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Useful RSS for Your WordPress Site

26 December, 2010

RSS is a crucial tool for notifying users about new content on your website. In this guide, I’ll explain how to set up and optimize RSS for your WordPress site using FeedBurner and relevant plugins.

Using FeedBurner for Enhanced RSS

FeedBurner can make your RSS feed more user-friendly and provides the ability to track subscribers. Here’s how to integrate FeedBurner with WordPress:

  1. Registration and Setup of FeedBurner:
    • Register at FeedBurner.
    • Create a new feed and configure it according to your preferences.
  2. Redirecting to FeedBurner:
    • To redirect all visitors from your standard RSS feed to FeedBurner, add the following code to your site’s .htaccess file:
# Temp redirect WordPress content feeds to FeedBurner
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} !FeedBurner [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} !FeedValidator [NC]
RewriteRule ^feed/?([_0-9a-z-]+)?/?$ http://feeds.feedburner.com/your-ID [R=302,NC,L]
</IfModule>
    • Replace your-ID with your FeedBurner feed ID.
  2. Using the FeedBurner FeedSmith Plugin:
    • Install and activate the FeedBurner FeedSmith plugin.
    • Navigate to “Settings” -> “FeedBurner” and enter your FeedBurner feed URL.

Displaying Subscriber Count

To display the number of RSS feed subscribers, use the Feed Count plugin:

  1. Installing the Feed Count Plugin:
    • Install and activate the Feed Count plugin.
  2. Inserting the Code into Your Template:
    • Insert the following code into your WordPress theme template where you want to display the subscriber count:
<?php if (function_exists('fc_feedcount')) fc_feedcount(); ?>

Styling with CSS:

  • Style the display of the subscriber count by adding styles to your style.css file:
.feedcountdiv p {
    /* Customize the caption for the subscriber count */
}
.feedcount {
    /* Customize the subscriber count itself */
}
.subscribers {
    /* Customize the subscribers container */
}

Using the RSS Footer Plugin

To add additional information or links to your RSS feeds, use the RSS Footer plugin:

  1. Installing the RSS Footer Plugin:
    • Install and activate the RSS Footer plugin.
  2. Configuring Text or Links:
    • Navigate to “Settings” -> “RSS Footer” and add the desired information or links.

Conclusion

Now, your RSS feed is integrated with FeedBurner, displays the subscriber count, and includes additional information or links to enhance engagement. This will help you not only retain subscribers but also use RSS as a tool to attract new visitors and improve SEO.

If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to ask!