RSS Warning?
Some online marketers are
warning that adding an RSS feed to
your web site may not be such a
good idea.
While adding an RSS feed may get
your site indexed quicker, attract
visitors, and even give it a boost
in some search engines, external
RSS feeds can also work against
you.
RSS works well if you need to
share YOUR valuable content in
real time with other websites. For
a fresh supply of constantly
updated content, external RSS
feeds can be search engine spider
food.
Unfortunately, some webmasters are
reporting that RSS feeds are a
two-edged sword. While they do
attract spiders and visitors, if
you're selling your own products
or making good money from
contextual advertising (such as
Google Adsense), external RSS
feeds can work AGAINST you - and
ultimately reduce your revenues.
Why? RSS feeds can prove to be
TOO interesting to your visitors.
Instead of staying on your site,
reading your product reviews,
clicking your ads, they click OFF
your page to check out the
tantalizing news stories and
articles.
In fact, some webmasters are
reporting clickthroughs and
conversion rates sinking like a
stone after adding RSS. A 50% drop
is not uncommon - and definitely
NOT good for the bottom line.
The moral of the story? If you
decide to use RSS as fresh spider
food, be sure to watch your
conversions and clickthroughs
closely. If you see negative
effects, pull the RSS off your
site - fast!
