RSS - Feed Publishing

Now you are aware how to write an RSS Feed for your site. If you don't know how to prepare RSS Feed file, then please go through the RSS Feed Formats chapter.

Uploading an RSS Feed

Here are the simple steps to put your RSS Feed on the web.

• First decide which version of RSS Feed you are going to use for your site. We would recommend you to use the latest version available.

• Create your RSS Feed in a text file with extension either .xml or .rdf. Upload this file on your web server.

• You should validate your RSS Feed before making it live. Check the next chapter on RSS Feed Validation.

• Create a link on your Web Pages for the RSS Feed file. You will use a small yellow button for the link that says either or .

Now, your RSS Feed is online and people can start using it. But there are ways to promote your RSS Feed so that more number of people can use your RSS Feed.

Promote Your RSS Feed

• Submit your RSS Feed to the RSS Feed Directories. There are many directories available on the web, where you can register your Feed. Some of them are given here:

  • Syndic8: Over 300,000 Feeds listed.

  • Daypop: Over 50,000 feeds listed.

  • Newsisfree: Over 18,000 Feeds.

• Register your Feed with the major search engines. Similar to your web pages, you can add your Feed as well with the following major search engines.

  • Yahoo - http://publisher.yahoo.com/promote.php

  • Google - http://www.google.com/webmasters/add.html

  • Bing - http://www.bing.com/toolbox/submit-site-url

Keeping Up-To-Date Feed

As we have explained earlier, RSS Feed makes sense for the site which are changing their content very frequently, for example, any news or blogging sites.

So now, you have got RSS Feed buttons from Google, Yahoo, and MSN. You must make sure to update your content frequently and that your RSS Feed is constantly available.