Has Google finally embraced RSS with their new XML powered Sitemaps program? Well, sort of, but it seems more like a hug than a strong impassioned embrace!
It does use XML technology which allows for the crawling and updating of your site's web pages. You can even include your entire web site (all urls) with this indexing program. For anyone targeting the search engines, especially Google, this program (still in beta) is a MUST HAVE.
If you require timely updating of your most popular pages Google's new Sitemaps may prove indispensable. It's a little premature to assess the importance or impact of Google's new program but anyone wanting to give their site a competitive edge should be gearing up.
How it works:
There are several ways to set-up a XML Sitemap, perhaps the easiest way is to use the open-source Generator which you can download from Google. This is a Python file that you can upload to your webserver and this generator will create a sitemap from your 'URL lists, webserver directories, or your access logs'.
It would probably be wise to check with your hosting provider to see if they can accommodate this Generator on your webserver. It you have a small site there should be no problem but if your site runs into the 1,000's of URLs or pages -- check to see how much bandwidth such a system will take up. It's better to be safe than sorry!
Once done, you have to then submit your newly generated XML Sitemap to Google and the search engine will use this XML Sitemap to update and index your site whenever you make changes on your site. You will need to have a Google account.
You may also submit text files containing URLs from your web site to be included in Google Sitemaps but these text files will have or will be given low priority for the time being.
To get started on your own Google Sitemaps Account you can click here: Google's Sitemaps
What's great about it:
Besides seeing Google finally grab the RSS wildcard, it gives you better control of how and when the search engines update your web site pages. Perhaps, the most important aspect for Internet Marketers, you can now assign the importance that's given to any of your particular pages. As most marketers know, certain pages on your web site are more important than others; these pages earn money, build your contact list, or direct your site's visitors in the right direction. In other words, you can now place more emphasis on your web site's 'bread and butter' pages. A BIG Plus!
With Google Sitemaps you can decide the importance placed on these pages by using the priority XML tag. This rating system is relative, it only relates to the pages on your own site.
Likewise, you can also indicate how frequently your pages changes by using the changefreq XML tag. More or less instructing Google when your page will be updated or changed. This is a win-win situation for everyone; Google gets the freshest content for its users and you gain more control of the frequency of the updates done with your site or web pages. This may have a direct influence on the profitability of your web site.
For those who are actively marketing thru the search engines and keywords -- Santa may have come a little early this year. Of course, the jury will be out for awhile but Google Sitemaps will probably have a positive impact on your bottom line.
What it means for Google:
For those of us who have been following and watching the RSS wildcard for the past couple of years, it takes away some of the frustration and a little of the puzzlement from Google seemingly total disregard of RSS.
RSS is not a fad, it is not a trend and it's not going away. Instead, its importance is growing. It is fast becoming 'the' way data is moved on the web. One could even speculate that in the very near future all web pages will have an RSS component, perhaps a hybrid of 'XML/HMTL' or an embedded XML code that will work with all browsers, search engines and servers.
For Google to ignore the growing importance of RSS, blogging, podcasting, broadcatching, the RSS featured Firefox browser, MyYahoo, not to mention all those orange XML logos popping up on most of the major sites on the web -- is beyond comprehension. Why Google does not have an RSS search on its main search engine page still seems baffling. Bringing out a homepage and not including an RSS feature is just foolhardy (They may introduce this feature later).
For those firmly in the RSS corner, Google's continued disregard for RSS became more than a little frustrating to observe. It was downright rude! Perhaps Google was waiting to incorporate RSS in a program like this new XML Sitemaps? Can this mean that Google has finally accepted the importance of RSS and they're starting to make amends? More importantly, could there still be a few more RSS goodies in the Google Jar left to be announced?
One can only speculate but when it comes to RSS and Google, lets just hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship.
----------------------------------------------------
To add RSS to your Site within minutes - download this
simple RSS Report and Guide.
Copyright © 2005 Titus Hoskins of BWMagic's Free Marketing Tools & Guides
This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached.
----------------------------------------------------
RSS has been around for more than a decade but... Read More
Below are the top 9 reasons why companies should blog.1.... Read More
RSS feeds are the most important technology to arrive on... Read More
Benefits of Writing Articles:1. Every Webmaster would like to publish... Read More
There are nowhere near the amount of webmasters using RSS... Read More
Web logging first appeared on the net in the mid-1990s.... Read More
As you've probably been reading, there are basically three problems... Read More
Even after all that's been written and explained, even reputable... Read More
People start blogs for all kinds of reasons. Ego. Political... Read More
Contrary to general opinion, RSS meets the needs of even... Read More
It even surprised me. Yes, even though I have... Read More
Blogs are an unbelievable way to achieve success on the... Read More
(Continued from Blogging Your Way To Success Part 1)By now,... Read More
I was sitting in my local Internet Cafe yesterday, I... Read More
Perhaps you still don't realize or fully understand the power... Read More
Blogs might seem like an old hat at this time... Read More
Can a Blog earn you a prison sentence? Ask Mojtaba... Read More
Here is a pretty cool lesson in the structure and... Read More
The new hot commodity is a blog for your small... Read More
My previous two articles "What is RSS and Why use... Read More
"RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard... Read More
What are Blogs?Having heard the term previously but not having... Read More
Writing a blog can be fun and exciting, but it... Read More
Copyright © 2004 Priya Shah The... Read More
How RSS really does pay off...Have you heard of RSS... Read More
Creating ContentNew websites are being launched daily. In order to... Read More
Unfortunately, this formerly reliable method of getting listed in Yahoo... Read More
I still consider myself to be a blog writing novice... Read More
I'm here to teach you about how RSS Feeds can... Read More
I was watching the news on TV last night and... Read More
If you're wondering how to get started with RSS marketing,... Read More
Blogs Are the NEW Secret Weapon for Reaching Your Tarket.... Read More
"What's blogging?" you ask."Where have you been?" I reply...just kidding,... Read More
The items covered here are:1) Don't Wait before Blogging.2) Using... Read More
In the middle 1990's everyone started talking about needing a... Read More
'Blogs' or 'Blogging' have existed for several years and there... Read More
Blogs were originally only meant to be 'Web Logs', or... Read More
Choosing a decent RSS reader to browse and read your... Read More
While syndication has many applications, we will deal specifically with... Read More
Many of my small business clients ask me: "What is... Read More
An RSS news feed can be used to communicate with... Read More
Blogs are an unbelievable way to achieve success on the... Read More
When it comes to new internet marketing opportunities for your... Read More
For many people blogging is the way in which they... Read More
One of the main problems with the Internet these days... Read More
Need to make money fast, but you don't want to... Read More
Flush out the writer in children. Blogging could draw out... Read More
You are a small or a medium business owner. You... Read More
It seems no matter how much information comes available online,... Read More
In case you haven't heard, the net is buzzing with... Read More
Not long ago a blog was simply an online diary.... Read More
Blogging is smart an art. Blog sites are the nicest... Read More
In recent years, it's been pretty obvious that "blogging" (Web... Read More
Here is a pretty cool lesson in the structure and... Read More
I recently read the case study conducted by Pheedo, an... Read More
I am not one to have New Year's resolutions, but... Read More
Though the answer is in a book I wrote this... Read More
When you work online all the time, immersed in bits... Read More
I keep hearing about RSS, XML and RSS feeds. I... Read More
Before I address the following questions:* What is a blog?... Read More
So who should I use RSS Feeds? How can it... Read More
In today's online world of high-speed websites and giant portals,... Read More
Unfortunately, this formerly reliable method of getting listed in Yahoo... Read More
Getting traffic to your website can be hard. No one... Read More
The new hot commodity is a blog for your small... Read More
The RSS latest news suggests that RSS can stand for... Read More
Blogging, RSS & Feeds |