subject: Understanding Rss Feeds [print this page] Really Simple Syndication or alternatively Rich Site Summary, is the full meaning of RSS.
RSS Feeds - What Are They?
It is a technology whereby the contents of your site/blog e.g. blog posts can be made available to interested parties through online rss feed readers or aggregators such that they do not have to visit your site before knowing you have updated.
All they have to do is subscribe to your site's rss feed and whenever you update your site content, a list of such updates automatically appears in their rss feed reader.
What Are RSS Feed Readers?
These are programs which enable website visitors to access a list of updated contents on websites whose rss feed they subscribe to, without having to pre-visit such websites before doing so. This access is all in a spot, which is the feed reader or alternatively called aggregator.
Examples of RSS Feed Readers or Content Aggregators
Popular readers or aggregators include Sage, Thunderbird, Radio Userland, My Yahoo, Newsgator, Google, Bloglines, Pageflakes, Netvibes etc. While some are stand-alone, others are web-based.
The need for readers or content aggregators further arises given that most browsers cannot read rss feeds but instead show its source codes. Exceptions however are browsers such as Firefox.
Must The Webmaster Create His RSS Feed?
Most top blogging platforms such as WordPress and Blogger already have RSS feed embedded within the platform and so you do not have to go through the trouble of creating one.
All you have to do is identify your rss feed url which in WordPress is indicated at the bottom left, both for posts and comments.
There is also usually a symbol of rss feeds which is usually shown at the right hand side of your browser window. When you see this sign on any site, it can be clicked and it then prompts you to subscribe for that site's rss feed.
Benefits of RSS feed to the webmaster
1. It enables a website to get indexed very fast, sometimes within 3 days.
2. Enhances the search engine optimization of a website which can therefore rank higher, much faster.
3. Enhances considerably, the traffic to any site. This becomes clear when it is realized that for most rss directories and rss search engines, you may have no more than about (1/2)half a million listed/indexed websites for your category or search term as applicable, while in the traditional search engines such as Google Web, you can have up to 8(eight) billion competing websites.
It is apparent from this that it is easier to rank higher and thereby get larger volume of traffic rather than through the traditional search engines and web directories.
4. Another source of advertisement income is created for the webmaster. For example, Google has Adsense for feeds as one of its Adsense types whereby Adwords advertisers' adverts are featured on Adsense publishers' websites.
5. The webmaster can display others' rss feeds on his website. This helps him by providing him with fresh content which if properly displayed, is taken as part of his website content with all the accompanying SEO benefits of regular content update.
The disadvantage of this however is the duplicate content it brings to the website with the possible negative repercussion from Google in terms of ranking.
RSS Feed Syndication
RSS feed syndication is about marketing rss feeds. You can submit its URL to many rss submission services for wider publicity such that interested parties can now subscribe. It is similar to the way you distribute your articles and interested parties now pick them up for republishing or use on their sites.
In conclusion, on reading this article, the common question in the lips of new internet marketers i.e. "RSS Feeds - What Are They?" should gradually pale into insignificance.
