RSS Syndication: Getting Started Using Blog or CMS Software
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Written by Andrew Bonar on November 20, 2008 – 6:10 am
If RSS and syndication puts your head in a spin then start here first. That is the first article in this series of utilising RSS for syndication and it covers the basic terminology, the technology and its capabilities and benefits.
If you are still reading I can assume you know the fundamentals about RSS and appreciate the tremendous marketing potential of syndication. We touched on the ATOM feed in the previous article, and if you have opted to use the ATOM method of syndication then this article will on the most part still be of benefit.
RSS and Blogging
RSS (or indeed ATOM) feeds are widely being utilized by blogs and news sites of all sizes. There are astute etailers that also broadcast and publish information using these feeds. Although sites are usually using RSS to syndicate news headlines and summaries, you do not have to stick to the conformed norm - instead, you can always try and be more stylish! Think syndication of product information, whether these are special offers or driver updates or images of new products, even help videos.
That is not to say that there is not a tremendous amount to be gained by simple syndication of news headlines, or ideally summaries, to keep clients, partners, resellers and potential customers abreast of your corporate news. If that is your primary aim I assume you already have a blog for your site, and if not then I highly recommend you get one. There are many self-hosted or free web-based service options, and blogging should be part of your basic online marketing strategy.
If you have a CMS driven website or alternatively a Blog application then they will usually either have an RSS feed as a fundamental feature or there will be a module or component available to make it easy. I will cover various applications in more detail in a moment. Getting your blog in place would be ’step one’ in the process.
See You Later Aggregator
However, there is more to marketing your feeds than simply publishing them online. Just as you need to submit your website to Google and others, you need to submit your site to a variety of ‘aggregators’. They will essentially help get your RSS found and publicized and enable your users to have your updates provided to them right on their desktop or RSS reader application.
If you are looking for end users and real eyeballs then there is one clear leader in the field of RSS/ATOM integration, and as an added benefit of using their service, they give you the ability to track your subscribers. That service is Feedburner.com, and having been acquired by Google in 2007 it is sure to continue to be a leader for a long time to come. However you should take a look at what else is out there and potentially promote your feeds through some of those services too.
There are comprehensive lists available, so get the links to your feeds and start publicizing them at the sites of aggregators. The following are two very good lists:
If you are running any of the following applications then we have some additional tips on getting you started:
WordPress
- Offers RSS Feeds as a standard feature.
- For information on customizing your RSS feeds read this article here
http://codex.wordpress.org/Customizing_Feeds - If you wish to use feedburner to promote your rss feeds then read-up here on an additional module that you will need: http://www.google.com/support/feedburner/bin/topic.py?topic=13252
Joomla
- Basic syndication as a standard features, although limited to the front page items.
- It is set to “on” as standard, and you will find the configuration in Components → Syndicate.
- You are limited to the homepage or one category for syndication (you can control the length of excerpts however). If you want more control then you should take a look at the “Feed Manager” a component you can download here: http://www.run-digital.com/mehr_zum_rss_feed_manager_2.html
Typepad
- On your Weblogs tab, click the “Configure “link for the weblog you want to edit, then click the “Feeds” link to open the Syndication setup page. Select whether you’d like to provide a Post feed. If this selection is enabled, readers will be able to subscribe to your weblog’s feed.
Blogger.com
- Basic RSS and Atom syndication are offered as standard on blogger.com
- You can access your sites RSS and Atom feeds here:
Blogger.com RSS feed: http://[blogname].blogspot.com/rss.xml
Blogger.com Atom feed: http://[blogname].blogspot.com/atom.xml
Postnuke
- RSS feeds are available by default on a postnuke site. The default feed is www.example.com/backend.php
PhpNuke
- Still running Phpnuke? First, activate ultramode in the Preferences section of the Administration panel. then your rss feed will be available at www.example.com/backend.php
Other CMS Systems
- Please review your vendors website for details, search for “RSS your software” on Google
Remember to validate
Remember to validate your RSS feeds, just to make sure there are no problems. There is a free tool available here: http://feedvalidator.org/
Hey Andrew:
This post is great and highlights one of the most overlooked methods for viral exposure for your website (aggregation of RSS). Most assume that feedburner is enough, but it only scratches the surface.
Problogger recently highlighted a post that yes it is true than visitors are not visiting your site, but they are staying in contact and keeping abreast of your brand. Would you rather have one visitor bounce or sign up and when the time is right visit your site (when they have a need) or pass on your details to another colleague for services.
Education online is a double edged sword, with all that you give away, the reward is the quality of the traffic you attract. But monetizing traffic is also important for many.
In the end, it is a numbers game and you really can’t go wrong with syndication. Thanks for sharing.