How to add RSS feed to your blog
What RSS feed does and why you should consider it
Did you ever wonder what that small orange box with two white waves and a circle means?
Often found on a blog page, newsletter or many other content websites, the orange box is actually the RSS feed's logo. RSS feeds have considerably gained popularity throughout the years and has become an indispensable tool for both bloggers and it's readers.
WHAT EXACTLY IS AN RSS FEED?
The letters RSS are the initials of Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. What RSS does is it aggregates new entries and updates for the subscriber.
For instance, let's say a reader is interested in a news website so he subscribes to the new's RSS feed. When new news updates are released they are picked up by special computer programs called "RSS aggregators" which notify the reader of these changes saving him the time and effort of checking for updates on a daily basis. Notification of changes are done through e-mails which are very organized in case the reader is subscribed to multiple feeds.
Also keep in mind that convenience wise, RSS feeds work for you 24/7 365 days a year to deliver your new entries to subscribers all over the world without you lifting a finger!
Since most blogs work as journals where entries are consistently added, the choice of adding an RSS feed to your blog is a wise one, allowing your readers to be aware of any updates.
Including RSS feeds to your blog is usually relatively easy. Most major blogging companies such as blogger.com and wordpress offer the easy option of adding an RSS feed.
HOW TO INCLUDE RSS FEEDS TO YOUR BLOG IN 3 EASY STEPS:
For instance in blogger.com all you need to do is:
1) Click on the customize button, usually found near the right top corner between the sign out and new post links.
2) Once you click the customize button you will be directed to the "add and arrage page elements" page. Click on "add a page element" and you will be given the option of choosing a new page element.
3) Look for the familair orange RSS feed button, click on the add to blog button. Do not forget to save your changes and voila' the RSS feed button will show with the option to subscribe to your posts or comments.
Wordpress comes as well with RSS feed options by default. Not all RSS feed options come with the familair orange button. There may be also text representations rather than graphic buttons. Wordpress offers various RSS feed templates to choose from. In order to set up your RSS feed in Wordpress look for the RSS feed templates under the main WordPress directory.
If your blog is not associated with any major blogging company there are various websites that offer free RSS feed buttons. Some of these links offer pretty unique RSS feed buttons as an alternative to the classic orange one we are all too familair with.
Adding an RSS feed to your blog has many advantages, it will increase the number of subriscribers and considerably ensure loyalty from your current subscribers. The little orange box can work wonders for your blog, so give it a try and see the results for yourself!
