Like anything else, a little work can pay dividends. Well-written RSS feeds are more useful to readers and result in more website traffic for the publisher. Below are several tips for making your RSS feed more effective.
1. Use interesting titles
Like a book is often judged by its cover, an RSS feed item is judged by its title. Make sure your title is interesting, and try to put the most important information early in the title, since some newsreaders truncate title beyond a certian length.
Also, keep in mind that some newsreaders are set to only show feed item titles. Don't assume that any feed item descriptions will be shown.
2. Include keywords
Since some readers will discover your feed through the many RSS search engines on the internet, you will want to include as many descriptive keywords in your feed item titles and descriptions. That does NOT mean you should just add a string of keywords. Rather, incorporate keywords naturally into your titles and descriptions.
3. Don't include all your content
Some publishers put full content text directly in the feed item. The problem with including full text in a feed is that a reader has no incentive to click through to the publisher's website. Instead, write your feed item descriptions as 'teasers' that make a reader want to click over to the website to read more.
Make your feed item descriptions brief, and include descriptive keywords. Remember some newsreaders are set to truncate long descriptions, and some newsreaders won't show descriptions at all. Keep your most important information at the start of your description.
4. Keep your content fresh
Updating your feed regularly is a good way to keep reader interest. Feeds (like websites) that are not updated for months on end tend to lose repeat visitors. How often you refresh your content is up to the publisher. Keep in mind, however, that readers can set their reader to show as few as three feed headlines at a time. While it's not likely a problem, updating too often could mean that some items may get overlooked.
5. Make sure your RSS feed is compliant!
Finally, make sure your feed is readable. The best-written feed in the world won't be read if the feed code is bad. If you are hand-coding your RSS feed files, you can use a website like http://feedvalidator.org can determine if your feed is valid and suggest reasons why it isn't.
Content is king. Use these tips to keep your RSS feeds well-read and your website well-trafficed!
S.R. Daley is the web developer for http://www.myrealtyfeed.com, a service that allows real estate professionals to create, maintain and promote multiple RSS feeds with a simple web interface.
This article may be republished without changing the content and the bio box.
Business blogs are primarily used to improve a company's communication... Read More
Those of you who aren't ready to wade into the... Read More
RSS has been around for more than a decade but... Read More
Want to advertise online without spending a fortune? Get a... Read More
Blogging is a time consuming process. It involves... Read More
RSS feeds are the most important technology to arrive on... Read More
RSS is an underused and underappreciated technology by a majority... Read More
Technorati reports that 30,000 - 40,000 new blogs are being... Read More
Gain Massive Exposure For Your ServiceGet your web site listed... Read More
(This article assumes that you have already set up a... Read More
Advertising in RSS feeds is something that Google is considering... Read More
Everyday more and more websites, news services and blogs are... Read More
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It's a format that... Read More
There is lively debate about the republishing of RSS feeds... Read More
RSS feeds and blogs (and blog and pinging) are part... Read More
Let me ask you three questions to get you thinking.... Read More
Need to make money fast, but you don't want to... Read More
It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can't... Read More
Has Google finally embraced RSS with their new XML powered... Read More
(An RSS primer can be found near the bottom of... Read More
You Might Be A Snob-Blogger If?According to Jupiter Research, about... Read More
Blogs, the abbreviation of Web Logs (online journals), are becoming... Read More
Choosing the right blog software for your new blog requires... Read More
(Continued from Blogging Your Way To Success Part 2)You have... Read More
I am conducting my 1st customer appreciation webcast and asked... Read More
Blogs are more permanent than posts to an online discussion... Read More
RSS is the interactive communication tool being popularized by bloggers.... Read More
RSS Syndication or RSS Newsfeeds (RSS Feeds for short) all... Read More
There's a lot of blogs out there on the Web,... Read More
Earlier this month, Realtor Magazine announced that they would be... Read More
The RSS promise for end-users is simple:--> a unified one-stop-shop... Read More
It's fair to say that blogging has taken the Internet... Read More
Blogs as an online promotional strategy if done right could... Read More
Need to make money fast, but you don't want to... Read More
If you have a blog, or are thinking about starting... Read More
"Why Should I Blog? I Simply Don't Get It"This post... Read More
It seems everyone these days is talking about blogging. Everywhere... Read More
Recently, there have been many developments in the RSS arena.... Read More
"RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard... Read More
How to blog to make money from it?Truly the whole... Read More
A xanga is something akin to a blog. It all... Read More
Feeds are simple, really. What's even more exciting is that... Read More
One of the tools that a smart direct sales representative... Read More
Blog is a medium for self-expression on web. Blogs are... Read More
Writing?Blogs?Blogs are on-line journals where people express themselves through writing.... Read More
After many requests from wordpress users, the latest version of... Read More
Writing?Blogs?Blogs are on-line journals where people express themselves through writing.... Read More
I've been searching the Internet for blogging sites for a... Read More
There is no doubt that the Google Adsense program for... Read More
I don't claim to be a futurologist or an RSS... Read More
There seems to be a huge craze lately with everyone... Read More
Microsoft Corp. says that the next version of its Windows... Read More
I know, I know, blog this...blog that. Seems like everyone... Read More
Tags - Revolutionary or Just Folly?Just another trend or something... Read More
RSS feeds seem to be the breakout technology for the... Read More
The question "How to make money blogging" sits high on... Read More
It's inevitable. Everyone hits the wall. Whether you've been blogging... Read More
Really Simple Syndication is exactly what it's name states. A... Read More
One of the main problems with the Internet these days... Read More
It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can't... Read More
If Howard Dean's failed political campaign accomplished anything, I would... Read More
A blog usually is a web page that contains brief,... Read More
ALEXA WEIGHS IN...For those who are unaware of Alexa, it... Read More
Of all people in the world I was easily one... Read More
Is this you? It has been 3 or 4 days... Read More
A blog is a simple tool which all affiliate marketers... Read More
Blogging, RSS & Feeds |