Fresh content is an important aspect of any successful website.
But who has all of the free time that it takes to change
your web pages on a daily basis? Allow me to introduce
you to "syndicated content." By including syndicated content
on your site, it stays fresh with very little effort on your
part. So how do you get it? How does it work? Slow down...
All will be revealed in due time. Remember, patience is
a virtue.
Syndicated content is dynamic material that constantly
changes. Your first step is finding it preferably,
for free, although some will charge you for the privilege. In most
cases all you do is fill out a short form, and are then given some
HTML code to paste into your web page where you
want the content to appear. The content will automatically
change depending on the service you're using, every 24 hrs,
weekly or bi-weekly.
Syndicated content comes in many different forms: News feeds,
stock tickers, weather updates, tips and tricks, short
articles, and even graphics like cartoons. Using syndicated
content saves you time since you don't have to create or
maintain it and it keeps your site fresh and
interesting so visitors will want to come back to see
what's new. Make sure you check for any restrictions
on use before signing up to use any service.
There are disadvantages to using syndications such as:
- May slow down the loading of your site due to the
fact that the content is being pulled from the
syndicator's server.
- Since most free content involves a link back
to the syndicator's site you may lose visitors
who are curious enough to click on it.
The advantages are:
- Fresh updated content with no work on your part
Saves you time creating new content
- Keeps visitors returning to see what's new
OK, so it sounds great, but where do you find it?
Here are some links you may wish to investigate:
Live News feeds
http://www.isyndicate.com Syndicates over 850
sources to well over 210,000 websites. Most of
their feeds come with a price tag, but some
are free.
http://www.moreover.com This is my personal favorite,
with over 300 categories to choose from.
Pick a topic that matches the theme of your
site; you can even control the link colors and size.
http://www.7am.com icker/ Uses a Java applet
that will give you the latest headlines.
Comic Feeds
http://www.cartoonlink.net Work by talented
cartoonists you can add to your pages free.
http://www.comicexchange.com Enjoy the work
of over 40 cartoonists free.
http://www.callahanonline.com/calsyn.htm
Syndicated cartoon guaranteed to offend
and entertain. Updates itself automatically
every 24 hours.
Weather Feeds
http://www.wunderground.com/about/faq/
Displays current time and weather for the city
you select.
http://weatherguys.com/webmaster.html
Free to use; gives weather conditions for
whatever zip code is typed into the box.
Daily Tips & Fun Stuff:
http://www.bannertips.com ipoftheday.shtml
Updated every 24 hours. The tips provided are
on banner advertising; what works and what doesn't.
http://www.surfnetkids.com/daily.html
Fresh fun and free content that's family
oriented. Choose from daily facts, daily chuckles,
and more.
http://www.myzips.com/content.asp
Add the top 10 software downloads to your
site by filling in the short form and pasting
the code given onto your page.
http://www.doctorebiz.com/syndicate
Add Dr. Wilson's weekly column on website
marketing by adding two lines of javascript to
the page where you want it to appear.
If you write short articles and would like to see
your content in syndication and appearing on other's
websites you can submit your 400 to 1,200 word articles
to mailto:syndicator@web-source.net and attach a
photo (80X105). If chosen your articles will be added
to http://www.web-source.net/syndicator.htm live
feed.
You also may be interested in purchasing software
to syndicate your own content. Check out "Master Syndicator"
which makes it easy to start syndicating your own
content. Selling for only 99.00 it runs on UNIX or
Linux servers. For more info go to http://www.mastersyndicator.com
So next time your website needs some fresh content you
may want to seriously consider using syndicated content.
Why not benefit from someone elses work? Your website
visitors will keep coming back for more, and you
won't have to work so hard at keeping things fresh.
About the Author
Merle
http://www.ezineadauction.com
"Where the Best Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made"
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