WordPress Optimization for RSS

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is the best way to propagate a blog across the Internet, reaching thousands of updating services and search engines when properly configured. WordPress comes with a single pre-configured service (Ping-O-Matic) that is supposed to be the only resource you need to ping.

However, you can optimize your WP ping system by removing such a service by manually adding the update services you want to access. One advantage of Ping-O-Matic is that it reaches the most common web feed services, but sticking with it also has drawbacks. For example, your blog may not be related to certain channels, or if the submission fails, your updates will not be delivered to the services, which are down or exceed capacity.

Manually configuring update services allows you to gain control over where your content will be included, whether you are submitting full text or summary, eliminating services unrelated to your niche or target audience. On the other hand, do you need Ping-O-Matic to deliver updates to a Tibetan update service? You probably won’t at all, so learn more about which services you currently send news to using the default WordPress settings.

Now step away from the feed settings area and note that RSS not only provides updates for content, but also includes other metadata that is sent along the way. Such data includes the page title for each post, the description (if available), and any keywords or tags associated with each article, post, or even images that are published from your blog library.

Adding this information to your content allows update services to better rank your blog, which translates into better positioning in your local listings. Fortunately, there are plenty of plugins to enhance any WordPress feature, and adding Meta information is essential to optimizing your sources. Other plugins add additional capabilities, such as including the content of published pages in the RSS feed.

WordPress pings whenever a new blog post is published, but never for existing or newly created pages, unless you have activated a plugin to add this functionality. However, optimizing RSS feeds isn’t just about pinging, it’s also about preventing it. Every time you update old posts or rewrite a post, WordPress sends a ping which can generate a spam flag in update services. So make sure you’ve also configured a plugin to disable post-update sending unless you absolutely need to resend such information.