Taking the Mystery Out of RSS Feeds

by Marcia Fortley, Public Relations Manager

You’ve seen the symbol, you’ve heard the term, and you may even know that it makes your organization’s news more searchable on the Internet. But how does it all come together, and how can it benefit your organization?  

Simply put, RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication,” Web syndication that is. Web syndication is a form of syndication (you are probably most familiar with broadcast syndication for radio and television) in which Web site material is made available to multiple parties. Most commonly, Web syndication refers to distributing RSS feeds in order to provide subscribers with the site's recently added content (e.g., breaking news, blog posts, etc.).  In other words, RSS feeds are a way for organizations to distribute new content and news beyond just the visitors who visit its site. 

The way it works.
RSS feeds allow organizations to offer “subscriptions” to regular updates delivered automatically via a Web portal, news reader, widget or email. RSS content must be read using software called an RSS reader, feed reader, or an aggregator. The subscriber must have this software, but it’s free, and can be found on the Internet—Google and Yahoo have popular news reader software available.   

So what’s the benefit?
Because an organization is “pushing” its info out to subscribers, RSS feeds greatly increase the organization’s chance of being found on search engines. This is because key words are imbedded into RSS content by the organization that will be detected by popular search engines, thus increasing a company’s chance of organically reaching the top of an Internet search. Also, by encouraging people who come to your site to sign up for your RSS feeds, you are securing individuals who want to know what your organization is doing on a regular basis—so much so, they are allowing your information to be sent to them instead of having to search for it.  

Try it!
The best way to learn and understand the simplicity of RSS feeds is to sign up to receive feeds from organizations that interest you. Download an RSS reader into your browser (Google Reader is easy) and subscribe to receive feeds from your favorite sites. Or better yet, use the reader’s search function and find new sites you didn’t know about and subscribe to them. One of the best ways to “demystify” RSS feeds is to simply subscribe to them. 

Is it complicated to set up?
RSS feed content can be easily distributed by an organization with proper admin set-up. The organization can release information as often as it likes and include the key words that are most relevant. It is recommended that information be sent through an RSS feed at least on a weekly basis to be sure your site stays on the search engines’ radar, and you grow or retain your search position.