Since 1999, an RSS feed has enabled users to receive up-to-date information about changes to a website. For this, you have to subscribe to the feed. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and includes many different formats that are uniformly structured and summarized in XML format. The competing format is ATOM .
possible uses
Various information can be bundled via RSS feeds with the help of RSS services. The user thus has the possibility of always being informed in brief about the latest news from the pages he has selected. RSS feeds usually only contain a small section of a website and a link that can be clicked if a user wants to read more. RSS feeds are often used by blogs and news sites that want to reach the widest possible readership. These readers are then informed about new content without having to constantly check the relevant pages for new content.
RSS feeds can also be used to subscribe to podcasts. In addition, so-called “torrent services” use RSS feeds to enable their users to download files directly.
functionality
A user must subscribe to an RSS feed in order to read the information via his mailing program, the browser or an ” RSS reader “. The advantage for subscribers is that they receive diverse information from countless websites in one place. The advantage for the providers of RSS feeds is that they can send information without having to worry about maintaining the list of addressees. Consequently, it is a time-saving way for both parties to send and receive up-to-date information.
In the context of content syndication, RSS feeds are often used to provide a website with new information without the operators of the site having to write their own content. However, this practice is often questionable with regard to search engine optimization in connection with parsing methods.
components
An RSS file usually contains the following components, which are stored in the source text. “Item” is understood to mean a contribution/article that is transmitted in the data feed.
full URL: http://www.beispielseite.de
linked image url
Hyperlink to entry/article
so
RSS feeds and SEO
Due to the easy handling and simple link generation, RSS feeds have long been used in the SEO scene for link building. For this purpose, the RSS feed of a page was stored in so-called RSS directories. Each individual post within a feed could thus provide a backlink. But, like web directory listings, listings in RSS directories were soon interpreted by search engines as a spam measure, especially when the listings were massive. RSS feeds are therefore no longer suitable as a means of link building.
RSS feeds were and are used by many websites to make their own domain more up-to-date. However, these portals then in turn ensure more outgoing links from your own site, which in turn could be disadvantageous in terms of evaluation by search engines. In addition, the short descriptions contained in the feeds can cause duplicate content, which Google & Co. can rate very negatively. If additional content is parsed, data misuse is likely and there is a risk of spam if a website does not provide its own content. RSS feeds are therefore rather unsuitable for upgrading your own website.
Basically, RSS feeds can be a good way to draw attention to a web project or blog. However, once RSS feeds have been published, a webmaster no longer has any control over which websites embed their feeds. In addition to Bad Neighborhood, there is also the danger here that one’s own site will be devalued due to content published twice or more than once on the Internet.
If you use an RSS feed from another website on your own project sensibly and with moderation, you can offer your visitors added value. However, the benefits should be clearly identified.