No matter what service or product you provide or what industry your business belongs to, it’s important to provide high-quality information to your site users. For example, if you provide insurance-related services, it’s a good idea to include the latest information from government departments, such as news and updates on statistical findings, insurance tips, etc.
To create and publish this kind of information, however, is very time-consuming. You have to do a ton of information sifting, researching and organizing, checking the accuracy of your facts, writing and editing content (or hire someone to do this for you), and then make sure that this information is continually up-to-date. As you can imagine, this not only involves a lot of work but most of the information you are dealing with is beyond your control.
Thankfully, there is an easier way to provide your readers with expert, up-to-date information.
It’s called RSS …
(RSS is one of the easiest ways to provide your blog subscribers with the latest information)
The Ultimate Guide To WordPress RSS
RSS – Useful Information
- RSS, which, according to some definitions is an acronym for RDF Site Summary, is more commonly referred to as Really Simple Syndication. It can also be called a “feed” or “newsfeed”.
- RSS lets content publishers automatically syndicate their content so that users can read it without having to keep revisiting sites to check for updates.
- Feeds are also used to publish frequently updated information, such as blog post items, news, videos, etc., which any user can then subscribe to.
- Essentially, an RSS feed is an XML document that includes full or summarized text along with metadata like published date, author, etc. It allows people to subscribe to content on sites and blogs that publish feeds and then browse updates posted on these websites using a feedreader. Conversely, RSS feeds also enable publishers to automatically syndicate their information.
- Feeds can be made available in different formats and read by different feed aggregators. Some of these include RSS feeds, Atom feeds and RDF (Resource Description Framework) feeds. All of these formats, however, use a standard XML file format to ensure compatibility with different devices and programs.
- Many sites and software tools also allow you to combine multiple RSS feeds to aggregate news and updates sourced from many websites.
In this detailed guide, we explain how to find your WordPress RSS feed, how to use your WordPress RSS feed to get your content syndicated online, and how to add content from other sites to your site via RSS.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds
Content syndication is a very powerful and legitimate method used for sharing content online. RSS Feeds provide web users with a simple way to stay up-to-date with the latest information posted on websites and blogs they are interested in.
First, let’s look at syndication.
Global media publications rely on syndication to publish newsworthy content from news agencies around the world.
Content syndication allows news reporting agencies to deliver readers the most recent news and newsworthy content from all over the globe without actually having to post more content writers everywhere around the world …
(Global media publications use syndication to publish stories from news sources around the globe.)
Syndication is a legitimate way of sharing information with other sites. Global media publications syndicate content using news feeds …
(Online newspapers syndicate their newsworthy content using feeds)
Most sites actually want you to syndicate their content. Syndicating content not only allows high-quality information to be shared, but it also drives visitors back to the original site responsible for publishing the content being syndicated. This can be an effective way to generate web traffic.
Most leading online media publications include an RSS feed section (look for links that say “RSS” or “Newsfeeds” in them, or just search for “name of site/keyword + rss” – e.g. “nytimes rss”, “miami herald rss”, “sydney morning herald rss”, etc.) …
(Many online newspapers and major content sites provide links to a feed section. Image Source: Sydney Morning Herald RSS )
Clicking on a site’s RSS links section will bring up a directory of different RSS feed sections of the site …
(A list of different RSS feeds. Image: nytimes.com)
These feed items give you access to content from different sections of the website (e.g. technology news, travel news, jobs, etc.)
Feed sections can also contain feed subdirectories …
(RSS Feed section. Source: Los Angeles Times)
Note: An RSS feed is simply a URL. All you have to do to use a feed is copy the URL and paste it into an application that can process the feed into something readable. We’ll cover this further below.
Syndicating Content – Benefits
Adding content from someone else’s website or blog on your site has some obvious benefits. It helps someone else’s business and adds value to your site without you having to create the content …
(Content Syndication Benefits Someone Else’s Business And Yours!)
While adding a feed from another site is a great way to add content to your site that you don’t have to create, it’s a great idea to try and get other sites to syndicate YOUR content.
When other websites syndicate your RSS feed, this gives you the opportunity to gain more exposure online and drive more visitors …
(Get users to syndicate your feed … it will help increase your exposure online!)
WordPress Feed – About
WordPress automatically publishes a feed of your latest posts, allowing others to easily syndicate your content on their sites.
Depending on the WP theme you have installed, there are a few ways to get your RSS feed:
1) If your theme has been configured to display the Meta widget on your sidebar or footer …
(The feed will show the number of posts as you have specified in the Reading Settings section)
Display Full Text Or Summary Of Posts In Your RSS Feed
The other setting in the Reading Settings section that affects your RSS feed is whether to display each article in a feed as full text, or as a summary …
(WP Reading Settings – Display ‘Full Text’ or ‘Summary’ for articles in a feed)
Post Excerpts can also affect how the content in your feed appears …
(Post excerpts can affect how your feed content displays)
If you need help using WordPress Post excerpts, go here:
View The Content Of Your RSS Feeds
As mentioned previously, all that’s required to view a feed’s content is to copy the feed’s URL and paste it into a feedreader, i.e. an application that translates feeds into readable content for humans.
Let’s show you how this works.
First, find a website or blog and search for an RSS feed icon …
(Search for a ’subscribe to feed’ button. Image source: http://www.yourcoffeeguru.com)
Next, copy the feed URL to your clipboard …
(Copy the feed URL to the clipboard)
If you want, you can check what the feed contains by pasting the feed URL into a feedreader …
(Paste the URL of your feed into a feedreader to view the content. Image Source: Feedreader)
Like feed readers, WordPress has the ability to process XML/RSS feeds and convert these into readable content.
How To Add RSS Feeds To Your Site
In the example below, we’ll add RSS content from another website or blog to yours.
How To Add Feeds To Your Sidebar
As mentioned earlier, no matter what industry your business is a part of, you can easily display on your site the latest updates from an industry-related government department or authoritative site in your industry simply by adding content from their RSS feed. You can use feeds to display a range of information on your WordPress site like news, social media comments, or content from thousands of sites using the WordPress RSS widget.
Let’s add RSS content to the WordPress sidebar navigation area …
(Let’s add content from an RSS feed to the WordPress sidebar)
First, Go to a website that publishes content that you would like to add to your sidebar and copy its RSS feed …
(Copy the feed URL to your clipboard)
Next, go to Appearance > Widgets and paste the feed into an RSS widget …
(Widgets Panel – RSS Widget)
To learn more about adding content to sidebars using widgets, go here:
Refresh your web browser. The content from the RSS feed will now show in your sidebar …
(RSS Feed Content Added To WordPress Sidebar Menu)
Add Your WordPress RSS Feed To Search Consoles
You can add your WordPress RSS feed to Google and Bing’s search consoles. This will help them index your content faster.
(WordPress RSS feed added to Google Search Console)
Adding your site’s RSS feed to search consoles is simple, fast, easy, and requires no technical skills. For a step-by-step tutorial, go here:
Adding Content From RSS Feeds To WordPress Posts
Can you add content from an RSS feed to WordPress posts? Yes, you can!
You can do this using plugins. Search on the WordPress plugin repository for RSS Aggregator, RSS feed to post, etc.
(’Add Plugins’ screen)
Note: Most RSS plugins typically require configuration – visit the plugin sites for setup instructions, or contact us for help with plugin configuration.
Here are a few plugins that let you add RSS feeds to your site:
WPeMatico
(WPeMatico – WordPress Plugin)
WPeMatico is an easy to use plugin that lets you publish posts automatically from RSS/Atom feeds of your choice.
You can manage all the feeds you import and organize them into campaigns.
For more details, go here:
WP RSS Aggregator
(WP RSS Aggregator Plugin For WordPress)
WP RSS Aggregator is an RSS feed importer and autoblogging WordPress plugin with premium add-ons for extended functionality.
For example, the Feed to Post extension allows you to add content to your site automatically by importing RSS feeds directly into WordPress posts.
For more details, go here:
RSS Post Importer
(RSS Post Importer – WordPress Plugin)
The RSS Post Importer plugin lets you syndicate, curate, import, merge and display full text feeds (RSS, Atom, etc.) on your WordPress website or blog.
RSS Post Importer will fetch an RSS feed and publish the full content of each feed item as a separate post.
For more details, go here:
Powr RSS Feed
(Powr RSS Feed)
With POWr RSS Feed, you can combine and display content from a number of different content using RSS feeds.
The plugin also lets you display images, videos, and article content, adjust feed spacing and size, use custom borders, colors, fonts, and more. It is also mobile responsive and supports text in all languages.
The premium edition of POWr contains many additional features, such as the ability to display different feeds, manually accept or reject posts in your feed, and more.
For more details, go here:
WP Pipes
(WP Pipes – WordPress Plugin)
The WP Pipes plugin is a powerful data migration plugin that lets you curate content from RSS feeds, Google News, and other sources.
This plugin provides loads of powerful functionality like CSV importing for posts/WooCommerce, RSS feed creator, autoblogging, auto post to LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook, export WordPress posts as podcasts, create Google XML sitemaps, and help take your WordPress CMS to a new level.
For more details, go here:
FeedWordPress
(FeedWordPress WP Plugin)
FeedWordPress is a versatile syndication plugin for WordPress content.
As stated in the FeedWordPress website …
FeedWordPress is an open-source Atom/RSS aggregator for the WordPress blog publishing platform. You set up feeds that you choose, and FeedWordPress syndicates posts from those sources into your WordPress posts table, where they can be displayed by your WordPress templates like any other post — but with additional meta-data, so that your templates can properly attribute the post to the source it came from.
You can use this FeedWordPress to create aggregator sites, or display all your online activity (e.g. from your blog, Twitter, Flickr, or other online services, into a Lifestream.
For more details, go here:
Autoblog by WPMUDev
(Autoblog Plugin For WordPress)
Autoblog is an easy-to-use plugin that can be set-up in minutes, without coding skills or complicated instructions. Just copy and paste in your feed URL, name your feed (for admin purposes) and select the blog that you want it to post to.
For more details, go here:
RSS Includes Pages and Custom Post Types
(RSS Includes Pages and Custom Post Types Plugin)
By default, WordPress only posts posts in your RSS feed. You can use a plugin like the RSS Includes Pages and Custom Post Types plugin if you would like to include pages in your WordPress RSS feed and not just posts.
For more details, go here:
WordPress RSS Feeds – Useful Tips
Tip #1 – WordPress Comment RSS Feeds
WordPress displays RSS feeds of comments posted on your site in addition to making RSS feeds of your latest posts available.
To access these, locate the ‘Meta’ section on your sidebar (note: this section may not be visible on some themes) and click on Comments RSS …
(WordPress Comments RSS)
Comments posted on your site by visitors and users display in the Comments RSS page …
(Comments feed entries as seen on Firefox web browser)
Like post entries, your comments feed items will display differently depending on which browser you are using …
(Comments feed entries seen on Google Chrome)
Again, you can check what the comments feed contains by pasting the URL of the feed into a feedreader …
(Paste the comments feed URL into a feed reader to view the feed content. Image: Feedreader)
Note: If the Meta section is not displaying on your theme, you can view the Comments RSS section of your site by opening up a browser and typing in the following URL:
- http://www.yourdomain.com/comments/feed
- http://www.yourdomain.com/blog/comments/feed (if your WordPress installation is in a subfolder, e.g. “blog”)
Tip #2 – Displaying Feeds For Single Post Items
Being able to select an RSS feed for an individual post item can be useful. For example, you may want to add feeds from specific items to RSS aggregator sites, or you may have created a valuable resource that other online users will want to syndicate.
The formula for using an RSS feed for individual posts is shown below:
(Single Post Feed)
To create the above feed, copy the URL of your post, and append “/feed/?withoutcomments=1” to the end.
(Single Post Feed)
Note: By default, if you only add “/feed” to the end of the post, WordPress will return the comments made on your post, not actual post content itself.
Tip #3 – Displaying Post Category RSS Feeds
Some your site users may only be interested in syndicating content from specific categories. They may not want to subscribe to your entire site’s feed.
With WordPress, you can easily create individual category feeds.
All you need to do is use the format below:
(WordPress category RSS feed format)
Copy the selected category link address …
(Copy your category link address …)
Append the word “feed” to the end of it …
(WordPress RSS feed format for post categories)
The category RSS feed now only includes content assigned to that particular category …
(Category feed)
The WordPress Codex also provides different ways to create feeds not just for post categories, but also feeds for tags, authors, search, etc.
For this example, let’s create a feed for a specific post category using the format shown below:
(Post Category feed format. Source: WordPress Codex)
Here is the feed format WordPress recommends using. In this example, the post category ID is ’42’. We’ll need to replace the post category ID and the domain name …
(WordPress post category feed format)
To find the post category ID, go to Posts > Categories …
(Posts > Categories menu)
Locate the post category you want and hover your mouse over the title to reveal its unique ID …
(Post Category ID)
In our example, the post category ID is ’29’ and the post category feed format we need to use for this specific category with our domain name looks like this …
(Post category feed format with domain name and ID)
Copy and paste the feed into your browser and hit enter …
(Paste the feed into your browser)
This will display the feed for that specific category …
(RSS feed of a specific post category)
Note that in this example, WordPress automatically converted the feed format we pasted into the browser into the category feed we had used in the previous section of this tutorial …
(Post category feed format)
Here is the feed format again …
(Post category feed)
In this case, the simplest way to create additional feeds for specific categories is to simply change the post category slug …
(Change the post category slug to create a new category specific feed)
Paste the edited feed into your web browser and hit enter to display the content for that specific category’s feed …
(Post category feed content)
Now that you have a method for creating feeds for specific post categories (or tags, authors, etc.), you can even create a directory or list of individual feeds for visitors.
Tip #4 – Provide Your Own Feeds Page
You can set up your own feeds directory that allows your readers to subscribe only to specific content …
(Publish Your Own Feeds List)
You can link a button icon like the one shown below to each category feed URL and then create a table or a list of your feeds on a new page …
(RSS image. Image: http://www.public-domain-photos.com/free-cliparts/computer/other/rss_button_roman_bertle_01-2522.htm)
If you need help with inserting tables into WordPress, see this tutorial:
RSS Feeds – Additional Notes
You can customize feeds in various different ways, such as adding videos and images to feeds, ads, etc. Some of these customizations require code editing skills.
WordPress allows a number of feed configurations that do not require editing code. Below are examples of some of the kinds of custom feed formats you can use and how to create the feeds …
(WordPress RSS – Custom Feeds)
Below are the different feed types, descriptions, and feed examples listed above:
- Feed Type: All Posts
- Description: Content feed – displays your latest post entries
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/feed/
- Feed Type: All Comments
- Description: Comments feed – RSS feed containing the latest comments posted on your website or blog
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/comments/feed/
- Feed Type: Individual Posts
- Description: RSS feed for a single post
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/title-of-your-blog-post/feed/
- Feed Type: Individual Posts Comments
- Description: RSS Feed that displays the latest comments made on specific post entries
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/post-title/feed/
- Feed Type: Archives
- Description: Day – Displays the latest posts in each archive
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/2011/07/03/feed/
- Feed Type: Archives
- Description: Month – Includes the latest post entries in each archive
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/2014/06/feed/
- Feed Type: Archives
- Description: Year – Includes latest entries in each archive
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/2013/feed/
- Feed Type: Search Results
- Description: Feed containing latest posts for a search query
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/search/term/feed/
- Feed Type: Custom Post Type
- Description: Contains the latest post entries for a custom type (e.g. book)
- Example Feed: http://yourdomain.com/feed/?post_type=book
One more thing …
Remember to promote your RSS feed. Place a subscribe link or button in a visible location …
(Promote your RSS feeds!)
Finally, keep in mind that other sites will only want to subscribe to your content if you provide your subscribers with very high-quality content that will add great value to their sites and benefit their visitors.
(Easily add content to your site and get visitors to subscribe to your content online with RSS feeds!)
If you need help coming up with content ideas subscribe to our FREE content creation course using the form below:
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our feed 🙂
Resources:
- RSS Buttons – Visit sites like FeedIcons or search online (e.g. “free RSS icons”, “rss images”, etc.) for sites containing downloadable Free RSS images and icons.
- RSSBoard.org – The RSS Advisory Board Go here if you want to gain a better understanding of RSS.
- Wikipedia.org/RSS – General information about the history and benefits of using RSS.
- WordPress.org/RSS Feeds – Official WordPress documentation and information repository. Visit this site for additional information about WordPress feeds.
Congratulations! Now you know how to find your WordPress RSS feed, how to use your WordPress RSS feed to get your content syndicated online, and how to display someone else’s content on your site using RSS.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of issues that can affect your web site and how WordPress can help you expand your business online. To learn more about the benefits of using WordPress for a business web site please click on links to visit our related posts section.
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