Simple Syndication - Is it all that Simple?
RSS Feeds, otherwise known as Really Simple Syndications, are a simple way for users to have the news coming to their weary fingertips instead of performing multiple searches. RSS feeds are also a relatively simple way for website developers to promote their website and develop long-term relationships with valuable customers. All of the major search engines (Yahoo, MSN, Google) and browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera) enable personalized RSS Feeds for the user through multiple methods, including toolbars, addons, homepages, favorites, desktops, Visa, Outlook, email and even Microsoft Office. RSS Feeds can link your favorite visitors with your daily news, updates to your websites, new product offerings, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, lists, and other sources. Google Adsense offers text advertising inside select RSS Feeds for your site (for a price of course).
RSS Feeds use a code called XML, and the hard-working spiders crawling easily recognize the content in the codes. This means that RSS Feeds contribute to the visibility and ranking of web search results. Which also means your website has a leg up on any website that does not take advantage of a RSS Feed, if you use relevant keywords. However, keep in mind that in order for the spiderbots to read the RSS Feed, the scripting language must be in PHP and not Java. The PHP scripting enables the search-engine spiders to read the RSS and the PHP the same as HTML - which sounds like a job for a programmer. A Yahoo RSS study found that the majority of users are uncomfortable with the XML RSS feed button, so be sure to make your RSS links very user friendly if you have a non-technical website.
RSS Feeds are simple for the user, but a bit more difficult for non-programmers. Non-techies can, however, create RSS Feeds with software programs. Many sites offer to add RSS Feeds to your website for free, but watch for adware. Google has acquired “Feedware,” which is a “media distribution and audience engagement services for blogs and RSS feeds.” According to Google, the Nielsen/NetRatings claim Feedware’s growth rate is faster than MySpace and Digg. Dreamweaver is another program that can be used for developing RSS feeds. The extra effort put into RSS Feed could be well-spent, considering Yahoo’s findings that RSS users have an average income of $15,000 more than RSS non-users.
Anything that provides information has the potential to explode into “information overload.” An RSS Aggregator is a dedicated software or online program that allows you to read RSS files and combine them to create your own layout, similar to creating your own newspaper. So, keep the RSS feeds interesting enough for customer’s to add to their layouts, and make sure you organize yours in an easily readable format.
RSS Feeds are a useful tool for marketing and business. The soaring popularity of RSS Feeds requires that your website have an RSS Feed available. The RSS Feed keeps you in the search engine results and in the customer’s eyes. Correctly managed with relevant information, smart programming and optimal keywords; RSS Feeds will develop a following for your website. And where people follow, sales and advertising flow.
