Content syndication involves publishing content from one source to multiple destinations. By leveraging a WordPress syndication plugin, the process can be automated and streamlined with ease.
In this guide, you’ll learn all about:
- Our researched and tested list of the top syndication plugins.
- How to choose the best plugin for your content.
- A bonus section addressing the most frequently asked questions about content syndication.
Are you ready to repurpose your content and reach a larger audience?
Let’s get started.
Our Top WordPress Syndication Plugin Recommendations
If you are looking for a top-notch content syndication plugin and don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. After thorough research, we have identified four options we believe will be the best fit for your content syndication needs.
1. Best Overall: WP RSS Aggregator
The WP RSS Aggregator plugin is the most comprehensive solution for content syndication on WordPress. It is a user-friendly plugin for your autoblogging needs and comes with a wide range of features to make sure you can syndicate the content you need, exactly how you want it.
With the Feed to Post feature, you can import content from any RSS feed as a WordPress post or any other custom post type. This gives you the flexibility to show the content you need, including authors, images, and categories. With this feature being one of the most prominent in any content syndication plugin, the WP RSS Aggregator stands out by simplifying and streamlining the management of its features, as experienced by our thousands of satisfied customers over the years.
The plugin also features functionalities like Keyword Filtering which automatically filters imported content based on keywords, phrases, and/or tags. This allows you to seamlessly organize your feed sources by category with the Categories feature.
Pros
- Simplifies the process of integrating affiliate links, resulting in boosted passive income.
- Flexible and customizable to align with your website’s aesthetics and tone.
- Includes features designed to help you syndicate posts relevant to your site and curate them based on your preferences.
Cons
- Content syndication in large amounts might impact the performance of your WordPress site, as it is very resource-intensive. This can be managed by configuring the plugin’s settings to schedule the syndication of posts.
- If a simultaneous import of posts from various sources needs to be conducted, the WordPress memory usage will have to be increased for efficient handling.
2. Best for News Sites: News SEO
If you run a news site and are looking to add a touch of syndication to your content marketing strategy, then News SEO is the plugin for you. Developed by the team behind the popular Yoast SEO plugin, it is a lightweight syndication plugin designed specifically for news sites.
News SEO comes with all the features you need to get your articles indexed on Google News and other search engines. It automatically creates an XML sitemap specifically for news articles and immediately alerts search engines like Google when you publish a news piece.
You can also implement it by adding the ‘NewsArticle’ and other schema data to your articles. This way, search engines will understand your content better and rank you appropriately.
This plugin also allows you to choose categories you want to be syndicated. For instance, you can choose to only include political news in the Google News XML sitemap.
Pros
- SEO-friendly to ensure that your articles are easily indexed by search engines.
- Lightweight with a user-friendly interface specifically designed for news sites.
- Lists your news articles on Google News and boosts readership by getting extra traffic.
Cons
- While this tool is standalone, the News SEO plugin cannot be used without first installing the original Yoast SEO plugin from WordPress.
- This plugin is not available to download directly from the WordPress repository. It will have to be purchased from the Yoast SEO website instead.
3. Best for Social Media: Blog2Social
If you are looking for a way to easily syndicate your content to social media, then Blog2Social is the plugin for you. This WordPress plugin makes it easy to share and schedule your blog posts, and also provides features for optimized social media sharing to networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google My Business, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You can also share links and posts from any other source (apart from your website) using the RSS import feature or the free Blog2Social Extension for Firefox and Chrome.
Blog2Social also allows you to easily track the performance of your content on social media with URL parameters through UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) so that you can track your social campaigns in Google Analytics.
Pros
- Auto-posting and scheduling to social media networks aid in making the content-sharing process more streamlined.
- Supports RSS import and free Blog2Social Extension for Firefox and Chrome so you can easily curate content for your social media accounts.
- Tracking allows you to see how effectively your content is performing so you can make necessary adjustments to your strategy.
Cons
- The free version may feel restrictive as the star features, such as scheduling, are only available when upgraded to premium.
- First-time users may find the initial configuration challenging, however, they offer customer support to help with this.
4. Best for Businesses: Auto Publish for Google My Business
If you are a brick-and-mortar business and looking to keep your Google My Business page active, the Auto Publish for Google My Business plugin will come in handy. It allows you to auto-publish your content to your GMB page.
Unlike other plugins, this one is 100% free and comes packed with several features such as the ability to auto-publish posts, custom post types, and pages. However, the plugin does not allow you to auto-publish to social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.
The Auto Publish for Google My Business plugin uses the Google My Business API. This way, the post image will be easily featured on GMB while the link is turned into a call-to-action button.
Pros
- Automatically publishes content to your GMB page, freeing up time for focus on other business operations.
- Schedule content for optimal posting times.
- Filter the content you want to share.
- Comes with a shortcode builder for displaying website reviews on GMB.
Cons
- Functionality to auto-post to other social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn is separate from the main plugin at an additional cost.
5. Best for Individual Bloggers: PressForward
PressForward is a versatile WordPress syndication plugin designed to enhance editorial workflow. This plugin supports a comprehensive range of features, such as aggregating content via RSS/Atom feeds and a bookmarklet, enabling discussion about the content through a collaborative interface, and sharing content with proper attribution and citation. Its content curation and collaboration features make it an ideal choice for bloggers and editorial teams.
Pros
- The plugin is a good choice for first-time users or independent bloggers as it is available for free.
- It is versatile with features like content aggregation in various formats, team collaboration, sharing with attribution, and various curation options, making it an optimal choice for blogging.
Cons
- Although the plugin boasts a wide range of features, a first-time user could find it overwhelming to use it.
- It relies on the consistency and availability of external feed sources, which can be unpredictable in the long run.
6. Best for Multisite: Broadcast
Broadcast is a powerful plugin that simplifies the process of content syndication within a multisite network. It helps create a single source of content on your WordPress multisite network and makes the management of content being shared and synced much more streamlined. This makes Broadcast an ideal choice for application in various businesses involved in distributed content management, such as schools, news sites, franchises, chain stores, etc.
Pros
- It makes the management of content syndication much easier within the same network. It allows the sharing of various content types ranging from posts and pages to even taxonomies, slugs, and custom fields.
- It facilitates consistency through dynamic updates of all linked posts whenever a parent post is updated, reducing manual effort.
- The plugin offers SEO support for hreflang, permalink, canonical URLs, etc., and integration with the Yoast SEO plugin.
Cons
- Many features are only available through add-on packs, which may necessitate additional setup and management.
- Some users have expressed concern over compatibility issues with certain WordPress themes.
Features to Consider for WordPress Syndication Plugins
There are several features to consider when choosing a syndication plugin for your website. Ease of use, auto-posting and scheduling as well as RSS import and content curation are really important. Features such as social media integration and the ability to track performance can also be beneficial to your overall content strategy.
1. User-friendliness
This is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a WordPress syndication plugin. The best plugins are those that are easy to use and come with clear instructions.
Most of the plugins reviewed in this guide are quite easy to use. However, the WP RSS Aggregator stands out for its user-friendly interface, simple integration, and minimalist features.
2. Auto-Posting and Scheduling
The ability to auto-post and schedule content is another important feature to prioritize while selecting a WordPress syndication plugin. This feature allows you to automatically share your content on social media and other platforms at the best times.
Blog2Social and Auto Publish for Google My Business are the best options if you are looking to optimize your content-sharing strategies. Both plugins excel in this area, offering robust scheduling capabilities.
3. RSS Import and Curation
Content syndication goes both ways. You can either allow other sites to republish your content or you can import content from other sources. Setting up RSS feeds makes this process a lot easier.
That’s why good WordPress syndication plugins come with RSS import and curation features. This allows you to easily import content from other sources and share it on your website or social media accounts. We highly recommend the WP RSS Aggregator if you are more interested in these features. For social media curation, Blog2Social stands out with its RSS and its Chrome and Firefox browser extensions.
4. Social Media Integration
Most WordPress syndication plugins come with social media integration features. This allows you to easily share your content on social media platforms or import from platforms like Instagram to WordPress.
The best plugins also come with additional features, such as the ability to customize your social media posts and track performance. The WP RSS Aggregator and Blog2Social are both great plugins that come with social media integration features.
5. Performance Tracking
Performance tracking is important for your content syndication efforts. It allows you to track how well your content is being received and where it is being placed. This way, you can make necessary changes to ensure that your content reaches its intended audience.
Most of the tools reviewed here allow for performance tracking. For instance, the WP RSS Aggregator tracks how aggregated content on your site performs. With this data, you’ll be able to focus on content that is impactful and well-received.
The Blog2Social plugin, News SEO by Yoast, and Auto Publish for Google My Business also use UTMs to assess performance using Google Analytics.
6. Support
Finally, it is important to consider the kind of customer support that the plugin offers. This is especially true if you are not tech-savvy. Choose a WordPress syndication plugin that offers outstanding customer support in case you run into any issues.
The WP RSS Aggregator plugin, for instance, has a knowledge base where you can find answers to commonly asked questions. There is also excellent customer support for both free and premium users that can assist you with any customizations and troubleshooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Content Syndication Legal?
Yes, content syndication is a legal way to share your content when properly attributed to the original source. In fact, it is how most news organizations operate.
2. Is Content Syndication Bad for SEO?
No, content syndication is not bad for SEO. It can instead be good for SEO if done right through proper attribution. The rel=canonical and NoIndex tags can also be added for your syndicated content so that it can avoid getting ranked over the original post. When done right, it will benefit you through high-quality backlinks from authority sites.
3. Is Content Syndication Effective?
Yes, content syndication is an effective way to reach a wider audience. It allows you to share your content with other websites which amplifies your content and exposes it to a whole new audience who might not have otherwise come across it.
Wrapping up
Content syndication is an effective way to boost your marketing strategy. With the right syndication plugin, you can make the whole process more streamlined and automated for your WordPress website. Kickstart your syndication efforts with WP RSS Aggregator, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in your content distribution and helping your website make its mark amongst its audience.
