RSS Revolution: Are you up to date?

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In a rapidly changing world of technical jargon, many terms are popping up in everyday conversations and the non-technical professional might be overwhelmed. Podcast, blog, IM, domain, URL… the lingo can make your head spin. However, one such term, RSS, has frequently been showing up everywhere and seeping into the world of Online Marketing as well. For business professionals today, the terminology might be a daunting task to keep up with, but utilizing the Web to your advantage doesn’t have to be.

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a Web format that allows for certain information to be pulled from multiple Web sites into a central location. What exactly does that mean?

Well, for marketers it means that RSS can be used to either:

A.) Keep prospects up to date with information that your business is constantly updating, like press releases or events.

B.) Increase returning visitors to your site by setting up an RSS feed to display current, pertinent information from other Web sites on your Web site.

For example, let’s say that you manage a local community Web site. An RSS reader could be set up within your Web site to display items like current headlines from the local newspaper Web site or school closings from the local school district site. Also, if sections of your Web site were RSS-compatible, like the news and events section, community members who have RSS readers could keep up to date with local information easier, and encouraged to visit your Web site more often.

RSS feeds are created in a language called XML (or eXtensible Markup Language), a technology already used for various other purposes on and off the Web. Since it is so widespread, many Web developers find it relatively easy to set up these indexes on existing sites. Not only can you keep your existing patrons coming back more often, it can help boost SEO to increase new site traffic by providing another way for Web users to experience your content.