I was going to create a post on how you could get better Search Engine Optimization for your blog using FeedBurner links, especially if you have a habit of commenting on blogs with CommentLuv that pulls your FeedBurner RSS feed to get your latest blog post(s), but FeedBurner made a change that would render my post worthless, so I didn’t post it…
If you’re not using CommentLuv on your own blog yet, find out why you should: I Luv’ CommentLuv – do you have it on your WordPress blog yet?
The thing is, the default method for FeedBurner to redirect users to your blog post is by using a “302 Temporary Redirect” method. Instead of the user seeing the direct URL for your blog post, for instance:
https://techpatio.com/2009/blogging/september-2009-blog-summary-income-report-third-month-blogging
… they will see this URL:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techpatio/~3/NZ9_D7wkHc0/september-2009-blog-summary-income-report-third-month-blogging
FeedBurner changes the URL in order for them to track any clicks you might get, so it’s great for tracking and statistics purposes but bad for Search Engine Optimization as your link love might get lost in the “302 Temporary Redirect” method.
Up until earlier this week, you could change the FeedBurner tracking settings from what you could basically call “In-depth tracking, but less search engine optimization” to “Less tracking but more search engine optimization”. Basically a switch between the 302 redirect method and a “301 Permanent Redirect” method which forwards all the link love to the final destination: your blog post.
Well, as I said, it seems FeedBurner beat me to it. Before I could publish the post teaching you how, and why (as I just explained above) to change your FeedBurner settings, FeedBurner updated their redirect method to the better “301 Permanent Redirect”.
So what you have to do is nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch.
All your FeedBurner RSS feeds have automatically been updated to 301. Don’t be surprised if you see a PageRank increase in the next PageRank update since you will have much more link love sent to your site – but only if the following conditions are true:
- You’re using FeedBurner to “burn” your RSS feed so you can track how many subscribers you have etc. If you’re not using FeedBurner then their change will of course not affect you in any way as your standard RSS feed will already provide the direct URL to your blog posts.
– - You post comments on other sites (and you could win $100 a month) that uses the CommentLuv plugin or similar, which pulls your latest blog post(s) through FeedBurner.
– - Those blogs you comment on, are “do follow” blogs, just like TechPatio.com and
ApplePatio.com. If they are “no follow” blogs (which is default for WordPress blogs), then you’re not getting any link love sent back to your site.
To find out more about do follow / no follow and what it means, please continue to this post: TechPatio is a do follow blog, spreading link love for free.
Just typical, I’ve not long written a post on my blog about Feedburner and CommentLuv, then lo and behold they change their system to 301, just typical 😉
.-= Blazing Minds´s last blog ..Blazing Minds Weekly Round Up – Hugh Jackman, CommentLuv, CD Baby =-.
Great news! I had written about Commentluv and Feedburner last year – glad they finally have fixed the issue.
.-= Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach ´s last blog ..Today’s Humor of the Day – Karate Bloopers Part 1 =-.
Thanks for this update Klaus. I turned off my stats on feedburner because it was not sending link luvs to my post. I have a question though, will it make a difference if I leave my settings as it is (i.e. not use the redirection, even if it is 301)? Or would you recommend otherwise?
PS: Thanks for letting me know about Qondio. Just updated the post (with another link luv to you). Sorry about that:)
.-= DiTesco´s last blog ..Ditescos Weekly Echo #4 =-.
For my feedburner account, I have ticked “item views” and “item link clicks” under “Configure stats” – but it doesn’t really matter I guess, since all feedburner links are now 301 and sending link love – a global setting made by feedburner which, even if you wanted, you can’t change (as far as I know).
But it works perfectly – you can check yourself using: http://www.internetofficer.com/seo-tool/redirect-check/
Here’s my result:
Checked link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techpatio/~3/f
0lkqi4hytI/feedburner-redirect-method-301-seo
Type of redirect: 301 Moved Permanently
Redirected to: https://techpatio.com/2009/seo/feedburner-redi
rect-method-301-seo
—-
Thanks for the link in your Qondio post 🙂
Thanks for this explanation Klaus. Honestly, I hadn’t even given this any thought before now. It’s nice to see Feedburner is doing this. Kind of makes you wonder what took them so long. I switched to Feedburner from my default feed about a week or two into my site, so I’m curious how many people are uncounted, and getting the feed from my site’s default WP feed (not many I’m sure).
.-= Evan Kline´s last blog ..6 Sites That Help You Scratch Your Retro-Gaming Itch =-.
Depending on the URL that people are subscribed to your current feed at, couldn’t you redirect it to your feedburner feed? Obviously you would need to make sure feedburner can still get to it so that it doesn’t redirect back to itself.
Otherwise, if you’re sure it’s not too many subscribed to your old feed, you could of course just let it be 🙂
Long live Feedburner! But I am shocked that a Google service is giving away do-follow links. Is it a way to attract people from other feed burning tools?
.-= Rohit´s last blog ..Did your WordPress Blog ever go Blank? Not yet? But, It can happen with you too, So be prepared for it! =-.
right now i still working how to make a rss feed, btw nice info keep spirit
hm… i still don’t like the idea of 301 redirects.. better to uncheck that magic checkbox and don’t track the visitors, but at least you have the direct link to your post;)
Thanks for this explanation Klaus. Depending on the URL that people are subscribed to your current feed at, couldn’t you redirect it to your feedburner feed? Obviously you would need to make sure feedburner can still get to it so that it doesn’t redirect back to itself.
Thanks for the article about FeedBurner – need to create a feed on there for my website’s blog page.