RSS Makes Your Business Visible
The key word in RSS is syndication - the distribution of
information. You don't need to attract people to your Web site
any more: when you implement RSS on your Web site, your site's
changes plus any other information you want to distribute goes
to your subscribers automatically.
Google launched a new blog search engine
(http://blogsearch.google.com ) in the fall of 2005. And,
Microsoft has announced that XML and RSS will be heavily
integrated into the newWindows operating system, Microsoft
Vista, and the new version of Microsoft Office, both due out in
2006.
Since RSS will be a part of Windows Vista and the new MS Office,
user adoption will follow at a much quicker rate than would
normally be seen with an emerging technology. In fact, this
takes RSS into the mainstream and RSS and XML will become
comfortable and familiar to everyone.
Businesses particularly benefit from user adoption of RSS. When
you develop your own RSS feeds, with your own content, you
increase your visibility online, because any content which is
updated regularly gets the attention of the Web's search
engines. With greater visibility, you can attract a greater
number of visitors. You can also attract a variety of visitors -
people which you previous had no way of attracting to your site.
And, you increase your brand's awareness when you publish an RSS
feed. Once you publish an RSS feed, you give others the
opportunity to syndicate your material if they find it useful
for their visitors. With other people distributing your content,
you increase your brand's awareness. The more relevant and
interesting your content is, the greater the likelihood that it
will be syndicated.
To increase brand awareness, ensure that at least some of your
RSS content is focused on news, and information valuable to your
audience (rather than blatant marketing), and even to your
competitors, because it increases the syndication-value of your
feeds.
You increase the ability to maintain and enhance your search
engine rankings. Your search engine positioning will be enhanced
if you put keyword-targeted feeds on your site. In addition to
developing your own RSS feeds, you can incorporate others' feeds
into your own site. This new information, which is constantly
updated, helps you to not only maintain your search engine
ranking, but also to raise it.
Consider RSS as a must have addition to your site. Don't
underestimate the value and convenience an RSS feed will offer
you and your customers.
There are a variety of blog platforms available, but businesses
need a professional platform that is stable and convenient and
support multiple authors.