A Guide to RSS Feeds for Website Owners
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an increasingly commonplace method for delivering content to users. Many sites now have links to news feeds on their site, and many users are discovering the benefits of subscribing to RSS feeds.
Although it has been around for some time RSS is poorly understood, both by users and website owners. However RSS, employed properly, can greatly enhance the user experience, and is an inexpensive and increasingly important way to reach out to people who may be interested in your site.
What is RSS?
RSS content can be anything your visitors would normally have to come to your site to get, such as new articles and stories - it's simply another way of delivering this content.
RSS is a feed mechanism. It's designed to provide information and content to your users without them having to visit your site to find things. In other words it sends (feeds) information to your site visitors, users and customers. The content can be anything your visitors would normally have to come to your site to get, such as new articles and stories. RSS is simply another way of delivering this content.
A good analogy is reading a newspaper. The traditional approach is going to a store to buy some papers and magazines before going home to read them. A better approach is to get them delivered, straight to your house.
RSS is a bit like this; the stuff is delivered right to you. With good software it can even go one step further. It's like having a newspaper assistant who takes all your newspapers and cuts out the stories you'll like, and pasting them into a handy folder for you to read. You don't need to wade through all the pages of the paper to get to the parts that interest you.
Similarly, with RSS, you don't need to visit individual sites and hunt through the homepage for interesting content. It's sent to you, all packaged up, based on the kind of things you're interested in. It's very efficient, and easy for people to use.
In many ways RSS feeds are very similar to bookmarks. While surfing people bookmark pages they come across, saving them for later to revisit. An RSS feed is like an updateable bookmark. As well as acquiring the name of the page and its web address, like a bookmark, it also captures a summary of the content of the page. Once saved it then updates automatically without any effort by the user always giving them the latest version of your published material.
RSS is an easy way for site owners to keep things fresh, and a safe way for users to keep on top of their interests and topics without having to visit lots of different websites. Like a bookmark or favorite it's available right there in their own browser or dedicated feed reader.
How it works (for site users)
A user subscribes to a feed much in the same way you might bookmark a web page.
An RSS feed is simply a text file hidden on a website. It's not meant to be read directly by human beings; rather it's designed to be read by specialized software. A user subscribes to a feed much in the same way you might bookmark a web page. Once it’s bookmarked or saved the software can revisit the website to get the most recent version of the file. This is how an RSS feed updates.
Many people use dedicated news readers which allow them to quickly browse news feeds they've subscribed to, basically a series of bookmarks that gather information from their favorite websites. Although many modern browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, now have RSS readers built in (see Illustration 1).
What a user sees is a series of headings or titles, and sometimes a short description of each article or page. They can then click on the title that will take them straight to the relevant page on the site. Similar to this:
- Name of Feed Here
Brief description of feed… - Article Title 3
Summary of this article or story here… - Article Title 2
Summary of this article or story here… - Article Title 1
Summary of this article or story here…
As you can see an RSS feed really just summarizes bits of a site that have recently updated, allowing users a chance to quickly glance through a lot of information. Also, because the titles are usually clickable links it allows for a very simple and easy way for users to visit a site they're interested in. Many sites now use them and they’re especially popular on websites where information updates regularly, such as news providers like the BBC.
The feed file itself can contain as many items as the site owner thinks convenient, perhaps the last ten articles written, or every blog entry for the last year. The important element to note is that RSS packages up information to make it handy for people to see what has happened on a site. By bookmarking a feed, or subscribing to it, users can then access content in a way that is convenient to them without having to first visit the website.
Illustration 1: How users access feeds
A feed displayed in a browser. Modern browsers treat them very much
like bookmarks, with each title being a clickable link that takes you
straight to the appropriate page on the site.
How it works (for site owners)
The purpose of a feed is to package up bits of your site you think people might be interested in. Anything from a group of articles on a given topic, to the latest blog entries; really anything that is likely to attract users to your site in the first place.
Many content management systems (CMS), such as blog software, create RSS feeds automatically for you. Their built-in options allow you to decide what will be in the feed itself, such as the number of items to include, how far back to go, what kind of things you’d like published, and so on. Typical examples include a feed for all articles published this year, or all blog entries in a specific category or subject area. With this method you just add new content to your site as normal and the built-in software automatically updates your feed.
If you don’t use a CMS on your site then RSS feeds can be created manually. As noted above they’re little more than glorified text files. They contain some basic information about you and your site: it’s name, copyright statement, last update time, and related details. In addition the file lists some information on the items or pages you want to publish and draw attention to: a title, a description, a link to your site, etc.
There’s plenty of free software available to help with this, even plugins for web browsers that do the job. Below is a quick example of a typical, and fairly minimal, RSS file produced by feed software:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>The Name of the RSS Feed</title>
<link>http://www.example.com/</link>
<description>Very brief description here.</description>
<item>
<title>Article Title 2</title>
<link>http://www.example.com/article2/</link>
<description>Description here...</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:01:20 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title>Article Title 1</title>
<link>http://www.example.com/article1/</link>
<description>Description here...</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:02:20 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
Don’t be put off by the code in the example. That’s just there to help RSS software make sense of the information and to keep everything in a standard format. The important element of a feed is the actual content you are publishing.
As you can see it contains some basic information about the feed at the top, followed by item information. An item is just a story, typically a single page on your site that you want to draw attention to. The feed itself can contain much more information than this, so the above example is just to give you a feel for things. A full outline of the RSS format can be found at the RSS 2.0 Specification page at Harvard University.
You can download a full example of an XML RSS feed
below. This can be used as the basis for your own feed and the file contains
instructions to get you started.
Download
sample feed
It’s worth noting that an RSS feed can contain just about anything. Typical content includes new blog entries, latest articles, and perhaps press releases. However, there is a growing tendency for marketers to slip advertising into feeds; perhaps your latest product, or information on your services. You should resist this. People subscribe to feeds because they cut out the clutter; adding to this clutter will almost certainly alienate your subscribers. And remember: it’s easy to unsubscribe from a feed, so don’t be tempted to dazzle your site users with your impressive sales copy. That’s what your website is for.
What to do with an RSS feed
By themselves RSS feeds don’t do anything, they’re just files on your website. People have to find them and subscribe to them. So there are four things you need to do:
- Decide what to include
- Create and update your RSS feed
- Market the feed on your own site
- Market your feed elsewhere
Decide what to include
The first task is to identify the parts of your website to include in your feed. This depends on the nature of your site, and the kind of things you feel your audience would be interested in. Whilst the actual content varies, there is one thing to bear in mind: interesting feeds contain information that tends to change or update, it’s not really intended for static information.
A good example might be articles as these are added to over time, and the feed mechanism allows users to check in on your site to see what’s new. A very popular use of feeds is to advertise new blog entries; like articles it very effectively communicates changes for users to easily keep up to date with.
Feeds can even be used for products although the usual rule applies: the information must be worth subscribing to, and people subscribe because they expect the information to change. It’s therefore more suited to rapidly updated products, rather than static stock items. A good example might be used cars. These can have a very rapid turnover and it’s exactly the kind of thing people would subscribe to a feed to see; they can track new products as they appear without having to search on a website.
If you can’t find anything on your site that meets the criteria for feeds, then you could consider adding articles. These could be written by yourself, commissioned by you, or even free articles found online. Naturally they need to compliment the focus of your site, although it’s easy to do with a little imagination. If you sell garden tools for example, you could publish articles about gardening, or commission a series on gardening tips.
The idea is that people might find your articles first, attracted by the content, and while they’re on your site visit the products section, or whatever it is you’re keen to promote on your site. This often works well, and it avoids one of the most common mistakes seen with RSS: namely people shoehorning inappropriate content, such as huge lists of products, into an RSS feed. It’s more effective to evolve your site to accommodate RSS rather than try to pretend RSS will automatically work for your existing site.
You have to identify what you have that’s worth adding to a feed for yourself. Once you’ve done that you need to create the feed file itself.
Create and update your RSS feed
If you’re using CMS software (see above) then you’re probably all set; any time you add new content to your site it should automatically create a new feed file for you. If, however, you have to setup RSS yourself then you need to create a feed file and upload it to your site.
There are many ways to create an RSS feed. If your site is small you can probably create it by hand; and an ideal start is to download the free sample file available with this article and use it to accommodate your own content. All you need is a simple text editor.
A good alternative is to find software that will help you create RSS feeds. Many of these can be described as semi-automatic, in the sense that you will still have to key in information yourself about the items you’re including, but they do remove the more tricky technical elements allowing you to focus on content (see: Useful Links, below).
Finally, there are services available that can completely automate the process for you. Often these are as simple as keying in a URL for your site and letting the software find content on your site and use it to create a finished feed file (see: Useful Links, below).
Once you’ve created your feed file you need to upload it to your site. This should be put in a meaningful directory, like this:
www.example.com/feeds/latest.xml
It can go anywhere that makes sense to you as it’s not directly accessed by people like normal webpages. Many people prefer to verify their feed to make sure it’s properly formatted once it’s online. This is easily done using a free online verification service. It’s as simple as copying and pasting the feed URL into a field on a website (see: Useful Links, below).
Marketing your RSS feed on your own site
The first place to market your RSS feed is on your own website. You need to add some code to your pages to highlight its existence. This is as simple as adding a single line to each page in your META tags, like so:
<link href="http://www.example.com/feeds/latest.xml"
rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Feed
Title Here" />
This should be added to any page where you want the feed to be noticed, like your article pages or your blog. If you have any doubts about where to put this just add it to every page, and be careful to get the feed URL exactly right.
Adding this to your pages helps inform search engines of your feed location, and also works with RSS-capable browsers, like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Typically these browsers will let the user know a feed exists, usually by flashing a little RSS icon on their browser. This means they have the opportunity to subscribe there and then, usually by simply clicking the highlighted icon. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Another important step is to add a visible link on your webpages themselves. This is simply a link to the actual feed, often just a text link. Again this helps search engines find it, as well as human visitors. The trick is to keep the wording sensible, and avoid jargon. Something like this:
- Subscribe to our News Feed
- Latest Articles
- Latest News
Try to avoid off-putting jargon words like “XML” or “Syndication”; even something like “RSS Subscribe” might be completely meaningless to much of your audience, so keep it simple and use wording that actually describes what’s being subscribed to. If it’s a blog, for instance, then use something like “Latest Blog Entries”. If you have any doubts use “Subscribe to our News Feed”, and if space is limited try “RSS Feed”.
The link itself should be on any relevant pages; if it’s a feed for your latest articles then put it on every article page, for example. In addition it’s always worth adding a feed link to the home page too.
Marketing your feed elsewhere
Beyond your own website you should add your feed to specialized services that focus on web feeds. This is very similar to submitting your site to a search engine: it lets them know you exist, and gives you an element of control over your promotional activities.
Firstly you have to make a note of some basic details, which tend to be the following:
- The feed URL (note: this is the web address of the actual feed, not your website)
- A title for the feed
- A brief description for the feed (a short sentence is enough)
Not all submission services need these details; many will just take the URL and work out the rest themselves. However, it’s handy to have as it not only speeds up your submission efforts but also helps standardize the information available about your site. It looks more professional if every instance of your RSS feed has the same title and description.
The next step is to do the rounds of the submission sites that focus on RSS. A good place to start is the RSS Submissions site. This lists many places that accept your feed details, which in turn get published online for users to browse and find. Many popular search engines, like Yahoo, will also accept details of your feed. It’s worth spending a few days on this as it helps spread your site details far and wide, and it’s all free. Try searching in any popular search engine for “RSS submit feed” to find more places to submit your feed.
The benefits of using RSS
Because RSS feeds can be submitted to search engines and feed services in their own right, they help increase exposure to your website.
The most important benefit of RSS is that it’s easy and convenient for your users to access the information on your site. Once subscribed they are informed immediately when your feed updates. They don’t need to visit your site to find this out as the software does it for them.
Given the ease with which RSS feeds can be subscribed to their main attraction for site owners is that it provides an easy, non-pushy way to reach your site visitors. Since subscribing is voluntary you can also be confident you’re not imposing on users in the way that other delivery methods do, like email.
In addition, because RSS feeds can be submitted to search engines and feed services in their own right, they help increase exposure to your website. The contents of the feed itself may attract people searching for the kind of information you have published; an invaluable, and often missed, opportunity.
Naturally this can help increase traffic, especially targeted traffic. Anyone finding your feed through a search engine or specialized service will already be interested in the topic they’ve searched on; providing a useful, and free, additional way for them to find you.
Finally, RSS is increasingly popular with users. Its main attraction is that it tends to be clean and clutter-free, unlike many websites themselves. This allows people to concentrate on the thing they want most – good content. Additionally, because the user subscribes to the feed voluntarily, they retain control over it. Site owners republish feeds when they update, but the ultimate recipient, your readers and site visitors, can look at it when they please. This element of control is one of the main reasons RSS is favored by so many, and it’s the main reason many people subscribe in the first place.
RSS is worth considering
Because it is easy to do, and easy for users to receive, RSS has become an important part of the delivery mechanism on the web. People are no longer content to visit dozens of sites every day. If your site is one of the ones they may be interested in, then setting up an RSS feed might get you extra traffic and help create return visits from your site users.
Remember, once subscribed, an RSS feed is like an automatically updated bookmark; it’s already been saved by your site visitors and offers a unique opportunity to communicate with them. So if you haven’t already got one, then consider setting up an RSS feed for your site to make the most of this impressive technology.
By Calvin van Hoek
Copyright © 2007 Calvin van Hoek. All rights reserved.
Please note: This article is not available for reprint without express written permission from the author.
Useful Links
We don't endorse any products or services outlined below, however if you're new to RSS feeds you may find these links useful to get you started using it for yourself.
About the RSS format
You can find out all about the RSS format from Harvard University.
Download a sample feed
Download our free sample feed to get you started.
Online Services to create Feeds
Handy online service to get you started with RSS.
Software to create feeds
Downloadable software to help you build feeds.
Verify your feed
Online service to make sure your RSS feed is properly setup. Free and easy to use.
RSS submission sites
Sites to publish your RSS feed to. Remember: feeds can be promoted in their own right, separate from your website as a whole.
Related Article
A
Beginners Guide to Using RSS
A users guide to Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Ideal for anyone new
to the technology, or just wanting to find out more about how it works.
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