Press play: Find and listen to podcast episodes on Search
Today when you search on Google, you can find many different forms of information, from videos and images to tweets and recipes, but there’s always more information out there. There are more than two million podcasts on the web, and we’re now making it easier to find and listen to podcasts on Search.
Starting today, when you’re searching for a podcast about a topic on Google, such as “podcasts about Awkwafina” or “Instant Pot recipe podcasts,” we’ll show you playable episodes in Search results alongside web pages, news, images and videos. We’ll surface these episodes based on Google’s understanding of what’s being talked about on a podcast, so you can find even more relevant information about a topic in audio form. Soon, you won’t necessarily need the term “podcast” in your search to see episodes, making podcast discovery simpler across Search.
Later this year, we’ll be bringing the same functionality to the Google Assistant and Google Podcasts for web. For example, when you ask the Assistant for podcasts about a certain topic, such as “Hey Google, play a podcast about Marie Curie,” it will suggest relevant episodes for you. In Google Podcasts for web, you’ll be able to search for relevant shows and episodes and listen right there on your computer or phone. As always, your listening progress is synced everywhere, so you can pick up where you left off anywhere you use Google Podcasts.
As part of our work to help podcasters build audiences and grow their businesses, we’ll soon add the ability for publishers to specify where you can listen to their podcasts, such as other apps or websites. This means you’ll be able to discover podcasts that may be exclusively available by purchase or subscription.
These new features are available starting today, beginning with people using English in the U.S. So the next time you're looking for a podcast about an old hobby, a rising star in Hollywood, or anything else that piques your interest, your search will be easier than ever.
