I’m sure you’ve heard about podcasting and perhaps, as I did when I first heard it, wondered what on earth is podcasting. It’s gained much popularity since the media have started offering podcasts on news items as well as music.

The word podcast is a merger between ipod and broadcasting. You listen to a podcast, like you would a radio program. Podcasts are recorded in MP3 format so they can be replayed on a website or any MP3 player.

So, you can listen to them almost anywhere, at any time. The BBC, for example, provide podcasts on news items, which you can download to your MP3 player and then listen to them on your way to work.

But how can podcasting be used to promote your website? It’s a good way to establish yourself as an expert in your field by producing regular, informative podcasts and providing them on your website.

Your website readers can download the podcast and become listeners. Paul Boag has done this very successfully on his boagworld blog, which has increased his profile and interest in his web design business.

Creating a podcast is not difficult. You will need a microphone, some recording software, your PC and an FTP program to upload your podcast and publish it on your website.

Logitech sell a reasonable quality USB microphone for only £15 or $30. Audio recording and editing software, like Audacity, is available for free. And another free tool, that I use all the time, is Core FTP Lite.

Once you have a podcast recorded, you can post it on iTunes or many other podcast directories, such as digital podcast or to save time try using a podcasting service like jellycast.

I am planning to start a weekly web design podcast very soon. So watch this space for more details.