Tag Archives: tags
ABCs Of RSS Feeds (Page 1 of 3)
Implementing RSS (Really Simple Syndication) can be aided by an understanding of the terms relating to RSS. Learn the ABCs of RSS….
A – AutoDiscovery
Auto Discovery is code that is inserted into the header of an HTML web page, which then indicates to readers that an RSS feed is available for the content.
B – Blogs
Blogs are web logs that are updated regularly, usually on a daily basis. Blogs generally contain information related to a specific topic. In some cases, blogs are used as daily diaries about people’s personal lives, political views, or even as social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever the author wants them to be. While initially thought of as diaries or online journals, blogs have evolved into the latest fresh web content.
C – Cache
Cache is a temporary storage area for frequently-accessed or recently-accessed data. Having certain data stored in a cache area speeds up the operation of the computer. Using a cache with RSS feeds will help minimize bandwidth and display an RSS feed’s content quicker.
D – Display
RSS Many webmasters post the content of an RSS feed on their website. They use either PHP, ASP, or javascript for such purposes. If done properly, the feed’s content will dynamically update as the content of the feed changes.
E – Elements
Within an RSS feed, there are various feed elements. The elements of an RSS feed are defined by tags.
F – Filter
Many RSS feeds contain duplicate or similar content. Publishers can filter RSS feeds so that they only see content that they wish to see, by filtering out duplicate postings.
G – GUID
GUID stands for Globally Unique IDentifier. The RSS specification strongly suggests that each RSS feed item have a unique GUID. If you are creating feeds, a GUID is important because GUIDs are often used by feed readers and aggregators to determine if a feed item is new or simply an existing item that has been updated. Each item in the RSS feed should have a unique GUID.
H – HTML
HTML, which is the acronym for HyperText Markup Language, is frequently used to design websites.
I – iTunes Namespace
The iTunes Namespace allows the user to add the information necessary to have a podcast listed on the Apple iTunes Music Store (ITMS).
J – JavaScript
Javascript can be used to display the content of an RSS feed.
K – Keywords
Keywords should be integrated into the RSS feed to help search engines determine what the RSS feed is about.
L – Links
Links are used to direct RSS readers to the original webpage containing information that directly relates to the feed.
M – Mashup
A mashup is a combination of multiple RSS feeds that have been merged together to create a new, single feed.
N – Namespace Extensions
The RSS specification allows you to create and use your own custom elements (tags) in any RSS feed by declaring your own namespace. Doing this is 100% in line with the RSS specification and the feed will validate. However, you should have a specific and well-planned reason to do so. No RSS readers, or other RSS processing applications, will be able to use your custom info for any purpose. Adding elements (tags) would typically be used only in an in-house situation where both the writing application and the reading application have prior knowledge of the new tags.
ABCs Of RSS Feeds (Page 1 of 3)
Implementing RSS (Really Simple Syndication) can be aided by an understanding of the terms relating to RSS. Learn the ABCs of RSS….
A – AutoDiscovery
Auto Discovery is code that is inserted into the header of an HTML web page, which then indicates to readers that an RSS feed is available for the content.
B – Blogs
Blogs are web logs that are updated regularly, usually on a daily basis. Blogs generally contain information related to a specific topic. In some cases, blogs are used as daily diaries about people’s personal lives, political views, or even as social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever the author wants them to be. While initially thought of as diaries or online journals, blogs have evolved into the latest fresh web content.
C – Cache
Cache is a temporary storage area for frequently-accessed or recently-accessed data. Having certain data stored in a cache area speeds up the operation of the computer. Using a cache with RSS feeds will help minimize bandwidth and display an RSS feed’s content quicker.
D – Display
RSS Many webmasters post the content of an RSS feed on their website. They use either PHP, ASP, or javascript for such purposes. If done properly, the feed’s content will dynamically update as the content of the feed changes.
E – Elements
Within an RSS feed, there are various feed elements. The elements of an RSS feed are defined by tags.
F – Filter
Many RSS feeds contain duplicate or similar content. Publishers can filter RSS feeds so that they only see content that they wish to see, by filtering out duplicate postings.
G – GUID
GUID stands for Globally Unique IDentifier. The RSS specification strongly suggests that each RSS feed item have a unique GUID. If you are creating feeds, a GUID is important because GUIDs are often used by feed readers and aggregators to determine if a feed item is new or simply an existing item that has been updated. Each item in the RSS feed should have a unique GUID.
H – HTML
HTML, which is the acronym for HyperText Markup Language, is frequently used to design websites.
I – iTunes Namespace
The iTunes Namespace allows the user to add the information necessary to have a podcast listed on the Apple iTunes Music Store (ITMS).
J – JavaScript
Javascript can be used to display the content of an RSS feed.
K – Keywords
Keywords should be integrated into the RSS feed to help search engines determine what the RSS feed is about.
L – Links
Links are used to direct RSS readers to the original webpage containing information that directly relates to the feed.
M – Mashup
A mashup is a combination of multiple RSS feeds that have been merged together to create a new, single feed.
N – Namespace Extensions
The RSS specification allows you to create and use your own custom elements (tags) in any RSS feed by declaring your own namespace. Doing this is 100% in line with the RSS specification and the feed will validate. However, you should have a specific and well-planned reason to do so. No RSS readers, or other RSS processing applications, will be able to use your custom info for any purpose. Adding elements (tags) would typically be used only in an in-house situation where both the writing application and the reading application have prior knowledge of the new tags.
On Site SEO
According to Dictionary.com, SEO is “the process of adjusting the content, structure, etc, of a website so that it will be displayed prominently by a search engine.” This definition refers to that part of search engine optimization which pertains more accurately to On-site SEO.
On-site SEO has been reported to provide different experiences for different people. Some people debate the benefits of onsite SEO, given its specific factors. But in order to truly optimize the content of a search engine, it is necessary to take into account, both on and off site SEO factors. Discussed below are some of the proven facts, pertaining to on-site SEO.
The First and foremost factor in on-site SEO, is to completely optimize every aspect of your website in order to establish a greater density of the key search words. It is a fact that while using key search words in any URL has a significant impact on a websites search engine positioning, this is rarely checked by the available keyword analyzer tools. It is advised by technical experts that 301 redirect should be used to make sure that all inbound links are routed to the appropriate URL. Additionally, hyphens, rather than underscores should be used for phrases forming more than a single key word.
With regards to the HTML title tag, when conducting an on-site SEO, one should be used logically, given the fact that it ranks quite highly with regards to keywords. Rather than listing all the keywords into the HTML, it is better to have just a couple tied in appropriately. Additionally, since search engines shed much emphasis on heading tags, key words should be used in these tags whenever possible.
In order to enhance the visibility of the websites textual content, one should be as considerate of key search words as possible, because the more frequently, or rather, more prominently they appear in your content, the more they would serve to make a website visible in a search engine. It may be rather a tedious exercise to add your key words to an already established website, but given the described benefit, it may be worthwhile to do so, while keeping the flow of the contextual text intact! It may be worth noting here as well though, that a very frequent usage of key words may make a website appear to be an example of a spam message. It is advisable therefore to use keywords moderately!
With regards to the images in a website, alt tags may be used to include some keywords accompanying them, so that the images are easier to understand. And while it is true that al tags bring down the weight in search engine algorithms, the addition of key words can continue to serve the benefits that can be derived from the use of images on websites.
Finally, one would be well advised to add fresh content to their website on a regular basis. Not only would this serve to enhance the quality of the website, but search crawlers would be drawn to index fresh pages as well! The content should be reader friendly and engaging, and therefore one should avoid using methods such as auto-blogger content scrapping!