Next-Level SEO Podcasts Worth Listening in 2026

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SEO podcasts help professionals stay current with algorithm updates, technical SEO, content strategy, link building, AI search, and changes in search behavior. 

The top 3 SEO podcasts are SERP’s Up, Search Off the Record, and the Search Engine Journal Show. 

In this article, we review the SEO podcasts worth listening to, what each show covers, who hosts it, its episode format and frequency, and where you can listen on podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

What Makes an SEO Podcast Worth Listening to in 2026?

With millions of podcast titles available across platforms and SEO changing rapidly, a good SEO podcast needs to offer more than industry chatter. Look for:

  • Credible hosts: Choose podcasts hosted by experienced SEOs, agency founders, consultants, or search professionals who actively work on SEO campaigns and can share first-hand experience.
  • High-quality guests: Expert interviews should feature technical SEOs, content strategists, digital PR specialists, analytics experts, and other practitioners who bring specialized knowledge to the conversation.
  • Actionable takeaways: The best episodes give you something useful to test, whether it is a technical SEO audit process, content optimization method, link-building tactic, reporting framework, or AI search experiment.
  • Current search topics: A worthwhile show should cover more than traditional rankings. Look for discussions about Google Search updates, AI Overviews, AI Mode, LLM visibility, GEO, AEO, zero-click searches, crawling, indexing, structured data, and changing user behavior.
  • A clear area of expertise: Not every podcast needs to cover everything. Some of the most useful shows specialize in technical SEO, local SEO, international SEO, content marketing, affiliate SEO, agency growth, or SEO career development.
  • Useful episode formats: Interviews are valuable for expert perspectives, while solo episodes, news roundups, case studies, experiments, and panel discussions can provide more focused tactical learning. A strong listening rotation includes several formats rather than only guest interviews.
  • Consistent publishing: SEO changes quickly. Podcasts with a reliable publishing schedule are more useful for following algorithm updates, new search features, AI search developments, and shifts in organic visibility.
  • Easy access across podcast platforms: Availability on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts makes it easier to watch video podcasts, listen during a commute, save episodes, follow a show, and build a regular learning routine.

Best SEO Podcasts Worth Listening to in 2026

SERP’s Up

SERPs up SEO podcast

SERP’s Up is a weekly SEO podcast for listeners who want practical search advice without sitting through dry, overly technical conversations. Hosted by Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding at Wix, and Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications at Wix, the show covers everything from keyword research and technical SEO to content strategy, SEO news, client management, team building, and emerging changes in search.

The format is one of the reasons SERP’s Up is worth following. Episodes combine conversations between the hosts with contributions from SEO specialists, giving listeners both commentary and expert perspectives on the topic being discussed. Past contributors have included Barry Schwartz, Kevin Indig, Lily Ray, Barry Adams, Cindy Krum, and Claire Carlile.

SERP’s Up works well for both specialists and generalists. An in-house SEO might listen for discussions on strategy and reporting, while an agency consultant may get more value from episodes about client relationships, career development, or communicating the value of SEO. The show also covers current industry developments, making it excellent for following how search and the role of SEO are changing.

New episodes are released every Wednesday. You can listen through the official SERP’s Up page, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Best for: SEO professionals who want a mix of strategy, industry news, expert perspectives, and practical advice.

Frequency: Weekly, every Wednesday.

Format: Co-hosted discussions with expert contributions and industry commentary.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5G9mOeLQpEPZkNSeXhYhFH
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/serps-up/id1637778455

Search Off the Record

Search Off the Record Google SEO Podcast

If you want to understand Google Search from the people closest to it, Search Off the Record deserves a place in your podcast queue. The show is hosted by members of the Google Search Relations team, including John Mueller, Gary Illyes, Martin Splitt, and Lizzi Sassman. Rather than focusing on quick ranking tricks, the podcast explores how Google Search works, the thinking behind launches, projects being developed by Search teams, and issues being discussed across the SEO community.

The biggest reason to listen is access to context that is difficult to get from ordinary SEO commentary. Episodes dig into subjects such as crawling, indexing, robots.txt, JavaScript, Search Console, structured data, AI Overviews, AI Mode, LLMs, and the changing relationship between AI and search. Recent episodes, for example, have examined whether Markdown and llms.txt matter for SEO, how AI is changing Google Search, and what large-scale robots.txt data reveals about modern crawlers and AI bots.

The format is conversational and usually brings together members of the Search Relations team, sometimes with guests from inside or outside Google. The publishing schedule is less rigid than a traditional weekly show, so it is better treated as a podcast to follow for new releases rather than one to expect on the same day every week.

Best for: Technical SEOs, developers, and site owners who want first-party context on Google Search, crawling, indexing, and AI-driven changes to search.

Frequency: Periodic releases rather than a fixed weekly schedule.

Format: Roundtable conversations, technical deep dives, behind-the-scenes discussions, and occasional guest interviews.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://developers.google.com/search/podcasts/search-off-the-record
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wJdllV5ZK2FSxguDqQZKm
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/search-off-the-record/id1512522198
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoogleSearchCentral

Search Engine Journal Show

Search Engine Journal Show

The Search Engine Journal Show is a strong choice for listeners who want SEO advice from a rotating lineup of industry specialists rather than the perspective of the same hosts every week. Hosted primarily by Loren Baker, the podcast covers SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media, and wider digital marketing topics through detailed conversations with practitioners and industry leaders.

Its guest list is one of the show’s biggest strengths. Past episodes have featured professionals such as Gary Illyes, Barry Schwartz, and other specialists from search engines, agencies, software companies, and in-house marketing teams. Topics range from proving the business value of SEO and securing executive buy-in to site migrations, content strategy, Google ranking systems, AI, local search, and always-on SEO auditing.

The show uses an interview-led format, which makes it especially useful when you want a deep dive into one subject rather than a quick roundup of SEO news. Apple Podcasts lists the show as updated weekly, although listeners should check the latest feed for the current publishing cadence.

Best for: SEO professionals and digital marketers who want detailed interviews with specialists across search, content, PPC, and digital strategy.

Frequency: Listed as weekly on Apple Podcasts.

Format: Long-form expert interviews and topic-focused industry discussions.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/search-engine-journal-show/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1mLFY5vZKsnCq2DN8x0W3q
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/search-engine-journal-show/id922993934
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@searchenginejournal

Crawling Mondays

Crawling Mondays best SEO podcast

Crawling Mondays is one of the better choices for SEOs who prefer focused, specialist-level conversations over broad digital marketing discussions. Hosted by international SEO consultant and Orainti founder Aleyda Solis, the video podcast covers SEO news, technical optimization, international SEO, AI search, content strategy, and the changing relationship between traditional search and generative search experiences.

The show is useful because Aleyda brings in specialists to examine specific questions in depth. Recent episodes have explored the organic traffic decoupling between rankings and clicks, the impact of AI search on publishers, Google AI Mode versus traditional search, and the similarities and differences between traditional SEO and AI search optimization. Guests have included practitioners such as Jono Alderson and Barry Adams, making the show valuable for listeners who want informed debate rather than surface-level trend summaries.

Crawling Mondays mixes interviews, tutorials, reviews, SEO news updates, and expert discussions. Episode length varies considerably, with some news updates lasting only a few minutes and deeper interviews running longer. Its release cadence also varies, so it is best followed through the podcast feed or YouTube channel for new episodes.

Best for: Technical SEOs, international SEO specialists, and experienced practitioners following AI search and changes in organic visibility.

Frequency: Variable release schedule.

Format: Video podcast interviews, expert discussions, tutorials, reviews, and short SEO news updates.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/crawling-mondays-videos/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0FKrMwtXOpqBe8OtrKNDE7
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crawling-mondays-by-aleyda-seo-news-tips-and-interviews/id1517310394
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/crawlingmondaysbyaleyda

Search with Candour

Search with Candour

Search with Candour is a strong pick if you prefer focused conversations with specialists rather than broad discussions about everything happening in digital marketing. Hosted by Jack Chambers-Ward, the podcast covers technical SEO, content strategy, digital PR, analytics, AI search, and the career side of working in SEO.

The show’s strength is the range of subjects it explores without losing its SEO focus. One episode might examine attribution in GA4, while another looks at storytelling, digital PR, technical implementation, AI search, or networking as an introvert. Jack’s interview style gives guests room to explain how they approach their work, making the podcast useful when you want to understand the thinking behind a strategy rather than collect another list of SEO tips.

New episodes are released every Monday, with the show built primarily around in-depth interviews with SEO experts from around the world. Search with Candour is a good fit for consultants, agency professionals, in-house SEOs, and specialists who want practical conversations covering both technical and strategic areas of search.

Best for: In-depth conversations about technical SEO, content strategy, digital PR, analytics, and AI search.

Frequency: Weekly, every Monday.

Format: Long-form interviews and topic-focused conversations with SEO specialists.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://withcandour.co.uk/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4AILSpWLI74daOhECb8Hm0
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/tn/podcast/search-with-candour/id1456880812

The SEO Show

The SEO Show

The SEO Show is for listeners who want practical SEO advice from people who have worked on both the agency and client sides of search. Hosted by Michael Costin and Arthur Fabik, the podcast draws on more than a decade of experience to explore technical SEO, Google algorithm updates, link building, ecommerce SEO, SEO strategy, and the questionable advice that regularly circulates in the industry.

What makes the show approachable is the chemistry between its hosts. Rather than presenting SEO as a series of lectures, Michael and Arthur discuss topical issues, challenge common assumptions, and explain what businesses and marketers should actually pay attention to. The show is excellent for listeners who want to separate useful SEO practices from hype and so-called snake oil.

The podcast is released weekly and combines co-hosted discussions with topical series and practical deep dives. For example, the show has produced multi-part series covering ecommerce SEO, allowing the hosts to explore a subject over several episodes instead of compressing everything into one conversation.

Best for: Business owners, marketers, and SEO professionals looking for practical advice on technical SEO, links, ecommerce, and Google visibility.

Frequency: Weekly.

Format: Co-hosted discussions, topical deep dives, practical advice, and multi-part SEO series.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://www.theseoshow.co/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dBMqwvw6ugkPO5czehW9I
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-seo-show/id1572057683

EDGE of the Web

EDGE of the Web SEO podcast

EDGE of the Web is one of the longest-running podcasts on this list and a strong option for listeners who want SEO news alongside deeper conversations with industry experts. Hosted by Erin Sparks, the show covers SEO, AI search, content marketing, social media, analytics, and wider developments affecting digital marketing.

The podcast has several formats, which helps it cover both immediate industry developments and subjects that need more time. Its interview series features longer conversations with specialists, while News from the EDGE focuses on recent developments in SEO and digital marketing. This makes the show great for listeners who want one podcast feed that can help them follow the news and explore strategic topics in greater depth.

The show has built an extensive archive since launching in 2012, with Apple Podcasts listing more than 800 episodes. Its recent coverage has included AI traffic measurement, content gap analysis, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, LLMs.txt, authenticity in AI-era marketing, and the changing relationship between SEO metrics and business results.

EDGE of the Web publishes on a weekly schedule, although episode formats and lengths vary. The main interview series can run for around an hour, while the news format offers a shorter way to catch up with important developments.

Best for: SEO professionals and digital marketers who want a combination of industry news, expert interviews, AI search coverage, and broader digital marketing analysis.

Frequency: Weekly.

Format: Long-form expert interviews, SEO and AI news discussions, and industry analysis.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zI4XWWiz0HtNfxvJuVHk3
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edge-of-the-web-the-best-seo-podcast-for/id500483656

Authority Hacker Podcast

Authority Hacker Podcast

The Authority Hacker Podcast has changed with the market it covers. Originally known for detailed conversations about SEO, affiliate marketing, content sites, and online business growth, the show now focuses heavily on practical AI and automation.

Hosted by Gael Breton and Mark Webster, the podcast is built around testing. Instead of simply discussing new AI tools or repeating industry news, the hosts experiment with workflows, automation systems, content processes, and growth strategies before discussing what worked. The back catalog has topics such as SEO, affiliate marketing, link building, content production, website growth, and monetization, while newer episodes lean more heavily into AI-powered business systems.

The show has built a substantial audience. Authority Hacker reports more than 3 million downloads on its official podcast page, while its Apple Podcasts description states that the show has surpassed 3.5 million downloads across more than 120 countries. Episodes typically use a conversational, co-hosted format, with occasional interviews and detailed case-study discussions.

Best for: SEO professionals, affiliate marketers, publishers, and business owners interested in AI, automation, content systems, and online growth.

Frequency: Regular releases, although the publishing cadence can vary.

Format: Co-hosted discussions, experiments, case studies, tactical breakdowns, and expert interviews.

Listen on:
Official podcast page: https://www.authorityhacker.com/podcast/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1D6MzYn5pFiNlr8aNaoqEn
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/authority-hacker-podcast-ai-automation-for-small-biz/id1073349789
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AuthorityHackerPodcast

The SEO Mindset Podcast

The SEO Mindset Podcast

Most SEO podcasts focus on rankings, traffic, algorithms, and tactics. The SEO Mindset Podcast takes a different route by focusing on the people doing the work. The show covers career development, confidence, leadership, imposter syndrome, burnout, workplace relationships, personal growth, and the challenges of building a sustainable career in SEO.

Hosted by Sarah McDowell and Tazmin Suleman, the podcast is useful because these subjects are often missing from technical SEO shows. An SEO professional can know how to audit a website or build a content strategy and still struggle with presenting ideas to leadership, managing difficult conversations, setting boundaries, or deciding what the next stage of their career should look like.

Episodes combine conversations between the hosts with interviews featuring guests who can bring specialist perspectives to career and personal development topics. The show publishes weekly, with episodes averaging around 40 minutes according to SE Ranking’s analysis of the podcast.

Best for: SEO professionals who want to improve their careers, confidence, communication, leadership skills, and wellbeing.

Frequency: Weekly.

Format: Co-hosted conversations, guest interviews, and practical career-development discussions.

Listen on:
Official listening page: https://theseomindset.co.uk/listen/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7fHOicztfKEL3yElQLpc2w
Apple Podcasts: Search for “The SEO Mindset Podcast” in the Apple Podcasts app.

SEO in 2026

SEO in 2026 podcast

SEO in 2026 is less like a conventional podcast built around the opinions of one or two regular hosts and more like a collection of perspectives from across the search industry. Hosted by David Bain and produced with Majestic, the series asks experienced SEO professionals to share actionable recommendations about where search is heading and what practitioners should prioritize.

The breadth of contributors is the main reason to listen. The 2026 edition brings together advice from 117 SEO professionals, giving listeners contrasting views on AI search, LLM visibility, content strategy, social search, brand building, zero-click search, user experience, technical SEO, and the continued importance of traditional search fundamentals.

Episodes are generally concise and focused on one expert and one central idea, making the series easy to work through selectively. The main series is complemented by SEO in 2026: Additional Insights, which Majestic describes as a weekly podcast and video series. David Bain also hosts the related Majestic SEO Podcast, which uses a monthly panel format to debate current SEO issues.

Best for: Experienced SEOs who want a wide range of practitioner perspectives on AI search, changing discovery behavior, and the future direction of SEO.

Frequency: Weekly for the Additional Insights series.

Format: Short expert interviews, actionable recommendations, video conversations, and related panel discussions.

Listen on:
Official series page: https://majestic.com/seo-in-2026
Additional Insights: https://majestic.com/seo-in-2026/additional-insights
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LAj6FTFJCiQNF8DuQhoYJ
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/podcast/xPLychKDYMA

The SEO Rant

The SEO Rant

The SEO Rant is for listeners who prefer strong opinions and candid industry conversations over polished lists of SEO best practices. Hosted by Mordy Oberstein, the show gives guests space to challenge common assumptions, question industry narratives, and explain what they think the SEO community gets wrong.

Topics across the archive include content, links, brand marketing, SEO strategy, industry culture, and the impact of AI on search. The format works well when the subject does not have a simple answer. Instead of presenting one tactic as universally correct, episodes often explore disagreements and different ways practitioners think about the same SEO problem.

The podcast is primarily interview and discussion driven, with Mordy acting as a conversational host rather than turning every episode into a formal Q&A. The show has a substantial archive, but its publishing schedule is not currently as consistent as an active weekly podcast, so it is best approached for its back catalog and selected conversations.

Best for: Experienced SEOs who enjoy opinion-led discussions, industry debates, and perspectives that challenge conventional SEO thinking.

Frequency: Irregular. Best explored through its episode archive.

Format: Candid interviews, opinion-led discussions, and conversations about SEO industry issues.

Listen on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0CVUWjnHNdTzHYh5wDIkX9

The Recipe for SEO Success Show

The Recipe for SEO Success Show

The Recipe for SEO Success Show has one of the deepest archives among the podcasts on this list. Hosted by SEO educator and consultant Kate Toon, the show was created to make SEO easier to understand for business owners, copywriters, marketers, and practitioners who want practical explanations without unnecessary jargon.

Across nearly 300 episodes, Kate and her guests have covered keyword research, content optimization, technical SEO, internal linking, schema, website speed, local search, Google updates, AI, LLMs, copywriting, and broader marketing strategy. The show also regularly uses real business examples and specialist interviews to connect SEO concepts with problems listeners are likely to encounter on actual websites.

The podcast recently reached the end of its run. In the final episode, Kate said the show had been running since around 2015 and had produced nearly 300 episodes. The penultimate episode description also notes more than 500,000 downloads and 200 expert guests over its 11-year history.

Best for: Business owners, copywriters, marketers, and SEO learners who want accessible explanations and a large archive of practical SEO discussions.

Frequency: Concluded. The complete episode archive remains available.

Format: Expert interviews, educational discussions, practical tutorials, and case-study conversations.

Listen on:
Official podcast archive: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/category/podcast/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0lG6qTkcHxGwBcjVzTvOmp

Best SEO Podcasts by Listening Goal

The right SEO podcast depends on what you are trying to improve. A technical SEO specialist may want conversations about crawling and indexing, while an agency founder may get more value from discussions about pricing, profitability, client retention, and team management. The recommendations below combine established SEO shows with specialist podcasts for each listening goal.

Best for Technical SEO

Technical SEO podcasts are most useful when the hosts and guests have hands-on experience with crawling, indexing, rendering, JavaScript, site migrations, structured data, international SEO, and enterprise websites.

  • Crawling Mondays: Started by international SEO consultant Aleyda Solis, Crawling Mondays has been publishing video and podcast content since 2019. Solis hosts interviews, tutorials, news updates, and expert discussions with specialists including John Mueller, Barry Schwartz, Crystal Carter, Chris Green, Jono Alderson, and Barry Adams.
    Listen on: https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/crawling-mondays-videos/
  • Search Off the Record: Launched by Google Search Central in 2020, Search Off the Record is hosted by members of the Google Search Relations team, most notably John Mueller, Gary Illyes, Martin Splitt, and Lizzi Sassman. The hosts are frequently joined by Google engineers, product specialists, and external search experts to discuss crawling, indexing, JavaScript, Search Console, robots.txt, structured data, AI-assisted development, and the inner workings of Google Search.
    Listen on: https://developers.google.com/search/podcasts/search-off-the-record
  • TechSEO Podcast: Launched in 2017, the TechSEO Podcast was created around specialist conversations about the technical side of search. Its archive features experienced technical SEO practitioners discussing site migrations, JavaScript SEO, automated testing, image optimization, log-file analysis, sitemaps, page speed, and enterprise SEO. This is a useful archive for practitioners who want to move beyond general SEO advice and hear how specialists solve difficult implementation problems.
    Listen on: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/techseo-podcast/id1266941590
  • The In Search SEO Podcast: Launched by Rank Ranger in 2018, the podcast has featured hosts and contributors from the Rank Ranger and Similarweb search teams alongside a large roster of SEO guests. Past conversations have featured consultants, agency leaders, technical SEOs, and content specialists discussing site architecture, SERP changes, SEO testing, content optimization, entity SEO, and Google updates.
    Listen on: https://www.rankranger.com/in-search-seo-podcast
  • Ahrefs Podcast: Launched in 2023 and hosted by Ahrefs CMO Tim Soulo, the show takes a broader business and digital marketing approach to SEO. Soulo interviews founders, marketers, creators, and growth professionals about content, links, organic acquisition, marketing strategy, and building businesses. It is a good choice for technical SEOs who want to better understand how their work connects with marketing and commercial outcomes.
    Listen on: https://ahrefs.com/podcast

Best for AI Search, GEO, and AEO

For AI search, the most useful podcasts combine SEO experience with discussions about LLM visibility, citations, retrieval, brand authority, zero-click search, GEO, AEO, and discovery across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.

  • SEO in 2026: Hosted by David Bain and produced with Majestic, the SEO in 2026 project is part of a series that began with earlier annual editions, with the podcast feed dating back to 2021. The 2026 edition features recommendations from 117 SEO professionals, while the Additional Insights series gives individual experts more time to explain their ideas. Contributors include specialists from technical SEO, content, digital PR, AI search, ecommerce, and international SEO.
    Listen on: https://majestic.com/seo-in-2026
  • SERP’s Up: Launched in 2022, SERP’s Up is hosted by Mordy Oberstein and Crystal Carter. The show combines conversations between the hosts with contributions from specialists including Barry Schwartz, Cindy Krum, Kevin Indig, Barry Adams, Lily Ray, Marcus Tober, Claire Carlile, and other search professionals. Its coverage of AI search, branding, content, technical SEO, and changes in user discovery makes it one of the more rounded choices for following the transition from traditional search to AI-assisted discovery.
    Listen on: https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/podcast
  • Voices of Search: Launched on August 17, 2018, Voices of Search is hosted by Benjamin Shapiro and features a large rotating group of SEO and content marketing specialists. Guests have included Cindy Krum, Jason Barnard, Erin Sparks, Kaspar Szymanski, Kristin Tynski, Garrett Sussman, and other search practitioners. Its large episode archive covers enterprise SEO, AI commerce, content, technical optimization, search strategy, and increasingly, visibility across AI platforms.
    Listen on: https://voicesofsearch.com/
  • The Best SEO Podcast: Running since 2009, The Best SEO Podcast was created by SEO professionals from the Search Talk Live and related digital marketing ecosystem and has evolved through different hosts and formats over its long history. The show has featured agency founders, marketers, entrepreneurs, and search specialists discussing SEO, content, Google updates, AI search, AEO, GEO, and digital growth. Its long archive makes it great for seeing how SEO priorities have evolved over time.
    Listen on: https://www.bestseopodcast.com/
  • Search News You Can Use: Created and hosted by Marie Haynes, the podcast began in 2017 as an audio companion to her analysis of Google Search updates and algorithm changes. Episodes primarily feature Haynes explaining ranking changes, quality systems, machine learning, helpful content, E-E-A-T, and developments in AI-powered search, with occasional expert conversations and contributions from the wider search community.
    Listen on: https://www.mariehaynes.com/search-news-you-can-use/

Best for SEO News and Algorithm Updates

For SEO news, a podcast needs more than speed. The strongest shows combine recent developments with interpretation from people who understand Google updates, ranking volatility, search quality systems, AI features, and changes to the SERP.

  • EDGE of the Web: Launched in 2012 and hosted by Erin Sparks, EDGE of the Web is one of the longest-running digital marketing podcasts in the SEO industry. Sparks has interviewed hundreds of search and marketing professionals, with guests including Barry Schwartz, Lily Ray, Mordy Oberstein, Dixon Jones, Mark Traphagen, and specialists from across SEO, analytics, content, and digital marketing. Its News from the EDGE episodes are useful for regular industry updates.
    Listen on: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/
  • Search Engine Journal Show: The podcast feed dates back to 2014 and is hosted primarily by Search Engine Journal founder Loren Baker. The interview-led show has featured search professionals, marketers, Google representatives, agency leaders, and technology specialists, including Gary Illyes, Barry Schwartz, and other recognized names in search. It is a useful choice for listeners who want current developments discussed in longer conversations rather than short news summaries.
    Listen on: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/search-engine-journal-show/
  • Search News You Can Use: Marie Haynes launched the show in 2017 and uses it to interpret Google algorithm updates, ranking volatility, quality changes, AI developments, and changes that may explain traffic losses or gains. Haynes is the central voice of the podcast, making it great for listeners who prefer detailed analysis from a consistent specialist rather than a rotating interview format.
    Listen on: https://www.mariehaynes.com/search-news-you-can-use/
  • Search Engine Roundtable Search Buzz Video Recap: Barry Schwartz has been publishing his weekly Search Buzz Video Recap series since the 2010s as an extension of his long-running Search Engine Roundtable coverage. Rather than relying on guest interviews, Schwartz summarizes the most important Google Search stories, ranking volatility, confirmed and unconfirmed updates, Search Console changes, SERP tests, and conversations involving Google representatives such as John Mueller, Gary Illyes, and Danny Sullivan.
    Listen on: https://www.youtube.com/@rustybrick
  • SEO 101: SEO 101 has been running since 2009 on WebmasterRadio.FM and has had several experienced search professionals behind the microphone over its long history, including Ross Dunn and Scott Van Achte. The show has also featured SEO consultants, tool providers, and industry specialists discussing Google updates, technical issues, content, links, and search strategy. Its strength is explaining industry developments in language that website owners and less technical marketers can follow.
    Listen on: https://www.wmr.fm/show/seo-101/

Best for SEO Agencies and Consultants

Agency owners and consultants need more than ranking tactics. These podcasts cover client acquisition, positioning, pricing, profitability, retention, hiring, operations, leadership, and scalable service delivery.

  • SERP’s Up: Hosted by Mordy Oberstein and Crystal Carter since its 2022 launch, SERP’s Up regularly features experienced consultants, agency professionals, and in-house specialists. Guests have included Barry Schwartz, Lily Ray, Kevin Indig, Barry Adams, Cindy Krum, and Claire Carlile. Beyond search tactics, the show discusses client communication, careers, team building, branding, and communicating the value of SEO.
    Listen on: https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/podcast
  • The SEO Show: Launched in 2021 and hosted by Michael Costin and Arthur Fabik, The SEO Show brings agency and client-side experience into practical conversations about SEO delivery. The hosts are occasionally joined by guests, with past appearances including Matt Diggity and other SEO practitioners. The show is relevant for consultants dealing with client expectations, links, ecommerce SEO, technical problems, and misinformation about SEO.
    Listen on: https://www.theseoshow.co/
  • The Agency Hour: Hosted by Troy Dean and produced by the Agency Mavericks team, The Agency Hour is designed for digital agency owners who want to build a more profitable and less founder-dependent business. The show features agency founders, coaches, consultants, and operations specialists discussing positioning, sales, recurring revenue, hiring, leadership, systems, client relationships, and scaling. It is a must-listen for SEO agency owners who are already good at delivering client work but need stronger systems for running the business behind that work.
    Listen on: https://www.theagencyhour.com/
  • The Digital Agency Show: Produced by UGURUS and hosted for much of its run by Brent Weaver, The Digital Agency Show has been publishing since the late 2010s. The guest list includes agency founders, consultants, sales experts, and operations specialists who have built and scaled service businesses. Conversations focus on lead generation, sales pipelines, specialization, pricing, hiring, client retention, processes, and moving an agency away from complete dependence on its founder.
    Listen on: https://ugurus.com/podcast/
  • The Agency Profit Podcast: Launched around 2019 and hosted by Marcel Petitpas, co-founder of Parakeeto, this podcast focuses on an area many SEO podcasts barely touch: agency economics. Guests have included Mike Michalowicz, Ian Garlic, Chris DuBois, Jon Morris, Kristen Kelly, Carson Pierce, and other agency operators and advisers. Episodes examine pricing models, utilization, delivery margins, revenue recognition, capacity planning, account management, and operational efficiency. It is good for agency owners who generate revenue but struggle to understand where their profit is actually going.
    Listen on: https://parakeeto.com/podcast/

Best for Content Strategy and Link Building

The best podcasts for content strategy and link building go beyond keyword research and outreach templates. They examine how companies identify topics, understand audiences, build editorial systems, create link-worthy assets, use digital PR, distribute content, and connect organic growth with business results.

  • Authority Hacker Podcast: Launched in 2015 and hosted by Authority Hacker founders Gael Breton and Mark Webster, the show has built a large archive around SEO, content sites, affiliate marketing, link building, monetization, AI, automation, and online business growth. The hosts frequently use their own experiments and business experience as the basis for discussions, while guest episodes bring in publishers, marketers, entrepreneurs, and SEO specialists.
    Listen on: https://www.authorityhacker.com/podcast/
  • Search with Candour: Running since 2018 and currently hosted by Jack Chambers-Ward, Search with Candour brings together specialists from SEO, content, digital PR, analytics, UX, and related disciplines. Guests have included Mark Williams-Cook, Lily Ugbaja, Jojo Furnival, Ian Ferguson, Matt Cayless, Krešimir Ćorluka, and other practitioners. The interview-led format is good for understanding how content, links, PR, user experience, and technical implementation work together rather than treating them as isolated SEO activities.
    Listen on: https://withcandour.co.uk/podcast
  • Experts on the Wire: Launched in 2016 and hosted by Dan Shure of Evolving SEO, Experts on the Wire became known for detailed conversations with SEO and content professionals. The archive includes consultants, agency founders, content strategists, technical SEOs, ecommerce specialists, and growth marketers discussing audience research, content creation, link building, keyword research, technical SEO, ecommerce, and organic growth.
    Listen on: https://www.evolvingseo.com/category/podcast/
  • The Long Game: Launched in 2021 by the team behind Omniscient Digital, The Long Game has been hosted by Alex Birkett, David Khim, and Allie Decker. The show features content leaders, growth marketers, founders, executives, and operators responsible for building content and growth programs. Instead of focusing only on individual keywords or blog posts, conversations explore experimentation, content operations, distribution, organizational decision-making, team structure, and sustainable growth. It is a strong choice for senior content strategists and SEO leaders responsible for building systems rather than simply producing articles.
    Listen on: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/
  • Content, Briefly: Launched in 2023 and hosted by Jimmy Daly, Content, Briefly is built around interviews with senior content marketers and content leaders. Guests discuss how their content programs actually work, including team structures, editorial strategy, budgets, distribution, measurement, executive expectations, and the connection between content and revenue. In-house content strategists should listen to the show who want behind-the-scenes insight into how other companies organize and measure content operations.
    Listen on: https://www.superpath.co/content-briefly-podcast

Best for SEO Career Growth and Leadership

SEO careers require more than knowing how to audit a website or build a content strategy. Communication, confidence, management, leadership, stakeholder influence, personal branding, career progression, and burnout can all affect how far an SEO professional progresses.

  • The SEO Mindset Podcast: Launched in 2022 and hosted by Sarah McDowell and Tazmin Suleman, The SEO Mindset Podcast was created specifically to explore the human and career side of working in SEO. The hosts speak with SEO professionals, managers, consultants, coaches, and specialists about confidence, imposter syndrome, burnout, communication, leadership, career changes, workplace relationships, and professional development. It is one of the most directly relevant podcasts for SEO professionals preparing for management or trying to build a sustainable long-term career in the industry.
    Listen on: https://theseomindset.co.uk/listen/
  • Search with Candour: Running since 2018 and currently hosted by Jack Chambers-Ward, the podcast combines technical and strategic SEO discussions with conversations about careers and professional development. Its guests come from agency, consulting, in-house SEO, content, technical SEO, UX, analytics, and digital PR backgrounds.
    Listen on: https://withcandour.co.uk/podcast
  • WTSPodcast: The podcast comes from the Women in Tech SEO community, founded by Areej AbuAli in 2019. Episodes feature women working across technical SEO, content, analytics, ecommerce, consulting, agencies, and leadership positions. Alongside specialist knowledge, conversations explore career journeys, entering the SEO industry, developing expertise, overcoming workplace challenges, building confidence, and progressing into senior roles.
    Listen on: https://www.womenintechseo.com/podcast/
  • Voices of Search: Launched on August 17, 2018, and hosted by Benjamin Shapiro, Voices of Search has featured consultants, enterprise SEO leaders, agency professionals, content strategists, and technical specialists. Guests have included Cindy Krum, Jason Barnard, Erin Sparks, Kaspar Szymanski, Kristin Tynski, Garrett Sussman, and many other search professionals. Beyond tactical SEO, the archive offers useful discussions about specialization, enterprise teams, leadership, career development, and how the responsibilities of SEO professionals are changing as search expands into AI-driven discovery.
    Listen on: https://voicesofsearch.com/
  • The In Search SEO Podcast: Launched in 2018 by Rank Ranger, The In Search SEO Podcast has featured consultants, agency professionals, technical SEO specialists, content strategists, and in-house search leaders. Episodes often explore not only what guests do, but how they approach their specialties, solve problems, communicate ideas, and respond to changes in the industry.
    Listen on: https://www.rankranger.com/in-search-seo-podcast

Key SEO Topics Worth Following Through Podcasts in 2026

SEO podcasts are most valuable when they help you follow changes before those changes become standard industry advice. In 2026, that means listening beyond discussions about rankings, backlinks, and keyword research. These are the topics worth adding to your podcast queue.

AI Search Visibility and Citations

Ranking first in traditional search results is no longer the only visibility goal. SEO teams now need to understand whether their brands and content appear as sources, citations, and recommendations in Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI answer engines.

This is worth following closely because AI systems do not simply reproduce the traditional top 10 search results. A 2026 academic study of Google AI Overviews found that nearly 30% of cited domains did not appear in the accompanying first-page organic results. That suggests AI citation visibility and traditional rankings overlap, but are not identical.

When listening to podcast episodes about AI search, pay attention to discussions about:

  • How LLMs select and cite sources
  • Brand mentions versus linked citations
  • Prompt-level visibility tracking
  • Citation frequency and share of voice
  • Query fan-out and retrieval
  • Content chunking and passage-level relevance
  • GEO and AEO experiments
  • Differences between Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity

The useful episodes are the ones that discuss actual tests, tracked prompts, citation changes, and repeatable experiments. Be cautious of episodes that present GEO as a fixed checklist because AI retrieval and citation behavior continue to change.

Measuring SEO Beyond Rankings and Clicks

Rankings, clicks, and organic sessions still matter, but they no longer describe the complete value of search visibility. A brand can maintain strong rankings while receiving fewer clicks, or appear prominently inside an AI-generated answer without receiving a traditional organic visit.

This change is already measurable. Pew Research Center found that users clicked a traditional search result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% when no AI summary was present. Ahrefs later reported that the presence of an AI Overview was associated with a 58% lower average click-through rate for the top-ranking page in its updated analysis.

Podcast discussions about SEO measurement should increasingly cover:

  • Organic conversions and revenue
  • Assisted conversions
  • Branded search demand
  • AI citation frequency
  • AI share of voice
  • Brand mentions across search and AI platforms
  • Search visibility by topic cluster
  • Incrementality and SEO testing
  • Customer acquisition cost
  • Pipeline contribution for B2B SEO
  • Visibility without a click

The key question is shifting from “Where do we rank?” to “Where are we visible, how does that visibility influence discovery, and what business outcome follows?”

Brand Authority and Entity Signals

Search visibility is becoming harder to separate from brand authority. Search engines and AI systems need to understand who a company is, what topics it is associated with, whether independent sources mention it, and whether information about the entity is consistent across the web.

Podcast episodes on this subject are worth following when they connect SEO with digital PR, expert positioning, knowledge graphs, structured data, reviews, citations, co-occurring entities, branded search demand, and third-party mentions.

Listen for practical discussions about:

  • Building topical associations around a brand
  • Earning mentions on authoritative third-party websites
  • Creating identifiable expert authors
  • Connecting people, organizations, products, and topics through structured data
  • Maintaining consistent company information across the web
  • Using digital PR to build authority beyond backlinks
  • Measuring branded search demand
  • Understanding entity relationships and knowledge graphs

The useful distinction here is between building links and building recognition. A backlink may help a page, while repeated, consistent mentions across trusted sources can also help search and AI systems understand what a brand is known for.

Zero-Click Search and Changing User Journeys

The traditional SEO journey was relatively simple: a user searched, saw a list of results, clicked a website, and continued the journey there. That journey is now fragmented across search results, AI summaries, video platforms, social networks, forums, review sites, and AI assistants.

Similarweb found that searches containing AI Overviews had an average zero-click rate of 83%, compared with a median of approximately 60% for searches without them. Different studies use different datasets and methodologies, but the direction is clear: SEOs need to understand visibility that happens before, instead of, or alongside a website visit.

Look for podcast discussions about:

  • Zero-click search behavior
  • SERP features and AI-generated answers
  • Search journeys across multiple platforms
  • Brand discovery before a website visit
  • YouTube and short-form video search
  • Marketplace and review-platform discovery
  • Dark traffic and difficult-to-attribute visits
  • Demand creation versus demand capture
  • Measuring influence when the final conversion happens later

This topic is especially important for SEO leaders reporting performance to executives. Declining clicks do not automatically mean declining visibility, but increased impressions do not automatically mean business growth either. Good podcast discussions should help listeners separate those two realities.

Technical SEO for Search Engines and AI Systems

Technical SEO is expanding beyond making a website accessible to a traditional search engine crawler. SEOs now need to understand how different search crawlers, AI crawlers, retrieval systems, rendering processes, and content-delivery methods interact with websites.

A 2026 study comparing traditional Google Search, AI Overviews, and Gemini found substantial differences in the sources retrieved by each system. It also found that websites blocking Google’s AI crawler were significantly less likely to be retrieved in AI Overviews.

Technical SEO podcast episodes are valuable when they explore:

  • AI crawler access and robots.txt
  • Googlebot and other search crawlers
  • AI-specific crawlers
  • JavaScript rendering
  • Server-side rendering
  • Internal linking and content discovery
  • Canonicalization
  • Structured data and machine-readable information
  • Content architecture
  • Passage retrieval
  • Indexation at scale
  • Log-file analysis
  • llms.txt experiments and limitations

Community, Forum, and Reddit Visibility

Search discovery is increasingly influenced by real conversations happening in communities and forums. Reddit, Quora, specialist forums, private communities, and user-generated content can appear in traditional search results, influence brand perception, and become sources for AI-generated answers.

Reddit is important because its discussions contain the type of first-hand experiences users often seek when researching products, services, software, and difficult problems. Research published in 2026 also found that the effect of AI search on Reddit engagement varied by content type, with experience-based discussions behaving differently from fact-based information.

Podcast episodes about community visibility should help listeners understand:

  • How Reddit threads enter search journeys
  • Why first-hand experience matters
  • Brand monitoring in communities and forums
  • Ethical participation in existing discussions
  • Community-led content research
  • Finding customer language and pain points
  • Using forum discussions for topic discovery
  • Reputation management
  • How user-generated content appears in AI citations
  • The difference between participation and spam

The most useful takeaway is not to flood Reddit or forums with promotional links. It is to understand where your audience already discusses problems, what language they use, which questions remain unanswered, and how those conversations influence search demand and brand discovery.

How to Build Your Weekly SEO Podcast Listening Stack

Listening to more podcasts does not automatically make you better at SEO. A useful listening stack should help you stay informed, improve one specialist skill, and turn new ideas into experiments without filling your entire week with industry commentary.

A simple weekly SEO podcast stack can include:

  • One SEO news episode: Start the week with a news-focused show such as EDGE of the Web or Search Engine Roundtable’s Search Buzz Video Recap. Use it to identify Google updates, ranking volatility, new SERP features, AI search developments, and Search Console changes that may affect your websites or clients.
  • One specialist deep dive: Choose an episode based on the work currently in front of you. A technical SEO might listen to Crawling Mondays or Search Off the Record, while a content strategist may get more value from Experts on the Wire, The Long Game, or Content, Briefly.
  • One AI search episode: Follow one discussion about AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, GEO, AEO, or LLM visibility. SERP’s Up, SEO in 2026, and Voices of Search are useful feeds to monitor for these topics.
  • One business or career episode: Agency owners can add The Agency Hour or The Agency Profit Podcast to their rotation, while in-house professionals and managers may get more value from The SEO Mindset Podcast or WTSPodcast.
  • One optional wildcard episode: Leave space for a guest, case study, or topic outside your normal specialty. An episode about digital PR, analytics, UX, ecommerce, branding, or customer research can often produce more useful ideas than listening to another discussion about a subject you already know well.

For most SEO professionals, three to five carefully selected episodes per week is more useful than subscribing to dozens of shows and trying to keep up with every release. Your stack can also change with your workload. During a site migration, technical SEO episodes may take priority. During annual planning, content strategy, measurement, leadership, and forecasting discussions may be more valuable.

How to Get More Value From SEO Podcasts

The value of an SEO podcast comes from what you do with the information after listening. Treat episodes as a source of ideas to investigate and test, not as instructions that should automatically be applied to every website.

  • Choose episodes by problem, not only by podcast: Search the back catalogs of several shows when you are dealing with a specific issue such as a site migration, JavaScript rendering problem, traffic decline, international SEO rollout, digital PR campaign, or AI visibility project.
  • Save useful episodes by topic: Create folders or playlists for technical SEO, content, links, AI search, analytics, agency operations, and career development. This makes your podcast library useful when a real problem appears months after you first heard an episode.
  • Keep an experiment backlog: When a host or guest shares an interesting tactic, write down the hypothesis, expected outcome, implementation effort, and metric you would use to evaluate it. This turns passive listening into a pipeline of ideas that can be prioritized and tested.
  • Verify important claims: Podcast conversations are informal, and even experienced practitioners can disagree or make mistakes. Check claims about crawling, indexing, structured data, Search Console, and Google Search against official documentation before making high-impact technical changes.
  • Look for evidence behind tactics: Give more weight to episodes that explain the website context, starting conditions, implementation method, timeframe, and results. A tactic that worked for a large ecommerce website may not make sense for a local business, SaaS company, publisher, or affiliate site.
  • Follow the guest, not just the show: If a guest gives an unusually useful interview, look for their other podcast appearances, conference presentations, articles, experiments, and case studies. The same expert may explain different parts of their process across several interviews.
  • Share episodes with the right team members: A developer may benefit from a technical SEO discussion, while a content lead may need an episode about audience research and a leadership team may respond better to a conversation about measurement and business impact. Do not expect everyone to listen to every SEO episode.
  • Turn notes into decisions: After listening, record one of three outcomes: test it, research it further, or ignore it. This simple filter prevents a backlog of interesting ideas from becoming a collection of notes that never influence actual SEO work.

A good SEO podcast habit should improve decisions, not just increase the amount of industry information you consume.

FAQs About SEO Podcasts

What Is the Best SEO Podcast for Advanced Professionals?

Crawling Mondays is one of the best SEO podcasts for advanced professionals, like those working in technical SEO and international SEO. Hosted by Aleyda Solis, the show features detailed discussions with experienced practitioners about crawling, indexing, AI search, organic traffic measurement, technical implementation, and complex search challenges. Search Off the Record and Experts on the Wire are also strong choices for experienced listeners.

Which SEO Podcasts Cover AI Search and GEO?

SEO in 2026, SERP’s Up, Voices of Search, Crawling Mondays, and Search News You Can Use cover topics related to AI search, GEO, AEO, LLM visibility, AI citations, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, zero-click search, and changes in organic discovery. Because AI search changes quickly, follow several shows to compare experiments and practitioner perspectives rather than relying on a single source.

What Are the Best Technical SEO Podcasts?

The best technical SEO podcasts include Crawling Mondays, Search Off the Record, TechSEO Podcast, The In Search SEO Podcast, and Search with Candour. These shows cover crawling, indexing, JavaScript SEO, rendering, structured data, robots.txt, site migrations, log-file analysis, international SEO, page speed, and technical implementation.

Are SEO Podcasts Useful for Beginners?

Yes. SEO podcasts can help beginners learn industry terminology, understand how experienced practitioners approach problems, and keep up with changes in Google Search. The Recipe for SEO Success Show and SEO 101 are accessible starting points. Beginners should combine podcasts with structured learning and official documentation because podcast episodes often assume prior knowledge and may focus on opinions or individual experiences.

How Often Should SEO Professionals Listen to Podcasts?

For most SEO professionals, three to five carefully selected podcast episodes per week is enough. A useful weekly rotation can include one SEO news episode, one specialist deep dive, one AI search discussion, and an optional episode about content, analytics, agency operations, or career development. The goal is to turn useful ideas into research, experiments, and decisions rather than trying to listen to every new episode.

Can SEO Podcasts Replace Courses and Official Documentation?

No. SEO podcasts are best used alongside structured courses, technical documentation, research, and hands-on testing. Podcasts are valuable for hearing practitioner experiences, case studies, debates, experiments, and different interpretations of industry changes. For technical implementation and information about Google Search features, verify important claims against official documentation before making high-impact changes to a website.

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