How to Create an RSS Feed for a Wordpress Blog
Burn Feeds and Put an RSS Symbol in a Wordpress' Sidebar Widget
Feb 16, 2009
Many bloggers find Wordpress to be one of the best and most comprehensive blogging platforms, but many new, less experienced bloggers find the Wordpress blog difficult when it comes to getting the blog set up in the beginning.
Fortunately, setting up a Wordpress blog doesn't have to be complicated and confusing. Adding an RSS feed to a Wordpress blog is one of the most important things a new blogger can do, as creating an RSS feed for a blog will help develop a readership base.
This article will go over how to create an RSS feed for a new blog, and once that is complete, the new Wordpress blogger can put an RSS feed symbol in the sidebar of the Wordpress blog using a text widget and basic HTML code.
How Do You Create an RSS Feed for a Wordpress Blog?
Creating an RSS feed for a blog - also known as "burning" a feed - is fairly simple. Websites like Feedburner.com make it simple to set up an RSS feed for a blog using the following steps:
- Click the "Get Started" link on the Feedburner homepage.
- Enter the Wordpress blog URL and click "next."
- Follow the prompts to create a URL for the blog's RSS feed and click "next" to create the new RSS feed.
This process of creating a blog RSS feed takes less than five minutes. Once the RSS feed is created, visit the URL that was selected during the RSS feed creation process. Here, blog visitors can sign up for an RSS feed subscription.
Creating a New Wordpress Sidebar Widget for an RSS Symbol
Once an RSS feed is created for a new Wordpress blog, an RSS symbol must be added to the blog's sidebar.
The RSS symbol will serve as a "button" that will link to the RSS feed page where blog visitors can subscribe to a blog feed.
Adding an RSS symbol to the blog sidebar is simple; the process will require the creation of a new "text" widget. Create a new text widget for the Wordpress blog sidebar using the following steps:
- Log into the blog's control panel; this is typically the same login process that's used to create new blog entries.
- Click the "appearance" tab on the Wordpress control panel sidebar.
- Click the "widgets" tab under "appearance."
- Create a new text widget and drag and drop it into the order that it will appear on the blog's sidebar.
This process will create a new text widget on the Wordpress blog.
Creating an RSS Feed Button on the Wordpress Blog Sidebar
Once the new text widget is created, the HTML symbol for the RSS feed symbol must be entered. This process may sound complex, but it's actually very straightforward.
The HTML code is: <a href="http://your-blog-name.wordpress.com/feed"><img src="image-location" /></a>
This HTML code must be altered to include the specifics for the Wordpress blog where it will appear:
- Type the code into the new text widget that was created on the Wordpress blog sidebar.
- In the first set of quotes, insert the RSS feed URL that was created the RSS feed was created using Feedburner. Be sure to keep the quotations.
- In the second set of quotes, insert the URL for the RSS symbol that will be added to the blog. (To select a RSS button for a blog, visit this page of RSS feed buttons, available in different colors and sizes.)
- Save the text widget.
Once the changes are saved, this will make the RSS feed button appear on the Wordpress blog sidebar, completing the process.
More Help for New Bloggers
Wondering "What is an RSS Feed?" or seeking ideas for a niche blogging topic?
Visit the Resources for Writers Page for more information on blogging and web writing!
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