This can actually be done fairly easily. This post is going to give you a quick and simple method to do this.

The code you see below is the default settings from the free version of Feed Commander using an RSS feed from www.feedcommander.com.

Any or all of the bold red highlighted areas can be removed to allow your stylesheet to control the display.

The result removing all would look like this:

Editing that piece of code, and changing the feed url saves a ton of time, and the display will already follow the styles of the site it’s being displayed on. Create a feed once, edit, and save for future use.

You can find this option at the bottom of the free and pay feed styling screens. The default will remain as the links using target=”_blank” to open them in a new window.

Screenshot:

By checking the checkbox in the option area, “Open Links in New Window: Do Not Open feed links in new window/tab”, the links will open in the current window instead.

Commonly, you would use the open in new window for RSS feed from another site, which you are displaying on your own. This helps to keep your viewers at your site while also displaying more content of interest to them.

Displaying RSS feed from your own site, you would probably prefer to use the “Not open in new window” since the viewers are not leaving your site to view the links. Some people don’t mind new tabs opening, but others can get frustrated when links from your site open many windows.

Both the free and paid versions of FeedCommander were updated on July 24, 2007 to open all the feed links in a new window, rather than leaving your site to view the articles. Each link from the feed will open in the same new window, so you won’t have discouraged readers opening tons of new windows on their screens.

This latest version is FeedCommander v07.24.07.

Claiming your blog at Technorati is supposed to be a simple task, but as other blogs are reporting, there may be some problems.

Go to Technorati, log in, click edit next year screen name in the top right, then go to the third tab, “Blogs” to stake your claim, and follow the directions.

I just went through the process with this post, and seemed to be having a problem too.

Okay - that failed twice - now I’ve claimed the blog using their “simple method” which involves entering your admin username and password there at Technorati.  That’s something I would have preferred not to do, however, I did want to claim his blog as my own, and it seems to have worked.

In the world of online business, search engines determine your business’ future. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is big business. Being unaware of SEO practices can seriously injure your online profit. 

A website that is properly optimized for search engines takes advantage of every opportunity to pack relevant information and keywords into their website to help increase the search engine results ranking.  Your RSS feed content is no exception.  In fact, optimizing your RSS feed just makes sense.

The most important aspect of SEO is relevance.  An RSS feed delivers content that users subscribe to from your website. Shouldn’t that content be relevant to your business?  If I subscribe to an RSS feed from a blog about cell phones, I don’t expect to get content about how to barbecue ribs.

The RSS feed on your website is meant to bring in traffic, not drive it away with unrelated content.  Avoid the temptation to stuff your RSS content with keywords.  If a keyword can be placed in the content with a saturation of no more than 10%, go for it, but don’t stress if your chosen keyword only appears 2-3 times.  It is better for an article to read naturally than to be keyword rich.  It’s also important to remember that if the content is not interesting and free of punctuation, grammar and spelling mistakes no one will want to read your feed.

The process of optimizing your RSS feed is very similar to optimizing your website.  Carefully selecting your channel title, channel description, article title, anchor text, heading tags and image title all will help increase your search engine results ranking.

Your selected channel title should be relevant to your feed and keyword rich.  Since RSS feeds are displayed in an XML format, which is a simple form of code, HTML should not be used in your channel title as it may not be compatible with all forms of RSS readers.  Your channel title is the initial text that catches a reader’s attention and should be treated as one of the most important aspects of your RSS feed copy.  Make every word count.  Cut the fat by trimming down any unnecessary or repetitive words. Keep it simple and powerful.

Your channel description is the place where you have an opportunity to really hook the reader.  Using descriptive language and excellent ad copies will pay off by drawing the reader into your website and your RSS feed.  While you can of course slip in a few keyword phrases, the channel description is intended to impress people, not search engines.  A limited amount of HTML can be displayed in this area if you would like to change the font size or text color for added emphasis.

Selecting an SEO Appropriate Title For Your Feed Articles

Since RSS feeds are read by many different aggregators, you should keep your article titles shorter to ensure that the title can be displayed by all types of RSS readers.  A character length of between 50 and 75 characters is best.  Try to determine what the keywords for the article content would be, then include a few of those keywords in the title and the relevance rule still applies.  Do not include any HTML in your article titles as in the channel title.

Images are a great way to break up monotonous text and add some interest to the content of your feeds.  The majority of RSS readers will display the image at the top of the page, before the text of the article.  For this reason, your images should be selected with great care and display an image that relates to the included text and grabs the reader’s attention.  The image should be around 81 x 31 in size and absolutely no larger than 144 x 400.  Be sure to include the full URL of the image and double check that the link actually works or it will be read as a broken link.  Search engine spiders frown deeply on broken links.  The added time and attention to double check things are worth the effort.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Fresh

Regular maintenance is required to keep your RSS feed current.  Daily content is best, but it is also crucial to archive older articles and keep the feed from bogging down with older information.  Some feed readers will not display your fresh information if the total quantity of content contained in the feed is too large.  Search engine crawlers thrive on websites that are updated frequently with relevant information.  That’s why so many blogs are popping up on business websites- they increase your SERPS.

The Odds and Ends

Anchor text and heading tags should be used as well when optimizing your RSS feed.  The same website SEO principals apply to these tags as well.  If you are new to SEO or would like to expand your knowledge of the basics of SEO, check out my SEO101 articles for more information from A Rookie’s Guide To Search Engine Optimization and Marketing.

SEO can help propel your website to the top of the search engine results page.  An RSS feed can bring in traffic by the droves if done properly with compelling, unique content.  These two Internet marketing tools work together to provide results.  The bottom line is that SEO increases sales.  Using it in your RSS feed as well as your entire website is just plain old good business sense. If you are confused by the how to’s of SEO and RSS feeds, consult an Internet consultant who can either walk you through the steps or take over the Internet marketing and optimization for your website.  You can visit Search Commander or Feed Commander for more information on using SEO and RSS feeds or to get a quote on Internet services from a professional with a proven track record and the skills that will put your business on top of the search engine results page.

 

The Basics of RSS Newsfeeds

RSS can be read as, “Rich Site Summary” or “ Really Simple Syndication”. Both phrases mean essentially the same thing. An RSS newsfeed is offered by a website as a way for readers to conveniently access information from the website as it is posted.

An RSS newsfeed works in the same way that a stock ticker does. You anonymously subscribe to newsfeeds and they are delivered to your computer automatically. There’s no need to visit each individual website for that day’s information, it is delivered directly to you via the RSS feed.

Who Is RSS For?

RSS is for everyone. Anyone interested in keeping up with current information on any number of topics can benefit from RSS newsfeeds. RSS eliminates the need emailed newsletters. No more wading through your spam mailbox every week to retrieve a newsletter with information that you requested from a website. Once the requested information is subscribed to by a user, the RSS reader collects and stores it, for perusal at your leisure. You can archive it, read it immediately or just let it collect dust until you choose to delete it.

How Do I Get An RSS Newsfeed?

There are an endless number of possible applications for RSS newsfeeds. One of the best uses of an RSS feed is to place it on your personalized search engine homepage. With a few steps, you can be reading RSS newsfeeds almost immediately.

The first step is to get an RSS newsreader or aggregator. Some of the most popular forms of newsreaders are available from Google, MSN and Yahoo. If you already have an account with one of these sites, sign in and start adding feeds to your home page.

The next step is to collect the information that you want to keep up to date on. You can either use the specialized RSS feed search option or just enter a basic search for websites that are relevant to your desired topic of interest.

You add content either by clicking the “add stuff” link or by copying the URL of the website and pasting it into the add box. Once you have added your desired content from various websites, you can drag and drop them so that they appear in an order that is convenient for you. You can delete any items and add them back later at any time. RSS feeds are free.

These instructions are generalized for all search engine home pages. I will be posting specific, step by step instructions for personalizing home pages on Google, Yahoo and MSN in another article.

Starting with a personalized home page is the easiest way to get your feet wet with RSS newsfeeds. Once you have mastered the search engine homepage, you will be ready to move on to a stand alone RSS aggregator application. RSS is a wonderful, time saving tool. The fact that RSS is free and easy to use is just icing on the cake.

What is an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator?

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”, or for “Rich Site Summary” which in essence works like a newspaper subscription. You find a blog or news site that you are interested in reading daily and you subscribe to the site’s RSS feed.

The content is converted to an XML format (that’s why the text looks like a jumbled mess when you click on the RSS logo) and can be read by an aggregator as it checks for additions to the content of an RSS feed subscription at set intervals, delivering up to the minute information right to your computer. Pretty slick!

An RSS aggregator is an application that collects all of your RSS feed subscriptions and displays the results for you to review at your leisure. It saves previous postings and can even download them to your PC for offline viewing.

What are some uses for RSS feeds?

One very popular use for RSS feeds is simply convenience. You can collect all of your favorite blog entries and news stories automatically, saving precious time spent on the Internet. No more waiting for pages to load and scanning through your favorites folder for each website. Just like the morning newspaper, they are waiting on your PC’s doorstep each day.

Another use for RSS feeds extends beyond recreational reading. Businesses can use an RSS feed to keep up with industry news and what the competition is doing in a minimal amount of time by subscribing to a series of important, relevant feeds.

Placing an RSS feed on your website also increases your visitor traffic if for no other reason than the ease of use. An RSS feed also has been shown to increase your organic SERPS results. In the world of Internet marketing, such a tool is a literal goldmine. An RSS feed can give you an edge over the competition and when used as a dynamic viral marketing engine, an RSS feed can significantly increase a company’s revenue.

Similar syndication formats have cropped up from time time in the past, but they never caught on in popularity because they were not user friendly and were designed to work with only one type of aggregator that may or may not be compatible with other syndicated content that you were interested in.

The beauty of the RSS feed is its universality and simplicity. The XML code is easily read by any number of aggregators and placing an RSS feed on your website is easy to do and subscribing to a feed requires only basic computer knowledge.

RSS is here to stay. Embracing the reality of the usefulness of RSS can help your business thrive on the Internet.