An .xml URL does not prove a feed works. Check HTTP status, MIME type, encoding, channel structure and items, then advertise it with link rel="alternate".

The useful answer depends on the purpose of the page, the people allowed to edit it and the cost of an error. A reliable workflow separates editorial decisions, technical delivery and final verification instead of hiding all three inside one automated operation.

The decision to make first

Test like an aggregator: download, parse and validate URLs, GUIDs, dates, descriptions and atom:self.

A practical method

  1. Confirm a 200 response without redirect loops.
  2. Parse XML while collecting libxml errors.
  3. Validate one complete item and its RFC 822 date.
  4. Check discovery in the listing page HTML.
  5. Test each language and social variant.

Checks before publishing

  • The source of truth is explicit and can be restored.
  • URLs, dates and visible claims match the delivered page.
  • A human reviewer can reproduce the check without a hidden service.

The main pitfall

A feed can be valid XML but still publish wrong links or future dates. Validate meaning as well as syntax.

Keep a smoke test in the repository and run it after routing, content or generator changes.

Verification workshop: evidence before a decision

A proposed exercise on a chosen scope, using fictional data where needed. Record what you observe; this scenario describes no test already performed on your website.

Action to try

Choose a published article and a fictional draft. Inspect the feed XML, check which entries appear and open the published article’s link.

Record to retain

Keep feed ID, title, URL, date and observed summary. Compare those fields with the accessible page.

What this evidence does not establish

Well-formed XML establishes neither entry relevance nor subscriber discovery. A feed must not accidentally expose a draft.

Explore the method

A short RSS acceptance check

After publication, compare the page, feed and discovery link in the HTML. One article should have an understandable title, final URL and consistent date in every location. Open at least one entry in a feed reader or validator.

Try an accent, an ampersand and a changed URL as well: well-formed XML can still lead to the wrong page. Check the feed HTTP status and content type. Discovery should point to the language or section advertised.

A practical website prelaunch checklist →