I want to make the podcast player on our website register plays with iTunes, to get a better ranking on iTunes. I figured this could be possible if iTunes provided an iTunes URL for every episode, but I cannot find one. I've tried looking at the search/lookup API, but it seems to me it doesn't output individual episodes.
Anyone know if this is possible? Registering/tracking plays to iTunes.
iTunes does not provide usage or download statistics. See their explanation from http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html#tracking :
Please note that iTunes does not provide usage statistics, because we do not host feeds or episodes. Some podcasters have created mechanisms for tracking the number of times that each episode has been downloaded.
If the goal is to get better ranking, encourage your podcast listeners to subscribe, review, and rate for your podcast. Those things are more visible in the iTunes store and to potential new listeners & subscribers.