How and Why You Should Be Using RSS for Websites

With the huge number of websites out there, it is more crucial than ever for you to find ways to stand out above the crowd. 634 million websites existed as of 2012, according to Mashable. As recent research from DOMO shows, 571 new websites are created every minute. Needless to say, if you want to get yourself noticed, you have to improve your marketing.

Popular methods of web marketing include writing quality content, keyword inclusion, and sharing your content through social media and bookmarking platforms. Unfortunately, those techniques do not always guarantee results. Using RSS for websites, however, is much more reliable.

What is RSS?

According to whatisrss.com, RSS stands for “rich site summary”. However, it is much more frequently and accurately translated to mean “really simple syndication”. RSS for websites allows content to be streamed in simplified formats to RSS readers and RSS aggregators that are automatically updated whenever web creators post new content.

How Do RSS Feeds for Websites Work?

To take advantage of RSS for websites you maintain, you have to include a script in your webpage. Many popular blogging services, like Blogger and WordPress, automatically set up an RSS feed for websites when they are created. However, if your web-host does not offer this service, a quick Google search will yield many tutorials on how to create an RSS feed for your site.

If you want to share others’ content on your site, you can also find a simple script to run a ticker of RSS feeds for websites related to your own content onto your webpage.

Why Should You Use RSS Feeds for Websites?

  • RSS is Convenient
  • As The Verge writes, RSS allows web users to easily find their favorite content all in one place. By using an RSS reader, your visitors can subscribe to your feed. When you update, they are automatically notified. This saves them the trouble of having to visit your site every time they want to check for a new post. That may only count for seconds, but, in this age of information overload, seconds count for a lot.

  • RSS Feeds Allow You to Network and Build Reputation
  • RSS feeds for websites are great for sharing your own content, but they are also useful for sharing others’. You might wonder why you would want to effectively promote your competition. As MarketingThink points out, sharing others’ content allows you to do two things.

    First, it lets you network with other content creators on the web. By building a relationship with them, you increase your chances of your own content being shared. Second, having a RSS feed constantly running with great new content from others on your page is a great way to provide your readers with even more value. Doing so allows you to demonstrate yourself as a source, as someone interested in your topic as a whole, as opposed to someone only interested in their own views.

If you are searching for ways to promote your website, then you need to consider RSS for websites. Making use of RSS will allow you to more easily share your content, and it can help you to build relationships across the web. Plus, it is free. Why not give it a try?