RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication. It is part of the
XML family that is used for syndicating information. Put simply
RSS allows one web site to share information with another web
site.
As a web site publisher, RSS offers a way for them to publish
their information on many web sites, which in turns increases
their reach on the Internet and the amount of traffic they
receive to their web site. They also receive more one way links
back to their web site. These benefits result in an increase in
their search engine ranking.
As a web site owner, RSS allows them to receive up to date links
to information on a regular basis that runs on auto pilot. When
the publishing site is updated, their web site is also updated.
The result of this is that their web site is updated more
regularly which also increases their search engine ranking.
The other benefit the web site owner receives from using RSS is
that their information remains "fresh" which encourages their
visitors to return on a regular basis.
However, the web site owner does not receive the complete
articles, instead, they receive a feed that contains a title, a
brief description and a link to the article that resides on the
publishers web site.
The main disadvantage to the web site owner is that they trade
off traffic for content, as their visitors need to visit the
publishers web site to read the complete article.
But, this is a minor disadvantage considering all the benefits
that RSS offers the web site owner.
The web site owner will need to install some software in order
for them to receive RSS Feeds.
This software ranges from commercial packages the web site owner
can purchase all the way down to freeware. Before purchasing any
software you should research the different software packages
that are available to ensure you get the software that is most
suited to your requirements.
Fortunately, setting up an RSS feed is relatively
straightforward and should only take a couple of hours at the
most, and, once RSS is set up their is very little maintenance
(if any) required.
If you are a web site owner, you should consider the power of
RSS and what it can offer you and your web site.
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