Kris Smith (click to enlarge)

I'm spending the day at Podcast Academy. I just flew down to Ontario CA this morning and I fly back tonight. Nice, easy in and out.

I missed the first talk, but gout here just in time to hear Kris Smith discuss successful Web design for podcasting. Integrating the Web site with the podcast is important for increasing traffic. Show notes, descriptions, and pictures flesh out the audio.

Tracking, stats, and metrics are some of the basic tools that you need to measure success. What you do in this area depends on how you measure success. Do you care about downloads, user-views, or what?

The gold standard of tools for podcasting is Wordpress. A lot of useful tools for podcasting have been built. Many of them have been integrated in Podpress. Find the tools you need and customize your site by copying what others have done. Make sure you've got your templates set up for RSS autodiscovery.

Make sure that your Web site has a flash player so that people visiting the site can preview programs or listen without a download. One that works well is Wimpy Player ($20). Here's another Flash MP3 player that's free.

You should focus on distribution. The Web site is one means of distribution. Your RSS feed will be the primary means of distribution. "Your feed is it." The Web site plays an important backup roll. Put your feeds and how to subscribe front and center on your site. Don't make people search for it.

Getting linked is the most important factor in getting traffic from search engines. Having a good Website gives people something work linking to. Michael Geoghegan uses the Steve Wozniak as an example. IT Conversations is the fourth link on the page. Interestingly, the part of of Woz's talk is the most linked to, but part 2 is more highly rated.