The writing has been on the wall for some time and I could kick myself for not taking action sooner.
Everyone’s been talking about the death of Google Reader and many are also speculating Feedburner is the next service to get the boot.
Why?
Well in case you didn’t know, last year Google abandoned the Feedburner Twitter feed, shut down AdSense for Feeds, and hasn’t put anything into the development or support of Feedburner for quite some time.
So with the recent news about Google Reader shutting down, it’s becoming clear Google wants out of the RSS game.
If this happens, this will be a HUGE loss for bloggers and podcasters. Whether you realize it or not, a lot of people may subscribe to your content using this free service.
RSS Profits
Now, I don’t know much about Google’s financials in this area, but my guess is that RSS is just not a profitable department for the search giant.
For example, if AdSense for Feeds was drawing in money from advertisers, they wouldn’t have discontinued it. Period.
And with regards to Feedburner email, think of all the bandwidth costs that go into sending out those millions of Feedburner emails everyday.
That’s a lot of resources wrapped into a product if it’s not profitable.
With Google Reader dying in July, Feedly is becoming the go-to alternative for RSS subscriptions. So if you do follow my blog via RSS or would like to start, now’s a great time introduce yourself to Feedly. If you want to get away from apps tied to Google’s API, try Newsblur or The Old Reader.
I Really, Really Hope I’m Wrong
Let me just say, this is all speculation that Feedburner could be going away, so please don’t take my word for it. Nevertheless, all signs seem to point to “yes.”
This will be huge loss for bloggers and podcasters — including myself. My Feedburner list is now in the 5 figures, and it’s going to be impossible not to lose some of those readers if I switch to something else.
So that’s why I’m making the transition now.
Feedburner Alternatives
The good news is, you can actually migrate your Feedburner email subscribers over to Feedblitz — but not without a cost.
Yes, no one likes going from free to paid services, but at least paid services tend to offer more stability than the free ones. Plus, you won’t lose any of your current subscribers because they don’t have to re opt in.
The other option is to use AWeber (affiliate link), MailChimp or one of the other email services for broadcasting your blog posts.
AWeber has a very nice blog broadcast feature that you can schedule, plus you can also send other things to your list (unlike Feedburner’s service).
The downside of going this route is there is even though you can import your Feedburner subscribers to AWeber, they will have to opt in again. And of course that means you will lose some subscribers.
I’m Taking My Chances
Well despite the risk, I’ve decided to merge my Feedburner list with my existing AWeber list. I have more confidence in their longevity so I’m just going to use my existing email list to broadcast my blog posts too.
(Which is probably what I should have done ages ago. ARGH!)
I thought about setting up a separate email list just for my blog broadcast, but that would just make it confusing to manage and for my subscribers. It’s easier to keep everything under one list.
Plus, I only blog once a week (and sometimes every other week), so it’s not like it’s going to add much email volume to my existing AWeber subscribers.
Since Feedburner is still live and kicking, at least those that don’t switch over to my other list will still get my blog updates. So as of right now, it’s not as risky.
That’s the advantage of transitioning while Feedburner is still active. At least those that don’t do anything will still get my updates — that is until (if) Feedburner kicks the bucket.
I’m Mad at Myself
You know….
I’m always preaching about how you shouldn’t rely on free services for your business, and I made the same mistake with my own blog relying on Feedburner’s email service.
I guess I felt secure when it was bought out by Google years ago. I assumed the service would be around for the long haul. Now that assumption could cost me some subscribers down the road.
In any event, just wanted to give you a heads up if you’re a Feedburner user. If Google does decide to shut it down, no doubt they will provide enough notice like they did with Google Reader — so no need to panic.
But if you do use it for your blog or podcast, it’s time to think about what that will mean if the service goes away.
How to Prevent Missing My Future Blog Updates
If you receive my blog updates through Feedburner’s email service and would like to continue receiving email updates, make sure you subscribe to my main list below and unsubscribe to the Feedburner email you receive on Tuesdays.
(Feedburner email subscribers: You may have to click here to view the form.)
Don’t worry, I don’t send a lot email. I also reward my list with exclusive freebies on occasion.
I will continue to send my blog posts out via Feedburner indefinitely in case people miss this message, so make sure you unsubscribe or you’ll receive duplicate emails about my blog posts.
If you are already on my email list, no need to do anything. And if you’re not sure if you’re subscribed, simply attempt to subscribe in the form above, and AWeber will tell you if you’re already on the list.
It’s Hard to Please Everyone
I know this transition is a bit messy, but there really is no way to do this smoothly. I realize some of you who are on my main list, prefer not to get emails about my blog posts because you subscribe via other methods (RSS, etc.)
However, I just feel this is the best way for business. The good news is, I don’t blog that often (2-4 times per month) so it’s not like your inbox is going to be flooded with emails from me.
The other thing I have to remember is if people do unsubscribe from my main list because of this change, they probably aren’t that interested in hearing from me anyway.
So on one hand, this could be a good way to do some list housecleaning. See there? I’m trying to focus on the positive. 🙂
An Opportunity to Gain/Reinforce Reader Loyalty
The one good thing about Google Reader dying and Feedburner’s uncertain future is this gives us bloggers a chance to reinforce and endorse other ways to keep up with our sites.
A lot of people still don’t even know what RSS is or how it works. It sounds complicated but it’s really a simple and convenient way to follow blogs.
Not to mention sites like Feedly make subscribing and reading blogs from mobile devices convenient since many of these services have apps. Feedly will also transfer all your Google Reader blog subscriptions right over to them.
So if you use Google Reader, consider using them to follow blogs you love. There are convenient add-ons/extensions for both Firefox and Chrome.
Cutting Out The RSS Middleman
You might be wondering, Lisa, why would you recommend Feedly or another free RSS service and risk them shutting down like Google Reader?
First of all, email and RSS are two different animals.
There will always be ways to subscribe to blog RSS feeds because it doesn’t cost anything to create and display a feed. So I’m less worried about losing track of RSS subscribers because they will find other readers.
Heck, they can even use their browser to subscribe with RSS if they want. (More details on this in a bit.)
Email is completely different because it can be a very costly service to maintain for the provider — which is why MailChimp is only free for up to 2,000 subscribers and AWeber is not free at all.
Relying on Feedburner’s email service to be free or last forever seems unrealistic — especially if the service is not making money for Google. So for email, I think you should be careful about relying on free services for your blog.
I’ve sure learned the hard way.
Promoting Your Direct Feed
You may also want to consider educating your readers about subscribing to your direct feed that’s hosted on your domain. That way you cut out the middleman (Feedburner, Feedly, etc.)
For example, if you use WordPress, your blog’s feed (which is simply a list of your latest posts) is http://yoursite.com/feed. Your visitors can subscribe to this link right from the their browser.
If you use Firefox, go to Bookmarks >> Subscribe to this Page. Now you can subscribe directly from your browser using their Live Bookmarks feature.
From now on, you can access any blog’s latest posts from your browser’s Bookmarks.
Chrome has a similar feature with the RSS Subscription Extension. (By the way, Google did recently change their mind and decided to keep this alive in spite of Google Reader’s impending death.) But you need to install the extension.
So in this case, you’re still relying on Google to keep this extension around. To my knowledge, Chrome does not have a default, built-in RSS reader like Firefox does. Although, I could be wrong.
In any event, take this opportunity to educate your readers on how they can keep up with your blog updates.
In fact, I’ve just added a More Subscription Options link underneath my opt-in form to enlighten my future subbies on other subscription alternatives.
You can’t always assume everyone understands RSS — even in 2013 (unless your audience is more tech savvy.)
I used a similar page when my blog and RSS was fairly new. It drastically increased my number of subscribers. Not sure why I stopped using it.
Let’s Sum This All Up
Google Reader is shutting down on July 1st.
That’s no rumor. It’s a fact.
That means anyone who subscribes to your blog’s RSS feed using this service will have to find something else.
Feedly seems like a logical choice because they will migrate all your Google Reader subscriptions right over.
So make sure your readers know about this big change coming up. I’ve even considered adding a small blurb about it at the bottom of my future posts just to remind my readers of all the changes.
There is no official word that Feedburner is dying, but just in case it happens, it might be a good idea to slowly begin migrating away from their email service and use Feedblitz, AWeber, etc. for those who’d rather sign up for email updates on your blog.
And if you think email is dead? Think again. I actually have more email subscribers for this blog than I do RSS. Just because you’re tech savvy, doesn’t mean your readers are.
And finally, it’s really best for people to subscribe to your blog’s feed using the built-in URL from your domain, so they aren’t relying on a 3rd party service or extension.
However, it’s not realistic to expect everyone to select that choice considering some people are heavily reliant on mobile devices and prefer to use Feedly and other similar apps/extensions.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to explain the options and even consider creating a “How To Subscribe” page that will appease all types of readers.
So what about you? Do the Feedburner rumors concern you at all?
I am not using feedburner yet in my blog. Actually what is the importance of feedburner?Sorry i am new with this. Soon i will do research of this kind of stuff. Thanks admin because let everyone know that we will have another choice if feedburner being shutdown. Hopefully not…
Hi. Thanks for sharing your webwisdom. I have been using getresponse for the past few months for my email service, after leaving a free email service. I am very happy with it, and they have excellent customer service.
I tried aweber, but they have too many issues. getresponse did not make my list opt in again…
Thanks & Peace, Tchiya
Hi lisa,
This really a great article. I do personally learn in the post. That’s right, but sometimes with rss our content is stole by another blogger.but really interesting post indeed. Thanks a lot for sharing it with us.
This sucks because Google Reader is a wonderful tool but maybe it’s part of Google’s ongoing mobile strategy. Most of my readers prefer email subscriptions anyway. I think Google Reader catered to bloggers.
Thanks Lisa! I am glad to see this
RSS is poison! I’m glad to see it go! http://dave-lucas.blogspot.com/2012/09/bloggers-poison-rss.html
Hi Lisa,
I have been reading everything I can on affiliated marketing, blogging and everything else, I am still totally baffled on what to start with, can you help?
Dianora, make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel http://youtube.com/lisa3876 I am working on a video that shows you how to start. It will be very, very indepth.
Very detailed and a fantastic share Lisa.
Just wondering if Google may launch an alternative or buy into another service. I’m sure its all about cash flow… But they are market share leaders surely there is a think tank working on G rss in a lab somewhere… Probably!
Hi Lisa
I have already switched to feebly and read your post to see I f you were saying anything glad your not as I am very happy with feebly. From what I have read definately seems the way to go at the moment.
Great info thanks lee
It was really impressive published article. I do personally learn in the post and also I will share it to my friends later after reviewing. Really interesting post indeed. Thanks.
Thanx a lot lisa, wonderfull share from you.. 😀
I Love Aweber, I didn’t even know what is this RSS when I started in 2008 🙂
ya my blog subscriptions 1220 and now its zero its good to read the reason on your site
Hi Lisa,
To be honest, I don’t know how to react on your post. It made me shock that FeedBurner was abandoned by Google. The more shocking news to me was that it occurred last year and that I never really heard about it up until now. But thanks for the info about Feedly. I guess i’ll try Feedly now as an alternative. Thanks for sharing.
I have read your article days after I noticed that all the feedburner subscriptions were all zero, I did have a reasonable amount before hand. As I am using WordPress, I have added a plugin for email subscriptions so hopefully that will do the job.
Thanks for the heads up because I love your site and wouldn’t want to miss any of your posts! I really don’t understand Google at all…it seems like they constantly try to make it harder for all of us! It’s getting old and frustrating!
I’m subscribed to your Feedburner RSS feed via Netvibes but nowdays I usually get to know about your new blog posts from your Facebook updates first.
Hey thank you Lisa for the tip about Feedly. I’m checkin those guys out now! 🙂 You have a great and really helpful blog too!
Thats right, but sometimes with rss our content is stole by another blogger, btw nice share.Thanks a lot!
I’ve already switched to Feedly and imported my feeds. But, yes, I’ve been worried about FeedBurner, too.
That said, I’ve had just as many paid apps be dropped or lose support, so buying a resources doesn’t guarantee you a long line of goodies. :/
Very true. But in general, free services tend to come with a bit more risk.
Autoresponders like Aweber nowadays are not cheap (they used to be cheap). People now know about the value of having a list and those autoresponders providers can charge higher knowing that their paid users will not leave due to the hassle or loss of exsisting subscribers in the process.
Lisa Thanks for sharing..
Its a nice idea of always going for the paid as it provides stability and over full services. will check out feedblitz.
I Think is high time i move over to feedblitz for some of my blog but i heard about some script that when install in your host, you can use it to build list instead of the monthly or yearly paying of aweber. @Lisa am not sure of this, how true is it?
Thanks for your updates, its nice sharing it.
SPEAKING OF FREE SERVICES ………. WORDPRESS ……….. Isn’t WordPress FREE……… Your thought on this… Lisa… I mean one day …WordPress is Next.
The WordPress script is free but hosting is not (if you use wordpress.org). I wouldn’t worry about an open-source platform that is generating so much money for so many people. PLUS, even if WordPress wasn’t free, you still own your own content with paid hosting and would be able to move it somewhere else.
No matter what website builder you use, you still own your content when you pay for hosting. So not so sure that’s the best comparison to this Feedburner issue. With Feedburner, you don’t own and can’t control the functionality. With your self hosted WordPress site, you at least own your own content.
Feedburner and Feedblitz are great, and I hope that feedburner doesn’t go away. But, frankly, why don’t you just use your own domain and your own site to handle the feed and for your email list? I mean, really–if you use your own site for this you don’t have to worry about something “going away”. Install the script on your own site for managing emails rather than relying on aweber.
Because my list is HUGE and I’ve had security issues with self-hosted scripts in the past. I’d rather outsource in this instance.
So I’m confused…why then do you still have your feedburner feed as the active subscribing rss feed instead of your direct feed. When I click on “Subscribe to “2 Create a Website – The Blog >>Feed” it still goes to:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/2createawebsite
instead of just
https://blog.2createawebsite.com/feed/
Wouldn’t you want to keep people from signing up through feedburner since it’s done in July?
Just trying to figure this all out since I have feedburner too.
Thanks!
Hi Sonya
Feedburner is not going away. There has been no news on FB — only Google Reader. I am just choosing to rid myself of FB just in case.
As far as not changing my feed URL that was just an oversight on my part and it is now changed. I was so busy taking down my Feedburner email subscribe box that I forgot about the feed URL. Duh. LOL Thank you for reminding me!
Thank you for this really helpful post!
I just want to clarify this as well. I see these as your main points:
1. Feedburner is probably on the way out – though no one can be really sure.
2. So if we want to send updates via email, we should choose an alternative, you recommend some.
3. As far as just RSS feed, would your recommendation be to just *stop* redirecting the feed to feed burner? Is that correct? If you look at your social icons, you still direct people to feed burner, is that a mistake?
Great summary.
Yes, it is a mistake! I changed the URL in my meta tags but forgot this one too. Thank you.
Great Post Lisa, thanks for the detailed info.
the death of google reader and feedburner has been the talk of the town for some weeks now and it is really sad to know that google is actually shutting down this service, this is one of the evidence that all they care about is profit making.
I believe building your own list is the best, Am currently using mailchimp for my list building but lately am gradually getting convinced to give aweber a try. I will probably try it soon.
Yikes! Thanks for bringing this to our attention sooner than later!Thanks a lot!
I never thought that these things could also have a bad impact on my rss or ranking!
Now i’ll take care of it 🙂
thanks
Thats right, but sometimes with rss our content is stole by another blogger, btw nice share
I still remember the hoopla when Google turned off Feedburner’s API last year and a lot of people jumped to some alternatives, I stayed mainly because I hate paying out for services if I can use a free one. But it does look like I might have to do it soon or I might get caught out as I have this horrible feeling that we might not get a lot of notice of closure.
I was the same way, Dean. I just didn’t think it would ever die…. and it still may not. I just want to be safe in case.
Hey Lisa!
I started blogging back in 2009 and did so for a few years straight. I was learning the tricks of the trade and in many ways, still am.
That said, I just launched my new blog and am focusing on Aweber to keep in touch rather than Feedburner. I personally just setup a folder in Chrome and add blogs there that I want to keep up with and visit them each day or so to stay in touch.
But everyone handles things differently.
I’ve been hearing about this coming for some time from other sites and it does make you wonder what other free services we are used to now are going to disappear in the future.
It’s definitely not good for business but am I worried right now, since I’m just starting, no.
Would I be otherwise? That depends on where I’d be.
Lisa, do you think we have some more bad news coming with other free services also? I’m thinking Gmail for example. I sure hope not!
I don’t think GMail is going anywhere anytime soon. Google is probably having too much fun reading our emails and using it to target ads. LOL No but seriously, I think GMail is such a popular product that can help them with monetization that it wouldn’t make sense. It’s all about money. If they can find a way to monetize a product, it’ll stick. I think RSS just ended up being a huge resource hog with no/little profit potential.
Quiet interesting.
This is the first time I am visiting your blog, and I think il be the one for visiting it most now..! Great work
Over the past year or so, Google’s been rolling out new updates like crazy, including Penguin, Panda, Google+, and so on… And recently, people in the SEO industry have been shaking in their boots..
I hope this techniques will help us!
Fantastic post and best blog! I happen to be a daily visitor to your blog (somewhat more like addict 😛 ) of this blog. Just wanted to say I appreciate your blogs and am looking forward for more to come!
Yikes! Thanks for bringing this to our attention sooner than later!
Thank you Lisa! for sharing. It’s really Great article
I installed Feedly on my android phone and I love it, it’s awesome. I don’t have too many apps on my phone(not a app fan) but I’m gonna keep feedly. And another thing is if rumors are Google will shut down feedburner because it’s free and they don’t make any money from it, then what would you say about Gmail.. Will Google also shut down Gmail.. It’s free too.. What do you think Lisa?
Nice one Lisa, interesting as always, but glad to say out of the last 4-5 years, I’ve gotten away without the need for feedburners etc. So lucky in that sense.
Anything is possible
Awesome and much valuable post Lisa! Well, Feedly is a good alternative for Google Reader and Feedblitz is a good alternative for Feedburner. And creating a “how to subscribe” page is indeed a great idea to make it easy for readers to subscribe. Thanks for sharing and tweeted 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Nizam!
Thanks for sharing this useful information regarding feedburner and its alternatives, Lisa. Paid services like Aweber are costly but at least they are more reliable.
Agree!
You are right – the writing is on the wall. But there is no doubt that without Google Reader and possibly Feedburner, the internet will be a much quieter place. The way so many of us find items of interest by reading feeds and it is a step backwards. Sort of like going from cable TV back to using an antenna (remember those days?). Hundreds of channels – back down to just a few.
I think you nailed this one Lisa,
Google has been tilting their hand on Google reader for some time now.
The RSS reader cancellation should basically be confirmation for what’s coming next.
I hope blogs continue to publish RSS though.
I prefer to subscribe via RSS because I DON’T want all of the auto responders from email just the latest articles.
Hey Darnell,
Thanks for stopping by. Yeah I think it’s only a matter of time. I think basic RSS will always be around simply because blogs have built-in feeds and it’s a core part of the blogging functionality.
Lisa-
I think you are right about RSS not being profitable for google (why shut it down then, right?) Makes me also think of how many RSS subscribers are actually reading the blog articles to begin with vs. just logging directly into the blog. I’d venture to say that if google reader couldn’t pull enough eyeballs to garner a profit then most of the RSS feed systems aren’t really delivering your content to actual readers vs. just feeding into an RSS reader that no one reads. Thoughts?
Anything is possible and bloggers need to be smart before they are caught unawares. You can’t trust Google to keep a service for long
With all the changes Google is making its really hard to trust Google anymore. They keep killing the services that most people use and simply start new services that people might or might not like. As you said, for those bloggers who rely heavily on RSS (through Feedburner) this is going to be a big hit on the head.
I’m changing my Feedburner options to my direct site feed. And yes as to the reader I’ve moved to Feedly.
It still boggles my mind why Google would want out of such a big game (RSS feeds) but I’m sure it all comes down to money. The thing is, if they already have the infrastructure in place (servers, services, people, etc) then what do they intend to use it for in the future? They already seem to own most of the Internet. Anyway, I think that by doing away with Google Reader and eventually Feedburner, it will alienate a lot of people, including me. I used to be a big fan of Google’s but the decisions they make are slowly driving me away.
Yes, they’ve been making a lot of big changes lately. I agree that it’s about money.
Lisa, you’re right that the rss-feed topic confuses folks. I’ve been blogging for several years, and I’m still unsettled about which route to take. My organic traffic is growing, but my signups are still low, both by rss and email. At any rate, thanks for the informative post. I’m going to subscribe to your blog through Firefox’s subscription link as you described.
I keep up to date with this blog using Google reader. I also use iGoogle. I keep everything organized there and I think it is going too soon.
I know, it’s a shame really. I stay up to date with a lot of blogs, and having to check all of them manually would be quite a pain!
I don’t think RSS was marketed well enough really. A lot of people I talk to don’t even know about it.
Yup! You’re right! What the heck is RSS?
Gosh, I have been thinking about switching from Feedburner, but it all sounds so confusing. I got as far as checking out Aweber and when I learned subscribers have to opt in again I was not happy. I did notact them and they said they may allow a transfer from FB to Aweber without having to opt in again on a case by case basis. It sounds though like they just wanted me to sign up. 😕
I’m alread using Constant Contact for another business and they don’t have such strict policies. You can manually add email addresses and as long as they don’t get a lot of complaints from your list they are fine with that. However as far as I know they don’t have any integration with RSS feeds. Otherwise I really like them.
I know I have to do something soon though as the rumors about Feedburner have been going aroudn for some time now… 🙁
Hi Thita and Lisa:
Thita: Sounds like you’re looking for an autoresponder, yes? Maybe Lisa can comment on this…but I heard about SimplyCast.com and their Epic Free plan. Wondering if you or Lisa have tried these guys for email marketing? Any opinions on this? Any catch’s?
Thanks,
Charlie
PS Thanks for this article, Leese. Yet again, another example of a free service affecting IM’ers. Did you hear Squidoo is running their filters to (eventually) Lock “Spammy/Cookie Cutter” Lens?
No, I hadn’t heard about Squidoo. Interesting. Yes, changes all around!
That’s also interesting to know they *may* port your list over. I may contact them as well to see if I’m one of those on that case by case basis. lol Thanks!
Hi again Lisa:
In case your readers have Squidoo Lens’ it is recommended that you check them all. Any one with a yellow exclamation mark NEEDS to be corrected, i.e. more unique content, less affiliate links, etc. by the end of March or within a few weeks, or they will get locked.
Just click the yellow circle in the list of Lens and click something like “Fix this now.” Read the suggestions and make corrections. If it republishes w/o the warning pop up it should be good. If the yellow circle is still there, try this:
1. Go to your dashboard
2. Click the yellow icon
3. Click “fix this lens”
4. Click to publish
A lens is not “fixed” until the yellow symbol is gone.
Charlie
I use aWeber and I don’t really have any problems with functionality but I find it doesn’t really matter if it’s the first opt in or not, people are sick and tired of these types of things because they have been spammed to death. I even have people who sign up to a list sometimes never confirm their opt in. I personally dislike them as well. All that aside, the only other thing I don’t like about aWeber is their control over who you can import to a list. I would also say they are due for a graphical interface upgrade with more freeedom and functionality for the user.
I do agree that many people are tired of email, but if someone signs up it does at least show there is interest so it’s up to us to keep them engaged.
As far as the confirmations, sometimes they go to the Junk folder so that’s not really the fault of AWeber or the user. The mail system filters are super sensitive these days.
I definitely agree about the user interface of AWeber. I actually hate their Broadcast interface. I fight with it every time. 🙂 But I’m not going anywhere so I deal with it.
Thanks, Lisa, for this article — all the info looks great.
Pam you are right , Lisa is a shearing good tips for every one..Thanks