Why many episode pages underperform

How SwiftSchema helps

How it works

What is PodcastEpisode structured data?

PodcastEpisode describes an individual podcast episode: title, publish date, duration, language, audio file, and links to the parent series (and optional season). Use it on each episode page to clarify your catalog structure.

Eligibility & Status

PodcastEpisode improves understanding and catalog relationships but does not directly produce a dedicated rich result. Surfaces and experiences vary and may depend on partnerships and policies.

Why episode markup matters

• Catalog integrity: Keeps episodes tied to the correct series/season.
• Audio accessibility:
  associatedMedia
  offers reliable audio sources for playback or previews.
• Metadata consistency: Durations/publish dates stay aligned with RSS feeds and templates.
• Promotion: Episode images and canonical URLs ensure consistent sharing.

Essential properties to include

• name
  and optional
  alternateName
  .
• datePublished
  with timezone.
• duration
  (ISO 8601).
• inLanguage
  .
• partOfSeries
  /
  partOfSeason
  .
• episodeNumber
  .
• associatedMedia
  (
  contentUrl
  ,
  encodingFormat
  ).
• image
  ,
  url
  ,
  description
  ,
  keywords
  .

Preparing episode content before generating schema

1. Gather title, summary, guests, publish date/time, duration, language.
2. Ensure audio URLs are crawlable on your CDN/host.
3. Confirm PodcastSeries schema exists and reference it via
   partOfSeries
   .
4. Prepare episode artwork (1200px+).
5. Align show notes/description with copy for consistency.
6. Decide how to handle bonus/remastered episodes (use
   alternateName
   or separate entries).

Implementation workflow inside SwiftSchema

1. Select PodcastEpisode in the generator.
2. Enter
   name
   ,
   datePublished
   ,
   duration
   ,
   inLanguage
   , and
   url
   .
3. Add
   partOfSeries
   ,
   partOfSeason
   , and
   episodeNumber
   .
4. Provide
   associatedMedia
   with
   contentUrl
   and
   encodingFormat
   .
5. Include
   image
   ,
   description
   , and optional
   keywords
   .
6. Export JSON-LD, embed it on the episode page, and validate.

Troubleshooting & QA

• No audio URL: include
  associatedMedia.contentUrl
  .
• Missing duration: supply ISO 8601 durations.
• Unlinked series: ensure
  partOfSeries
  references the correct PodcastSeries schema.
• Inconsistent publish dates: normalize format and include timezone.
• Image issues: use high-res, accessible assets.

Maintenance and governance

• Sync schema with RSS feeds/CMS metadata to avoid drift.
• Update
  contentUrl
  if you change hosts/CDNs.
• Keep
  lastReviewed
  metadata current and assign owners.
• Audit episodes quarterly to ensure new releases follow the template.

Common Errors & Fixes

• No audio URL: use
  associatedMedia.contentUrl
  with a stable, crawlable file URL.
• Missing duration: provide an ISO 8601 duration (for example,
  PT30M
  ).
• Unlinked series: add
  partOfSeries
  (and
  partOfSeason
  when applicable).
• Inconsistent publish dates: include timezone or use a normalized date format consistently.

On-page parity checklist

• Episode title on-page matches
  name
  ; episode number aligns with
  episodeNumber
  .
• Publish date/time on-page (with timezone) matches
  datePublished
  .
• Show notes and description align with the
  description
  field.
• Audio player uses the same
  associatedMedia.contentUrl
  exposed in schema.
• Series/season links on-page match
  partOfSeries
  /
  partOfSeason
  references.
• Cover art on-page matches
  image
  and is publicly accessible.

Content depth ideas (avoid thin episode pages)

• Include guest bios, key topics, and timestamps in show notes.
• Add transcripts or captions for accessibility; link them near the player.
• Provide calls to action: subscribe links per platform, newsletter signup, or related resources.
• Embed related episodes or collections and link them for better discovery.
• Highlight sponsors (if any) in a disclosures section.

Accessibility, localization, and governance

• Add
  inLanguage
  matching the page’s language; localize descriptions for translated feeds.
• Provide alt text for episode images and ensure the player is keyboard accessible.
• Keep episode metadata synchronized with your RSS/feed source; automate schema generation from the same CMS to avoid drift.
• Revalidate after host/CDN changes or feed migrations; update
  lastReviewed
  when templates change.

Distribution and promotion

• Include subscribe/follow links for major platforms and ensure they match
  sameAs
  on the series page.
• Add chapter markers/timestamps in show notes and keep them synchronized with the audio.
• Link to related episodes or series playlists to improve internal discovery.
• If you publish video versions, link to VideoObject on the page and clarify formats for listeners.
• Maintain a release checklist: verify audio loudness/quality,
  duration
  ,
  datePublished
  , and that CDN URLs won’t expire.
• Note sponsorships or ads in show notes for transparency; keep them consistent across platforms.
• Keep stable
  @id
  values for episodes so links from playlists, articles, or emails reference the same entity.
• Track analytics (plays, completion) separately from schema; avoid embedding engagement metrics in JSON-LD, but ensure show notes summarize key topics to improve on-page depth.
• If you republish remastered versions, update
  dateModified
  and note the change in the description to avoid confusion.
• Add guest social/profile links and ensure they are visible in show notes if you reference them in
  sameAs
  or content.
• Include content warnings or explicit-language notices in show notes when applicable and keep them aligned with platform settings.
• Add a “Resources mentioned” list with outbound links so the page has substantive supporting content beyond the player.
• Summaries should include 3–5 key takeaways to add depth and align with the
  description
  field.