Step #7 of The Podcast R.E.A.C.H. System™ is to build a dedicated website for your podcast, separate from your corporate or branding websites.
I’ve shown you the many things you gain by doing so, the risks you assume by NOT doing so, and how launching and hosting your podcast increases your SEO.
There are folks out there who have written to me with some differing opinions, including:
Hosting a separate dedicated podcast website causes you to miss out on opportunities to rank your primary website
Having two websites to promote your business is bad news (however you define “bad news”)
It’s just a waste of time, and adds a step; one more thing to maintain
Then, they dropped a bomb on me:
Lots Of Successful Podcasts Are Hosted Through Their Company’s Primary Website
The gist of this is that the company wants to leverage their SEO through podcasting to drive sales above all else.
Okay… I get it.
Humor me here.
Let’s say you change your company’s name and website address because, for SEO and branding reasons, it’s just much better for your revenues and profits?
Or for a change of pace – bear in mind many established companies change their name every few years just to become “new again” and capture/recapture their same audience. (YouSendIt –> Hightail –> opentext; ScheduleOnce –> OnceHub)
Unlikely in your case, you say?
Now What Else About The Company’s Future Could Be On The Horizon?
What happens if you get sued because some competitor thinks your business brand name is a copyright infringement?
I know someone in the Human Resources industry who faced this – from a company serving a different market, offering a different service, in a different geographical area!
What if, due to copyright issues involving an app, you have to change the name of your company, because your app IS the company and vice-versa?
Steve Jobs famously e-mailed someone saying “Change your apps name. Not that big of a deal.” But IS it a big deal for your SEO and online marketing?
You may love your business partner today, but be divorcing them tomorrow.
In business divorces, one partner could get the URL to themselves. Even if you get the URL, you may be forbidden to use the URL for several years (this happened to a client of mine, before they were my client). Or, both parties may be forbidden from using the URL ever again.
If you’ve built a legacy of hundreds of podcast episodes on your company website, and now that website is all of a sudden a goner…
Guess What? Your Podcast, And All Those Episodes And Links, Can Go “POOF” In A New York Minute!
Perhaps none of the above applies to you, or you can’t see for yourself how it could.
Even if, somehow, you manage to keep all those episodes, and you use a script to redirect old URLs to new ones to sop up the SEO juice, there’s a good chance the episodes themselves will need edited because they have a name or brand you can no longer use.
Editing all those episodes could be an upside-down ROI proposition.
So, you start over.
I could come up with many more scenarios, but I don’t want this post to get TOO long – I think you’re getting the idea.
Still Not Quite There? Maybe You’re Right? Here’s A Checklist To Help You Decide For Yourself Either Way
You may be okay running your podcast through your primary company website, IF:
You’re okay assuming all of the above risks
You’re not intending to create a personal brand around the company founder; it’s very much NOT a personality-based business
Also, creating a vivrant, viral media network of your very own to nurture and assert thought leadership in your community, market, and niche, is not your top marketing priority at this time
Most, if not all, of the episodes will be company employees or executives speaking about your product or service
The SEO you’re doing for the primary website will easily enable it to be found on the question people ask that your company provides the answer to, and there aren’t a thousand other options under the sun
The company name itself IS the search term (or you plan to make it so)
Otherwise, consider the following:
If you DO intend to create a personal brand around the company founder, and then they leave the company and take their evangelism elsewhere – perhaps to a competitor – what happens to all those episodes? (I’m seeing lots of 404 links in your future.)
Will other media outlets (including your local TV station) feel that a “company podcast” is too self-promotional, whereas a separate website that deals with the issue/need at hand (a mommy blog vs. a babysitting service) is more what they prefer to feature?
There is a concern about having multiple websites target substantially the same keyphrase; but does your business have different keyphrases?
How much more attention could your company website gain from the banner ads on your podcast website? To what extent would having a lot of juice on your podcast website and then kicking it down to your company website help the cause? (I’m aware of different theories, what have you seen work?)
How dedicated are you to the online and offline marketing necessary to turn your company or brand name into a byword for your product (the way a tissue is a “Kleenex” and a bandage is a “Band-Aid”)?
Your Podcasting Journey Is Your Own – I Have My Recommendation, Maybe Your Path Is Different
We can absolutely support you in your decision.
Within the Podcast R.E.A.C.H. System™, there are numerous “decision points” we walk you through that create a networking and customer-attraction tool that authentically serves you.
All of this really comes down to how you are handling your branding.
Let’s get together and create your best decision so you exponentially reach more profitable customers!
