You might have come across an orange button on the very right-hand side of any web page or blog on the internet. When you click on it you come across a page wherein all posts are saved. Some might think it’s a kind of database or something but actually, it isn’t. To know about RSS and why it is important, keep reading this article till the end.
RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication and basically, it’s software that allows your readers to read your content without going to the particular blog. Technically RSS is a structured XML document that includes full or summarized text along with other metadata such as published date, author name, etc.
Suppose you are following 5-6 blogs and you have subscribed to the RSS feed so you can easily read those articles from the RSS feed reader. It saves your time as you won’t have to go to their blog and find the latest article they post. So, the RSS feed is very essential for blogs or any informative websites where they post kinds of stuff daily.
RSS is an open standard protocol that allows any website to provide a free subscription to its reader without signing up for their website or blog. By using an RSS reader you can access all new updates from those websites without having to visit them individually.
WordPress owners get this feature on their site wherein it automatically publishes RSS feeds of your content. In short, RSS is a data format that allows the text of a blog or website to be transferred to such software without having to worry about stuff like colors and font choices.
The more complex the internet content grew, so did the RSS files which quickly adopted images, videos, and much more but in a short format for easier loading and compatibility across all feed readers. So here the internet users create their online feeds filled with custom updates from the sites they visit often.
So the question is why RSS?
RSS solves the problem of tech-savvy people. It allows you to stay easily informed by getting in the latest feed for you. It saves your time and ensures your privacy by not needing to join each site’s email newsletter and fetching you the real-time updates of your favorite blogs or websites. The number of sites offering RSS feed is growing rapidly.
RSS feed is also a good option for social media if you just want the news and articles without any other baggage. Also, they are easy to read and update automatically.
With the emergence of mobile apps, there are many feed readers available online which display RSS feeds from the websites that you subscribe to. Some of the popular feed readers are:
- Feedly
- io
- Inoreader
- Netvibes
- The old reader
- Feedreader & many more
Benefits of RSS in SEO
Before putting RSS Feeds on your site, take into account the following factors:
- An RSS FEED has no impact on your site’s SERP ranking.
- If your websites need to update its content regularly, it’s recommended to use RSS Feed as it will help a search engine pick up all the news feeds on your website.
- RSS feeds may result in some other sites building links to your content.
- RSS feed may also result in repeat visitors to your site, which in turn would boost the value of your pages when viewed by search engines.
- RSS feed also helps search engines to index the content of your site faster and more efficiently.
Although RSS feeds may not make any direct impact on your website’s ranking but you can still take advantage of its other benefits. If RSS feed is utilized correctly, it can help boost your site’s traffic and increase your reach to a wider audience.
RSS yay or nay?
The RSS Feeds are still present but now they are not as dominant as they used to be once. These days social media like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and others provide a go-to option for following sites, watching feeds, or learning the latest content.
Other RSS solutions that you might be viewing are YouTube channels, weather updates, podcasts, etc. These all provide users with an option of “subscribe”. By clicking on the “Subscribe” button you become the subscriber of the site & get notified whenever they update a new piece of information.
Take online brands, for example, they post continuously on social media for marketing their products but they don’t want to take the extra time to convert content into a bunch of RSS files. That’s why a new blog or website may offer only “subscription” content by simply following them on social media but no RSS feed.
However, the RSS feed still has its place with its loyal users.
