unlike podcast platforms that come with a fixed design for all podcast users.
So, for example, if you want to make green the distinctive color and the dominant color on your website because it suits the nature and specialty of the podcast episodes that you provide, you can modify the colors of your website in WordPress with ease and make green the main color or the dominant color. On the website, using ready-made WordPress templates .
3- Obtaining visits from search engines
Using WordPress, the podcast episodes that you publish on your website can contain text, images, video clips, and buttons in the form of full articles, which enables you to prepare them to appear in search engine results and thus the ability to obtain visits and marketing for the podcast for free.
WordPress also provides you with a set of options that help you improve your website’s presence in search results, whether through the settings of WordPress itself or by using some free, easy-to-use plugins that you can install and activate directly on your site from within the WordPress control panel.
Read also: Guide to improving SEO for your WordPress site
4- Communicate with your listeners better
When you create a website dedicated to podcasting using WordPress, you can add custom pages to allow users to contact you, such as the (Contact Us) page. This page also allows companies that want to sponsor your podcast episodes to contact you.
Also, using WordPress, you can add a direct chat feature to the website, whether via WhatsApp, Messenger, or through other tools designated for this purpose, which increases users’ interaction with your website and the podcast episodes that you provide.
5- Appear more professional to followers
Although creating a podcast website using WordPress is very easy and simple, it gives your podcast a professional character and appearance and provides you with a wide range of features and features that are not found in other podcast platforms.
By using WordPress and by installing plugins, you can customize your site , add the features you want, and make your website look distinctive and attractive to increase the chances of converting visits into loyal users and listeners of the podcast episodes you provide.
As a final advantage of having a website dedicated to the podcast you offer, you can also increase income methods from podcast episodes by displaying advertisements on the site or adding affiliate marketing links to the services or products that you recommend to followers in the episode or by selling your own products, whether They were tangible products or downloadable digital products such as training courses and e-books.
Now let us review the steps for creating a podcast website to showcase your podcasts through specific steps that we will mention in the next part of the article.
Steps to create a podcast website using WordPress
Below are the mentioned steps that you need to follow in order to create a successful podcast website, through practical and thoughtful steps that do not require you to have more skills in order to launch your website.
1- Determine the specialty or topic you would like to talk about
In the beginning, it is preferable to define the topic or specialty ( Niche ) that you would like to talk about in your podcast episodes if you have not yet determined it, as this will help you develop a clear plan or vision for the titles of the episodes and the ideas that you will discuss.
Determining the specialization or topic that you will discuss in the podcast also helps you in the process of choosing the appropriate name or title for the podcast and choosing the domain name for the website so that the website address matches the specialization of the podcast, but it is not necessary to use the same name, as you have complete freedom to choose.
2- Choose the domain address or domain name
After determining the specialty or topic that you would like to discuss in the podcast episodes, it is time to begin the first step of creating your website, which is the step of choosing the domain name, which is the name that you will give to your website and is also the address that users will write. in the browser bar in order to access your site.
You can obtain a domain address from famous domain name registration sites such as ( GoDaddy ) and ( Namecheap ), or you can obtain it for free for a full year when you reserve a hosting service from some companies that provide web hosting services and also provide a free domain for one year when you register with Its services such as ( HostGator ) and ( Bluehost ).
3- Book the hosting service
Hosting is the place where your website files and data will be stored. It is like a home or store for your website, so you must be careful to choose a hosting provider that suits the needs and requirements of your website in terms of storage space, data transfer speed, and other specifications.
There are many famous international hosting companies that can be relied upon, such as ( SiteGround ), ( Bluehost ), ( Dreamhost ), and others. These companies offer a different set of hosting plans that vary in cost and available resources.
When you are thinking about creating a podcast website, it is best to subscribe to a cloud hosting plan from one of the companies that provides this service because it provides good storage space and data transfer speed that suits podcast sites.
If you want to start creating a podcast website at the lowest possible cost, you can subscribe to a shared hosting service from one of the famous service providers, and you can upgrade later if necessary.
4- Install WordPress on the hosting
After completing the hosting reservation, we move to the next step, which is installing WordPress on the hosting. Using WordPress is the easiest and fastest way to create a website yourself and without the need to use codes or programming languages.
Some hosting companies, such as ( Bluehost ) and ( DreamHost ), install WordPress automatically as soon as you finish registering for the hosting service, meaning that if you reserve your hosting from these companies, there is no need to install WordPress manually.
As for other hosting companies, they offer the service of installing WordPress with one click from within the control panel. For example, if you subscribe to HostGator hosting, you will find the option to install WordPress present on the main screen of the hosting control panel.
5- Install a WordPress template suitable for podcasts
Since WordPress is used to create multiple types of websites, it also has a wide range of templates that suit different types of websites. Therefore, since we want to create a podcast website, we must search for a WordPress template that suits this purpose and gives your site an elegant appearance. And tidy.
In fact, there are thousands of free or paid templates that you can use on your site, but it is preferable to choose the template carefully , and make sure that it is designed specifically for podcast sites so that you can get the features and characteristics that you benefit from on your podcast site and not on other sites.
After choosing the appropriate template for you, you can install it on your site by entering the main WordPress control panel, then clicking on (Appearance), then (Templates), clicking on the (Add New) button, selecting the (Upload Template) option, and then you By selecting the template file that you downloaded on your computer and uploading it to the site to be installed and activated automatically.
Here is a collection of the best WordPress templates for podcasts that you can rely on to create your website. Some of them are dedicated to podcasts and others are multi-use, but they can be customized appropriately for podcast sites or provide ready-made designs customized for podcast sites.
1- Astra The Astra
template is currently considered one of the most popular multi-use WordPress templates. This template enables you to easily create a podcast website using WordPress and the ability to customize color options, menus, and page layout. It is also a lightweight template, fast loading, and responsive to all devices. You can build pages using custom plugins or import ready-made designs to your site and modify them to suit you.
2- OceanWP The OceanWP
template is one of the most famous free WordPress templates. It is a multi-use template and comes with a set of ready-made designs that can be used and modified to suit your website. It is also highly compatible with various page building tools and is also one of the most popular templates used. In creating online stores if you think about selling products that are related to the podcast episodes that you provide.
3- Satchmo The Satchmo
template is a WordPress template dedicated to podcasts that enables you to display podcast episodes in an organized manner on your site. It also comes with a podcast player with a distinctive design that is responsive to all sizes of different devices, and the template is excellently compatible with various page building tools.
The episodes are displayed as in the picture above, and when you click on the episode, you are taken to a page dedicated to the desired episode that contains the podcast player and a description that enables you to add texts, images, buttons, and links in the same way as writing an article in WordPress.
5- MonoChrome template: The MonoChrome template is also one of the WordPress templates dedicated to podcasts and websites that display audio content. It is a lightweight template and easy to browse and use, and it is one of the templates belonging to the StudioPress package, which is famous in the field of designing professional WordPress templates.
6- Install the appropriate add-ons for the podcast
Plugins in WordPress help you add additional features and features that make it easier for you to customize your site and save you a lot of time and effort. Also, the process of installing plugins in WordPress is easy and many plugins start working immediately after they are installed and do not require a lot of settings.
Unlike the famous add-ons , since we want to create a website for podcasts, the first add-on that we will install is a dedicated add-on for podcasts that enables you to upload audio files , display an audio player, and the ability to add explanations below the player in articles or pages and prepare them for search engines so that you can get targeted visits. For your website and podcast episodes.
Here is a collection of the best WordPress podcast plugins that you can use to get a podcast website with professional features and features that are easy to customize at the same time:
1- PowerPress plugin: The PowerPress plugin is the most popular and enables you to easily create a podcast website using WordPress, add audio content to the site and display it in an easy-to-browse and fast-loading way.
2- Podcast Player add-on: The Podcast Player add- on is on the list of the best add-ons that enable you to create a podcast website using WordPress. The add-on features a podcast player that contains many features and features, such as download, subscribe, and episode sharing buttons.
3- Buzzsprout add-on: The Buzzsprout add-on comes with a free plan with limited features and another paid for the full features of the add-on, and many users consider it the easiest add-on to use as it comes with a simple design, but it is very powerful and offers a wide range of features and features such as the short codes feature. Which enables you to add podcast episodes anywhere on your WordPress site.
4- Simple Podcast Press add-on: As the name of this add-on indicates, the Simple Podcast Press add-on is one of the add-ons dedicated to podcasts in WordPress, which is characterized by simplicity and ease of use. It enables you to upload audio files and store them on your website and display them in the form of podcast episodes within Articles or pages.
5- Seriously Simple Podcasting add-on: If you are looking for a free add-on that enables you to create a podcast website using WordPress, then the Seriously Simple Podcasting add-on is one of the best options available to you. It is a free add-on that is easy to use and provides you with a wide range of features such as the ability to change the color. Podcast player, adding images to episodes, and other features.
To install this add-on on the WordPress website, we click on the (Add-ons) tab, then click on (Add New), then search for the name of the add-on in the search bar, and then we install and activate it on the site.
7- Add podcast episodes to the website
After completing the creation of your website, the time comes for you to add your podcast episodes to the site. Mostly, the ready-made audio files for each episode are uploaded to the site through the add-on that you use on your site, as the add-on provides you with the ability to upload the audio files for each episode and write a description. Inserting images, videos, and buttons, and the ability to insert a form to collect users’ email addresses.
So, the method of uploading podcast audio files to the site varies depending on the add-on you use, but in general, the process will be easy and simplified and does not require prior experience or additional tools.
After uploading the audio files of the podcast to the site in the form of episodes, you can add the rest of the necessary pages for each website, such as the home page, the Contact Us page, the About Us page, the Privacy Policy page, and other pages that you will need on your site.
For example, if you are using the Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin and have installed and activated it on your site, you can add a new podcast episode by clicking on the ( Podcast ) tab from the side menu in WordPress and then clicking on the ( Add New ) option in order to add a new episode.
In the first step, we will add the title of the episode and then add the description, which is usually the same text that is talked about in the podcast episode, but of course you can add any description you want in the same way as writing a new article in WordPress.
In the second step, we will add information related to the podcast episode, starting with uploading the audio file or video clip, then adding the main display image, the duration of the episode, the file size, and the recording date. Finally, the episode will be published on the site by clicking on the ( Publish ) button.
Finally, you will have to learn some methods for improving the site and preparing it for search engines so that you can obtain visits and new users to your website for free from search results. You can also start creating pages for your website on social media platforms and other digital platforms with the aim of promoting your site to the target audience. .
Read also: The comprehensive guide to electronic marketing for your website
Conclusion
Podcasting has become one of the most popular types of digital content and has a large base of users who prefer it over other types of content. It is also considered one of the new trends for content makers and bloggers to reach a larger base of followers. If you are the owner of a website or blog or you are one of the influencers on… Social media platforms: You can start in the field of podcasting and deliver your message to a larger number of people in an easy and quick way using podcasts.
There are many international podcast platforms that enable you to publish your content with ease, but in this article we learned how to create a podcast website using WordPress, what are the most important requirements that you will need, and the steps for creating the site.
Also, in this article, we learned about the most important benefits and features that you will get as a podcast owner from creating a podcast website using WordPress, and why WordPress is considered the best option for everyone who wants to create a website dedicated to podcasts
