Editor's note: The marriage of technology and communication has been a boon to savvy entrepreneurs, but it's also a huge challenge for those who aren't sure how to navigate social networks. To help, Dallas-based entrepreneur and tech expert Shama Kabani is answering your questions. Email her at shama@marketingzen.com, or check out more of her advice at her online marketing company or on video.

Dear Shama,

I just read your book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, and I found it incredibly helpful—particularly insightful was your section on video podcasting. I wonder if audio podcasting is as effective in increasing the site's ranking in Google as video podcasting. Do you have any thoughts?

—Emily B., Herndon, Virginia

Dear Emily,

Thanks so much for being a reader! And, for your insightful question. The short answer is that audio and video podcasting are both not ideal for search engines. This is because the spiders that search engines use to “crawl” the Web aren’t able to index (properly gather) video and audio files as thoroughly. This is slowly changing. Thanks to a rise in online videos, Google now also allows users to search for videos directly from their main page. There isn’t such a mechanism for audio files yet.

The reason that that online videos and podcasting is a good idea is because many people prefer watching videos or listening to podcasts over reading. Some like both. I’ve often stressed the importance of catering to people’s needs. We, as consumers, have become highly used to having options. As producers of content, we have to rise to meet that demand which we as a society have created. So, if you are only considering podcasting for search engines, I’d say don’t bother. If, on the other hand, you enjoy podcasting, I’d say don’t stop. There are ways you can “optimize” your podcasts (audio files).

Here are two things you can do to optimize your podcasts: 1. Use ID3 tags. These allow you to tag your audio file data so search engines can index them. You can provide a title, a URL within comments, and even a transcript or summary. If you are looking for an editing program, I recommend Audacity—which is a free audio editing program. It also allows you to embed the tags. 2. Consider transcribing your audio files. You can have someone do these by hand, or there are many programs out there that will automate the transcribing. It won’t be exact, but it will help with search engines indexing your data.

Good luck with your podcasting!

—Shama