Even if you don't know much about HTML, creating an RSS file actually isn't too complicated. With a set of simple instructions you can have your RSS feed set up in no time.
Let Rackspace make the difference with reliable managed hosting solutions backed by Fanatical Support.™ 100% Network Uptime Money-Back Guar., 1-hour hardware replacement, 24/7 LIVE, MS and LNX certified technical support.
RSS files are written in a coding language called Extensible Markup Language or XML. Its tags are similar to HTML tags with the exception that XML tags have no set definition. Anyone can make up an XML tag. However, RSS feeds have their own unique set of defined XML tags. If you use them correctly, anything that reads RSS will understand your information. You can use Dreamweaver or Notepad to create your RSS file.
At the heart of an RSS file are something called items. Items usually include three pieces of information: a title, a description and a link. Be sure you keep the title between 10 to 12 words and your description short and concise. Once you have this information you need to add that little bit of coding to make it RSS reader-friendly. This is where you add XML tags at the open and close of each piece of information, like the <title> tag at the beginning of the title and </title> tag at the end. The same goes for the description and link fields. Here's an example of what it will look like:
<item> <title>Here is Where the Headline Goes</title> <description>This is where you describe press release or blog post with a quick, catchy sentence. </description> <link>http://www.TheLinkToYourNewStory.com</link> </item>
You also need to add the <item> tag at the top of all the information you've listed, as well as a close </item> tag at the end to define all details as forming a particular item. You can repeat this process with each new entry on your Web site to create a list of items that will be available to your readers through your RSS feed.
The list of items now need to be chained together to create a channel. This appears at the top of the file and tells people how the items relate to each other. Like items, channels use title, description and link tags to describe its content, but don't add the <item> tags. Instead put an open <channel> tag at the top. The close </channel> tag occurs after the last item.
<channel> <title>The Channel Title Goes Here</title> <description>The explanation of how the items are related goes here</description> <link>http://www.YourWebSiteURL.com</link>
The final steps include adding XML and RSS defining tags at the top of the file to designate the XML specifications as well as what RSS version you're using. Here's what is commonly used:
<?xml version="1.0"?> <rss version="2.0">
You also need to insert a closing channel and RSS tag at the bottom of the file, after all the items you want to syndicate, like this:
</channel> </rss>
After this is complete, make sure you save it as a .xml file, upload it to your server and validate it through FeedValidator (feedvalidator.org) before you begin publishing it.
Your finished RSS file should look something like this:
<?xml version="1.0"?> <rss version="2.0">
<channel> <title>The Channel Title Goes Here</title> <description>The explanation of how the items are related goes here</description> <link>http://www.YourWebSiteURL.com</link>
<item> <title>Here is Where the Headline Goes 1</title> <description>This is where you describe press release or blog post with a quick, catchy sentence. </description> <link>http://www.TheLinkToYourFirstStory.com</link> </item>
<item> <title>Here is Where the Headline Goes 2</title> <description>This is where you describe press release or blog post with a quick, catchy sentence. </description> <link>http://www.TheLinkToYourSecondStory.com</link> </item>
