Blogging Tip #5-Make RSS Accessible

Why an RSS Feed?

Most of us like to read what’s going on in the Business World as we are starting our day. We all have our favorites but rarely have the time to visit every site we like. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) aka Feed, News Feed, Syndication, solves this at least a little bit. (Wikipedia explanation of RSS)

Since RSS is only updated with new information as it is posted, there is no wasted time looking at sites with posts you may have already read. Or worse, not updated at all.

Where’s the Feed?

When I find a New Site I like and I feel it can be a good source of information, I will subscribe to their feed. That way, when they update, I will get the latest information they have posted.

The biggest problem I have come across with some of these sites is… Where is their RSS link?

Find the Feed

Since more and more people have less and less time, they are starting to use RSS as a way to get information they need and want as it becomes available. Why not make it Easy for Them?

Most sites seem to put a link to their Feed in the Sidebar at the Bottom or some other out of the way place. Away from everything. Some don’t even use the Universal RSS Sign  they just depend on the default text link provided by the template they are using.

Here’s the Feed

Once I started using RSS for Business and saw how important it was to improving my efficiency, I wondered why it always seemed to be “left out in the cold” by other sites. Seeing how others feeds were so hard to find, I thought I may try a different approach. I wanted to give my readers the best way possible to subscribe to my feed. After all, what’s the point of writing if no one reads it?

I put an icon for my feed in the Head of the Blog. Now, I have to point out that when I had the Subscription Icon in the Bottom of the Sidebar, I had around 10 subscribers. Once I put the Icon in the Head, subscriptions increased to an average of between 55-65 on a consistent basis because it was easy to find. (Hopefully, this will continue to increase.)

Got the Feed

Point being, if you give your readers Access to your RSS Feed they are more likely to Subscribe. But, they can’t subscribe if you don’t give them the opportunity. So, Make sure your RSS is Accessible to your readers, they are as busy as you, so don’t make them Look for it. Give It To Them.

Do you have any Other reasons to make RSS Accessible? Where do you place Your RSS Icon?