RSS Feed: where should one begin

RSS is a technology that provides the webmasters with total control of the information they select to send out. The content is distributed through the RSS feeds directly to the subscribers. Many online businesses have embraced the idea of using the RSS feeds. For those who do not know where or how to start, below are some steps that should be followed in the creating the RSS feed.

Available online are web and desktop aggregators that allow a person to create an RSS feed. The beauty about RSS readers is in there easiness of use. It is worth noting that though the whole process sounds easy it may end up being a bit complicated for a first timer. A large number of the desktop application for creating an RSS feed are fitted with a wizard which simplifies the process of coming up with an RSS feed. If you follow the process indicated on the wizard then you will come with an RSS feed in less than ten minutes.

The publishers have total control of the content that is displayed on the feed. The publisher can either decide to make use of full articles or some teasers. Most importantly it is essential to be able to indentify what you intend to accomplish and who you are targeting.

Once the RSS feed has been created it is time to move it to the server. This can be achieved by making use of an FTP client that is standardized. In some cases you will have the FTP client fitted within the software.

You can make use of a graphic to display your RSS feed. The graphic should be attractive enough to capture the attention of the visitor. The icons can also be used to enhance the graphics. Note Page has come up with a free RSS tool for graphics that will allow its users to customize the keys by choosing the content and shade of the button.  The button can then be matched to a particular theme on the site. One does not really need to have experience in graphics in order to achieve this.

Once the RSS feed is published it is vital to alert the visitor of its availability. The aggregators will make an automatic detection of the RSS on the site. One simply should insert a code straight to the top of the HTML page. 

After you are confident with the RSS feed you have published the next step should be to offer the visitors on the site another option of viewing the information such as receiving the feed as an email. Being able to offer new content on a consistent basis will encourage the readers to come back to your site.

The final step is to submit the RSS feed to the search engine and relevant RSS Directories. You can do this manually and the approach would be similar to that of submitting the URL of a site or a web page to a search engine.