RSS – Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication

RSS - Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication is simply a lightweight platform designed for use in publishing frequently updated works such as blog entries or news headlines in a standardized format. Think of it as a "What's New" distribution channel for your website. It was originally developed by UserLand in 1997 and later used by Netscape to build channels for Netcenter. RSS has evolved into a popular means of sharing content between sites and includes names like the Associated Press, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Red Herring, Slashdot and ZDNet. Millions of web blogs also use this method of distribution as well. RSS helps to solve many problems web designers commonly face, namely, increasing web and search engine traffic - SEO.

RSS is probably the most powerful optimization method available, says Turner Dow. "SEO professionals talk about RSS as a means of reading news or publishing blogs within a particular genre. But we can better use the revolution of RSS by properly structuring our sites with deep links to every appropriate page, then submitting to RSS-only sites. Those sites will then provide us with something totally awesome. One link to your home page and one link for every related page on your site." You couldn't ask for a better deal than that.

Just like HTML web pages, RSS feeds can be optimized to perform better in search engine listings. Quality web content is irrelevant if the website cannot be "found". Marketing your RSS feeds using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques will assure that interested parties can find your feed and website. Just like web pages, RSS feeds that are updated frequently, and on a regular basis, will perform better in the search engines. Use keywords and keyword phrases judiciously in the RSS feed's title and description. If you neglect to include critical terms, the RSS feed will not appear in the search results when those keywords are searched. Contact Full Impact Web Design for a free consultation to discuss your options.