Let's build an RSS Feed:

What the heck is an RSS Feed?

RSS is a family of XML file formats for web syndication used by news websites and weblogs. They are used to provide items containing short descriptions of web content together with a link to the full version of the content. This information is delivered as an XML file called RSS feed, webfeed, RSS stream, or RSS channel.

Yikes, that sound complicated. Don't worry, it's not.

Setting up an RSS feed is super simple. Maintaining it everyday is very easy too.

The following format is what you will use for your RSS feed:

Open a new blank page. Name it feed.xml and save it. Now add this format:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">

<channel>

<title>Your Website Title</title>
<description>Your Website Description</description>
<link>Your home page URL</link>

<item>
<title>Your Article Title</title>
<description>Article description</description>
<link>URL to your article page</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Yesterdays Article Title</title>
<description>Yesterdays article description</description>
<link>URL to yesterdays article page</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Article from the day before</title>
<description>Article description</description>
<link>URL to that article</link>
</item>

(You can add up to 15 separate links on this list.)

</channel>
</rss>

That's all there is to it. Name it feed.xml. Actually you can name it anything you want as long as the extension is xml. I only suggest feed.xml because it is easy to remember and easy for your visitors to find.

Now add these images to your website:

    Right click and Save Picture As...

And link each one to your feed.xml file.

As you update your feed, always leave your website linking info on top. Move everything else down and add the new article to the top <item> Now when people grab your RSS feed and put it on their site, they will be linking back to you. Anyone who wants to read the articles will have to come to your site to read it.

Can you see how this is going to build traffic?

Make sure you only add quality articles to your feed. You don't want people removing your feed once they have it installed.

I only update my feeds Monday thru Friday and I have that information listed on my site. I don't want to have to work on the weekends.

You will have to have at least three articles before you can offer the feed. If you have a web page that reads like an article, use that to get started. You don't have to create a separate page for the article, just link the feed to the existing page.

Let's put a Tell-A-Friend form on your site.

RSS Feed