So what is an RSS Feed?
RSS Feed … it’s likely a term that you’ve heard of but not many of us understand what it is … much less how (or why) to offer it to our blog visitors. Well … today’s the day you’re going to start learning about it and get to know and LOVE it!
An RSS Feed according to Google in their Feed 101 information:
“Feeds are a way for websites large and small to distribute their content well beyond just visitors using browsers. Feeds permit subscription to regular updates, delivered automatically via a web portal, news reader, or in some cases good old email.”
If a new visitor ends up on your site and enjoys your content they might want to subscribe to your feed. That way they’ll be notified either through a feed reader or through their email each time you’ve made an update to your blog.
Why You Should Offer an RSS Feed on Your Blog
As an online marketer I know first hand how much work is involved in driving each and every visitor to your blog. In this day and age people are busy and scatter-brained and they usually link surf with some intent in mind … usually seeking out some kind of information … and once you’ve provided that information we don’t want to send them away … possibly forever! By offering a feed you are giving them a very simple way to follow what’s going on with your blog. This way they won’t miss any new updates.
If you’ve followed my blog at all you’ll know I’m a complete and total technophobe! So anything that requires me to download, open directories, FTP … *sigh* … doesn’t excite me and I’m probably not going to get around to it any time soon!
In fact, when I started this blog I didn’t have an RSS Feed set up because I didn’t know how to do it. I got email after email asking me why I hadn’t installed a subscription feed yet. Truthfully, I was thinking something like, “Oooooo-K, Oooooo-K … I’ll look into to that RSS thing.” Well, thank goodness I broke down and did the deed. By making it convenient for my visitors to follow my blog I have benefited by having a regular readership and my readers don’t have to remember to check back to see if I’ve updated … it’s a win-win.
Now, speaking to you purely from a marketing standpoint, it’s a known fact that people like to buy from those who they know, like and trust. They will also be more apt to buy after seeing a sales message 6-7 times. So if you have a regular readership you are giving them a chance to really get to know you and to see the products and services you promote over and over.
Now that you know what an RSS feed is and why you need one … next we’re going to tackle how to add one to your blog.
Do you subscribe to any blogs? If so, do you prefer a feed reader or an email subscription? Do you have an RSS Feed on your own blog? Have you wanted to add one but don’t know how? I’d love to hear from you! *SmiLes* Suzanne
In case you haven’t heard … I’m a contestant in this season’s “Blogging Idol” and I could really use your support! I’ve even dangled a carrot or two so check out the details here … and be sure you sign up for my RSS Feed. If you’d like to read about how to subscribe please see my post, “RSS Feed ~ How to Subscribe” and let me know if you have any questions.
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Hi … My name is Suzanne Franco (Land) and I’m a wife (newlywed actually) and mother to 5 amazing kids (my 3 and his 2 – ages 9 to 16) and we live in the Texas Hill Country where we try to spend a lot of time in the water (river, boating, wakeboarding, the beach, etc.) and running from one kid’s sporting event to the other (mainly football, cheerleading, and soccer).
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
About 75% of my blog return visitor come via a RSS reader. More and more people are finally starting to use rss readers to keep up with important info.
Tara @ Affiliate Marketing Prodigy’s last blog post..Profiting from Private Label Rights: How to Use PLR
@ tara ~ thanks! that’s a great stat to keep in mind. are you using full or partial feed?
I would never remember to visit all the sites that I like if I didn’t subscribe to the RSS feed. I think it’s great that you wrote this article – they say RSS is still only used by 11% of internet users and I think it’s important to educate people about that it is. I want to add some information about it on my site but haven’t done so yet.
I think full RSS feeds should be offered. You run the risk of people only reading through the feed reader but many people are annoyed with partial feeds and will unsubscribe.
I was the same way about adding subscribe to comments to my site – people wanted me to but I didn’t see the point. I finally did and it has really helped in getting repeat visitors.
Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..(Anti) Social-Lists 11/2/08
@ kim ~ great to see you here! i’m glad you pointed out that low percentage of internet users using rss … education is key for those of us who strive to be more successful as bloggers. i have read over and over that READERS prefer full feed and it’s only the blog owners who are trying to get readers back to the site who chose partial feed. i believe in doing what my readers prefer … not in trying to get eyeballs back to my site to look at my ads! as a reader i love comment subscriptions ~ that way i know what others are still saying about the topic (not just those who “got there” before me and i can follow along and continue participating if i choose to. thanks for your great points and for all of the *SmiLes* i get from reading your blog! S
Wow, good info! I just assumed everyone used RSS!
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@ julie ~ great to have you here! well, for those who have been around the “blogging block” for awhile … just remember how confusing and overwhelming it was when you first arrived! LOL … i feel like am at university every day trying to learn all of this stuff! i enjoyed reading your blog today
suzanne
Email all the way baby! LOL I ever remember to check readers and that’s no good for either party. I download email several times per day.
I subscribe to quite a few actually and add more as I see fit.
@Kim – I personally email each and every blogger I read if I don’t see a subscribe to comments area.
Dennis Edell’s last blog post..Do You Have Good Follow-Through?
It is really important to have a Feed Button. And I would even teach people to use it. Even me, and expert, knew about this a short time ago.
nice informative blog,
useful for the bloggers.
http://ashok-discoverindia.blogspot.com/
Ohh, tutorial! Yes please! I am about to add a blog to my website and am stumped by the RSS side of thing, people keep saying I will need one but I am in the dark about how to do it… so yes please RSS feed tutorial would be a lifesaver!!!
Jenni
I know the benefits of an RSS feed and thankfully installing them on Wordpress is a breeze. What I am wondering though is what is the added benefit of having you feeds go through a service like Feedburner?
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August 24, 2011 at 11:31 pm
Hi Suzanne
love the information you have written, I sense an honest person from your writing, thank goodness as there are so few around. Well done.
I shall subscribe to your RSS and learn moreThanks again
I really think that RSS Feed is one of the greatest inventions. Too bad whoever invented it has not been given that much recognition. It’s heaven sent for us bloggers.
An RSS tutorial would be great. Is it a wordpress plugin to set up your rss feed? Just so much going on, this is one of the things I am missing on my blogs. Thanks.