{"id":24254,"date":"2017-09-20T11:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getflywheel.com\/?p=24254"},"modified":"2024-06-25T19:31:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T00:31:53","slug":"optimize-wordpress-rss-feed-how-to","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/optimize-wordpress-rss-feed-how-to\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Optimize Your WordPress RSS Feed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An RSS feed works by creating data that is machine readable and then it displays that data to the end user in an easy-to-consume format. It is important to provide this option to your site users so they can regularly view your content if they choose to add it to their RSS feed. Website content is always changing, so RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is the format for delivering regularly changing web content, such as blog articles. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RSS is XML (eXtensible Markup Language) formatted plain text, so it is pretty easy to understand because XML really streamlines things with its structure.<\/span> XML works by having organized tags (for example, pubDate is the published date) with the proper content inside of them. Here\u2019s an example of how a blog post might be listed in an RSS feed:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<item>\n<title>This is the Post Title<\/title>\n<pubDate>Wed, 26 July 2017 05:30:28 +0000<\/pubDate>\n<content>This is the post content here.<\/content>\n<\/item><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
One thing to note is that RSS is in chronological order, so when a new article is published, the list of old articles is pushed down and a new one is put at the top, making it easy to determine when a new article is published by quickly checking this XML file.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Popular RSS Readers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you add RSS to your website, it\u2019s a good idea to become familiar with RSS Readers, if you\u2019re not already a user. There are multiple options available for multiple platforms. You may want to test several options to see which one works best for you. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feed Readers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Feeds are delivered to the aggregator, which is often called a \u201cfeed reader.\u201d After some exploration, you\u2019ll notice that there are three main types of RSS readers: online RSS services, native RSS apps, and offline desktop clients. Not all options allow for both, so be sure to check before committing to one. Readers run automatically in the background, finding new articles as soon as they’re published. It can be very handy when a feed allows for syncing on multiple devices. It\u2019s great to read on the go and the option to keep things up to date on mobile certainly comes in hand. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
An example of web-based feed readers is <\/span>Feedly<\/span><\/a>. It is also is available for multiple platforms (web, iOS, Android), including a Google Chrome extension. All you need to do is use Feedly on your mobile device or on your browser. Like other services, Feedly is designed to be a simple way to build your own newsfeed so you can follow topics that you are interested in.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"feedly<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
In addition to Feedly, there are many RSS readers that offer a free version (and some that offer an upgraded version). Here are a few popular readers:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n