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Does RSS Feed on Static Page Make Sense?

by truepers
16 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
Could use some expert guidance here.

I understand one of the great things about Wordpress is the built-in RSS feed. Each time you update your blog, WP automatically pings the ping services.

I keep hearing that for a static html site, you should add an RSS feed. I'm sure it makes sense (enough folks recommend doing this), but I'm not sure why.

Isn't a static page, by its nature, non-changing? Unlike a blog, the index (i.e., Home) page doesn't get updated. Other pages (e.g., keyword-based articles) don't get updated. The only thing that gets updated is the Navigation Menu when you add a new page to the site.

What am I missing here? Should a feed be added to every page, as some recommend? If so, why?

Or should only the home page have the feed? And again, how is that beneficial?
#feed #make #page #rss #sense #static
  • Profile picture of the author HomeBizNizz
    Only if you update the static pages often.
    Will you do that...?
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    • Profile picture of the author truepers
      That's just it. Once I have these keyword-focused articles published as individual web site pages, there's really no need for me to change them.

      I would continue to add new pages to the site, but not change the existing ones, unless I changed an affiliate ad, maybe.

      So if I'm only adding pages to the site, but not changing the already published pages, how would having an RSS feed benefit me?
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  • Profile picture of the author HomeBizNizz
    Google is your friend...

    Here is what I found:
    Create RSS feed of static pages with ease

    I have received some times chat requests asking me
    to help in creating the RSS feed for their static pages.
    Create RSS feed for static pages is a hectic.
    But here is a cool website page2RSS which not only helps you
    to generate a RSS feed for your static website
    but also the provided URL can be used on your website
    as a RSS feed link.
    The interface is quite simple and easy to access.
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  • Profile picture of the author L Chandler
    This may or may not be accurate but sometimes the usage of 'static page' is a bit too lose. For example, someone may say a static page but mean that the page is built out of plain old .html - meaning the page is not dynamically generated BUT the content on the page does change regularly.

    Some people, when they say static page they mean really static. Nothing changes at least not on a daily/weekly or even monthly rate like what you're talking about here. Sales Pages and Squeeze pages are some examples of really static pages.

    But all the above is mute because, RSS is for the whole site - not just pages. I would create a feed because you are updating the site regularly with content.
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    • Profile picture of the author truepers
      Lynette, when you say you would create a feed for the entire site, how does that work? Do you mean create a feed for the index page, or do you mean create a feed for each individual page on the site?
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  • Profile picture of the author L Chandler
    Hey truepers. What I meant was the feed should update every time you add a new web page.
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    • Profile picture of the author truepers
      OK. I get that part. What I don't understand is if you place the rss html on your index page, will that update the feed when you add a new page? And does it do that automatically, or do you have to manually adjust the script each time you add a page?
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Killian
    Doesn't seem like much sense to have a feed when the site won't get updated. Course updating seems to be a part of better SEO ranks.

    Sounds like you'd be better off with just a site map.
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  • Profile picture of the author Newseo903
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author warfore
      I use Dreamweaver to maintain and update my "static" html site. There is a dreamweaver plugin that updates your feed's XML file with changed pages or new pages. Anyone that subscribes to your feed will get the updated information and a link to the changed or new page. You do have to start the program and select "run feed update" (or some words to that effect). I use Feedburner so the update will show in the latest feed. I run it anytime I add new pages.

      You can get the DW plugin at RNSoft: Welcome to Ronald Northrip Software, Inc. (no affiliate link).
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      • Profile picture of the author truepers
        Thank you all for your replies. There seem to be a lot of approaches and opinions about this.

        Apparently there is some benefit in getting backlinks, as long as the site is updated now and then.

        Dreamweaver for me is not an option at this point. Too early in my web-building career. Have been using XSitePro, which is easy to use, and am looking to use WordPress also, which has the RSS feed capability built in.

        Maybe I can get someone to answer this one question: when adding an RSS feed to a static site, do you add it only to the Index page, or do you add it to every page?
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        • Profile picture of the author mario_a
          Originally Posted by truepers View Post

          Maybe I can get someone to answer this one question: when adding an RSS feed to a static site, do you add it only to the Index page, or do you add it to every page?
          RSS feeds are site-based, which usually means a single RSS feed for the whole site. If you create an RSS feed for your static site, and you add a new page/pages to the site in the future, your RSS feed subscribers should reecieve a notification that a new page has been added.

          Think of your RSS feed as a means of notifying people that have subscribed to the feed, that there is new content on your site/blog.

          You can also display the RSS feed link/icon on every page of your static site, but they will all point to the same single RSS feed for your site.

          Hope that makes sense.

          Regards,
          Mario
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          • Profile picture of the author truepers
            That clarifies things for me. I think what was throwing me off was the distinction between the RSS feed and the RSS feed icon, which can be displayed on every page for the one feed.

            Makes sense now. That's why people say, get an RSS feed for your static site. The one feed notifies of any change to any part of the site as a whole. So it doesn't matter that individual pages don't change. You can put an icon on each page, even if that page will never change. As long as some part of the site changes, subscribers will be notified.

            Thank you, Mario.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
    I haven't actually added a feed to a site yet but have been poking around about it for awhile. If you do code your own xml page (there's less to xml than there is to html) you have a lot of options. You can limit the days the bots come to check the site, to save bandwidth, especially if you only update once a week. Personally I've been thinking that once I've got all the pages up I'm likely to put up for awhile, I'll probably pull the feed.

    This page has some good info. Howto Create an RSS 2.0 Feed

    At least 2 posters have said they gained hardly any traffic, just nice one way back links from the aggregators. They have a high page rank.

    Good luck with all that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Canaan_Moore
    Hey, I'll try to answer to your question, but I want to say that usually RSS doesn't have to be created on your web-site. only if you have something to be updated.

    Emergency Soft has just released a new version of     RSS Channel Writer. This comprehensive, yet easy-to-use software promises to be the most professional in its field.
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