A comprehensive guide for making your blog compatible with RSS readers
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows readers to follow your blog without relying on social media algorithms or email newsletters. It's the original "subscribe" button.
People who subscribe via RSS are your most engaged audience
You own the relationship—no algorithm changes can hurt reach
RSS has been around for decades and isn't going anywhere
Readers can follow you without sharing personal data
Use <content:encoded> to include complete post HTML. Readers appreciate not having to click through to your site for every post.
All links and images should use absolute URLs (e.g., https://yourblog.com/image.jpg) not relative paths (/image.jpg).
Each post needs a unique <guid> that never changes. Usually, the post's permalink is perfect for this.
Include <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="/feed.xml" /> in your HTML head so RSS readers can auto-discover your feed.
Configure caching (e.g., 20-60 minutes) to reduce server load while keeping content fresh. Most RSS readers respect cache headers.
After setting up your RSS feed, validate it to ensure it works correctly:
Cause: Using relative image URLs
Fix: Convert all image URLs to absolute paths. For example, change /images/photo.jpg to https://yourblog.com/images/photo.jpg
Cause: Unescaped XML characters (<, >, &, etc.)
Fix: Use CDATA sections for HTML content or properly escape XML characters. Most RSS libraries handle this automatically.
Cause: GUID changing when you update posts
Fix: Ensure each post has a permanent, unchanging GUID. Use the permalink URL.
Cause: Missing RSS link in HTML head
Fix: Add <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="/feed.xml" /> to your page's <head>
Once you've added RSS to your blog, submit it to our directory so others can discover your content!