RSS for Traffic Generation and Creating Opportunity

By Clive R Merrick  |   Submitted On March 31, 2012

  

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Many people have heard of and use RSS for traffic generation but what is it and what does RSS actually mean.

RSS is an abbreviation for "Really Simple Syndication" it was originally called RDF site summary which was also known as RSS 0.9; the first version of RSS. This was followed by the prototype Rich Site Summary also known as RSS 0.91.

RSS tools refer to a group of file formats that share headlines and other web content, this may be 1 or 2 lines of an article or a short summary. These formats link to the full version of the article or post as well as multimedia files. All of this data is delivered in the form of an XML file (XML means Extensible Markup Language) which is more commonly known as.

• RSS Feed
• Web Feed
• RSS Stream
• RSS Channel

They appear on many web pages as an orange rectangle with either RSS or XML written inside. These feeds can be used to deliver any kind of information. Here are some examples.

• An industry specified feed, used by technical professionals to market, promote and communicate with clients and potential customers within their chosen field.
• Scheduled feeds, used by large organisations, clubs and schools to announce changes in schedule, forthcoming events etc.
• Discount or offers feed, used by large retailers to keep customers informed of the latest deals and offers.
• Forum feeds, used to keep forum members updated with all the latest posts and discussion topics.
• News monitoring feed, this allows the user to filter their news using a specific keyword or phrase e.g. Stock Market.
• Blog feed, this is where each post is summarized. This enables visitors to easily locate the blog entries they are interested in.

RSS feeds make tracking different blogs and information sources a very simple and easy process. To produce an RSS feed all you need is the content or the article that you want to publicize and a validated RSS text file. Once you have registered your text file with the various aggregators, any external site can then link to and display your RSS feed. They will then be automatically updated every time something is added to your RSS file. RSS tools are really useful for any website that adds to or modifies their content on a regular basis. They are often used for "web syndication" or when regular updates and publications are needed.

• Product recall
• Marketing
• Software updates
• Personal weblogs

There are an enormous amount of benefits that come from using RSS feeds. Apart from being a great communication method that can be tailored to the needs of each individual sector, they also have great benefits for business. This is especially the case if the business is involved in internet marketing. Using RSS feeds provide internet users with a cheap way of advertising online which creates a marketing opportunity for their business.

RSS features for more effective internet marketing

1. With RSS your business services can be displayed on almost any external website. This provides an easy way to promote your brand and advertise your services.
2. Using RSS you can keep yourself constantly updated in areas concerning your business to stay ahead of the game. Customers can also be made aware of upcoming promotions and product launches.
3. Custom made content allowing visitors to personalize the flow and type of information they wish to receive.
4. Increase and target traffic using RSS by using article summaries to encourage readers to click the link back to your site.

The possibilities for traffic generation and for creating marketing strategies and sales opportunities are endless using RSS.

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