While RSS feed generators can offer many benefits as a digital marketing strategy, there are also some SEO disadvantages that should be considered as well.
The problem of duplicate content
Duplicate content occurs when a large block of text within a domain or across domains is exactly the same or noticeably similar.
However, it is important to note that Google does not penalize websites for duplicate content. In fact, they only flag it if they suspect it’s done with malicious intent.
Google prefers to filter out duplicate content rather than adjust the rankings, so the worst that can happen is that a less desirable version of the page will be shown in the index.
That being said, it is very important that the content you use in your RSS feeds is valuable and relevant.
Don’t rely too heavily on an RSS feed for your content and make sure you have checks in place to ensure that your target audience is getting the right content.
Second, if others are using your feed to display and syndicate your content, make sure they link back to your website.
User experience
Depending on how you implement RSS feeds on your site, they can create a poor user experience.
For example, if you display too many feeds on one page or have all the feeds on the homepage, it can be extremely difficult for users to navigate and they may leave your site without being interested in your content.
It’s important to find a balance between offering a variety of content and not overwhelming users with too much information. Create different directories to categorize and structure your content so that it is easier to find and consume.
The use of RSS feeds is a hotly debated topic among marketers, leading to many myths and misconceptions about this practice. The bottom line, however, is that you need a healthy mix of original and curated content to get high rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs).