Validating RSS Feeds

Right from the outset, the RSS specification provided an international standard for the exchange of data in a common format. With the addition of the "enclosure" tag the way ahead for referencing files was introduced, heralding the basis for podcasting - the rest is history.

There are many software and online products that will help to manage the production and publication of podcasts, most generate the associated RSS feeds on behalf of the user. Whilst many of these automated RSS feed generators produce a file that can be used with RSS aggregators and RSS enabled web-browsers, often the RSS files themselves do not validate and can cause problems a range of problems.

If you haven't tried this before, it is always worth checking whether your RSS file is valid by testing in with an RSS feed validator. The "Feed Validator", for example, is an excellent online tool to not only check whether the RSS feed is compliant but also highlights any problems and provides guidance on how to rectify the situation.

You will be surprised to discover how many RSS feeds fail the test!

Where a valid RSS feed passes the online test, you are given the option of including the valid RSS banner on your website or blog. When did you last see this banner feature anywhere on websites?

If you want to see this validation in action, see the results from the validation check for our podcast feed or the RSS feed generated by Blogger for this weblog!

If you create your own RSS feed, write software or online systems, the RSS Advisory Board publish a most useful "best practices profile" which contains very clear guidance and numerous examples.