Simplecast is a podcast hosting, management and distribution tool. It has been really popular among podcasters for the past few years, and they were recently acquired by Sirius XM. They offer multiple plans for podcast hosting, sharing, and advanced stats/analytics. There are thousands of Simplecast users, and many must wonder how to create a complete website for their podcast. Simplecast is including a basic podcast website (or a “mini-site”) in their plans, so we’ll review that and compare to the competition. Then, we’ll help you learn how to build a complete podcast website with Simplecast and Podcastpage. Let’s dive right in –
Simplecast websites
If you don’t already have an account with Simplecast, sign up and add your podcast or create a new show. On your Simplecast dashboard, you’ll see a section with the title “Get familiar with Simplecast”. One of the options there is “Customize your Simplecast site”. Click on this link and the site design page will open up.
As you can see, the site itself and the options are pretty simple (no pun intended). It can be a nice solution if you are just getting started, but most podcasters prefer to create a real website for their podcast.
The Simplecast podcast mini-site lets you display the name of your show, the podcast description, and your episodes. You can’t really change the text on this site designer, but it reflects the content you add via the podcast settings.
You can add links to external websites in your navigation bar. Additionally, you can add your social media accounts and connect Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.
In terms of customization, there is only one podcast template (Simplecast default theme). You can either pick between light and dark colors (in the photo the white section will become black if you switch to the dark colors). You can also change the color on the top right part. That’s it in terms of customization.
A full website is important
This Simplecast mini-site is a nice feature that comes with your paid plan, but it’s too basic to act as your main website. While you can create a basic site and add a custom domain, there’s so much you can gain from a complete and professional podcast website:
- Add custom pages and a full blog section.
- Fully customize your site’s layout, colors, and options.
- Customize the audio player, add multiple audio player styles.
- Display multiple episodes on your homepage with each singular episode on a separate URL. (Great for SEO!)
- Add monetization options like a shop, ads, members-only sections or more.
Luckily, Podcastpage.io is the perfect podcast website platform that can help you do all of the above (and more) with your existing Simplecast account. Our podcast website platform makes it easy to make a fully-featured professional podcast website in just a few minutes.
Create a podcast website with Simplecast and Podcastpage.io
If you are looking to get more out of your podcast website, Podcastpage.io is your go-to platform.
We created Podcastpage specifically for podcasters. Most featured are tailored for podcasters, and it’s as easy as it gets to create your website and import your podcast automatically. There’s no maintenance involved, and your website is fully optimized for page speed and SEO right from the get-go.
You can easily customize the colors, fonts, layouts, and the audio player. You can create unlimited pages and blog posts (with any plan). It’s easy to add extra types of content to your main website (text, videos, images, embeds, maps, links etc.).
So how do you build a Podcastpage website if you are using Simplecast to host your podcast?
Creating your own podcast website
Start by signing up for free on Podcastpage.io. You’ll get a 14 day trial (no credit card needed). Then you’ll get to the dashboard. Click on the “plus” icon to start a new website. This will prompt the easy website setup. (add a name, your podcast, and choose a design) In just a few clicks you’ll have a working website.
Now that your website is live, you can easily customize it, add podcast subscribe links, social media icons, articles, about pages, audio player and more.
In the site “Settings” panel, you’ll find the “Customize” screen. You can either change the settings right on that screen or go into the Live Customizer view to see the changes as you work on them.
Each episode gets its own page, where you can add more content like show notes and transcripts. It will really help your Podcast SEO to add more content and context.
Additionally, it’s important to add your social media accounts and podcast subscribe buttons – to make it easier for your website visitors to subscribe and follow you.
Lastly, don’t forget to connect your custom domain to make your website your own. It will change your website address from “mypodcast.podcastpage.io” to “mypodcast.com”. You’ll find the settings in the “Domains” tab.
Final thoughts
To conclude, you can really grow your podcast and provide a better overall experience for your listeners via a podcast website. A website can offer many benefits both for the podcast owners and for the listeners, and it’s really a no-brainer in today’s world.
While Simplecast does offer a basic mini-site, your podcast really deserves its full website, and Podcastpage.io is definitely a tool you should consider for that.
