A while ago, I changed my RSS feeds from full to partial feeds on the advice of someone saying that having to click over to the site to read the full post encouraged readers to click on more once they are on the site thereby creating more exposure, etc.
As a reader, does it bother you if you have to do an extra click to read a post? Does it discourage you from reading more? Or do you not mind?
I don’t want to annoy my readers, so let me know which you want!
Please click here to take survey. If you have specific advice or want to explain your opinion, please leave a comment. I’m also looking for pros and cons from some that have tried both.
Thank you!!
I prefer full because I read on my phone. If I have to click through I move on. If the article is compelling I will be sure to bookmark it though and visit it later via the web.
That is a good idea! I will have to look into a plugin for that. 🙂 I will definitely be making the switch. Just doing a ton of other stuff right now!
My thought is that it is better to write compelling content that encourages user conversation – sure, they don't have to click through just to read your content, but if they want to comment, or interact with the content, then they click through. If you just want pageviews, that says to me you are more concerned with metrics and ad impressions than actually communicating with your users, which is another reason that I would be leery about reading a blog like that.
Another good tip, however, is to embed “related posts” into your feed – sure, I don't have to click through to read the initial article, but if there are a bunch of links to “related posts” at the end, which I find interesting…THOSE are click-throughs. And move valuable ones, in my opinion, as they are obviously more targeted.
Thanks Matt. Others have shared that same opinion. It's like a double edged sword. LOL!! And it all depends on what you are going for on your blog I guess.
Thanks!
Anecdotal report from me, and me alone – about once every two months I go through my Google Reader and remove any feeds that are partials. The main reason? I do a lot of my feed reading on my mobile device, and it's a real pain to click through.
Yes, people might click through more if you send a partial feed. But you also might lose readers. I will always click through if I want to comment, naturally…but I personally find partial feeds SO annoying that I will go out of my way to unsubscribe from a blog that uses them.
I might be an edge case, though 🙂
Thats a pretty good idea. I will be looking into the plugin. Thanks!
Since I follow very little it doesn't bother me to click to read more. However when I get behind and there are days worth of missed posts I will open my reader and only read from there. I won't click over.
Partial feeds don't bother me as long as there is at least a paragraph of text included. If I like what I've read before the link I have no problem clicking over to the web site to read the rest of the post. I use partial feeds on my web site but I also use a thumbnail plugin to include images in my WordPress feed to help them stand out more.