Changing Your Podcast RSS Feed Address (URL)

There might come a time when you need to change your podcast feed from one address (e.g. example.com/old/feed/) to a new address (e.g. example.com/new/feed/). When that day comes, we hope you read this page first.

Your feed address is as important as your phone number and your physical mailing address. Once you start handing out your feed address, it will be referenced by websites, newsfeed readers, and podcatchers (like Apple Podcasts Directory), and apps indefinitely. For this reason, we always stress you should host your feed on a website (domain name) that you own, that way you have 100% control of that address.

There are three primary ways to change your feed address. The first is via a plugin called “redirection” that works only for feeds generated by WordPress. The second and most ideal method is to use a web-based HTTP 301 (permanently moved) redirect. The redirection does as it implies, directs the old address to the new one letting the client know the change is permanent. The third (and not recommended) method is called “iTunes New Feed URL”. The iTunes New Feed URL is an alternative method that works primarily for Apple Podcasts and iTunes (the desktop application) only, and should only be used if you are unable to implement an HTTP 301 redirect.

VERY IMPORTANT: The 301 redirect needs to be in place for your old feed address. Many times we find that podcasters put the redirect in place at the new address, which is incorrect.

Via the Redirection Plugin (recommended method)

Steps:

1. Install “redirection” from the plugins menu and activate it.
2. Find “redirection” in the Tools menu of WordPress.
3. Go through the setup (just click the blue buttons until it’s done)
4. Once you get to that point, add a new redirect.
5. Put /feed/podcast/ (if you are using the default feed) or whatever comes after your domain name in the feed you are using (category or channel) in the Source feed URL. **Note, you do not put the https:// or http:// or your domain name in the source URL box**
6. Put the full URL you are moving to in the target URL box.
7. Save the redirect and test that it is working in the Chrome browser (recommended). It should switch INSTANTLY to the new URL. If it does not, something isn’t right or you need to clear your site’s cache.

PodcastMirror URL Method

Go to your PowerPress Settings and select the Feeds > Feed Settings menu. Scroll down to the PodcastMirror URL field and add your new podcast RSS feed, then save your changes. The 301 redirect will be in place shortly and you can check it by opening the PowerPress feed URL in Google Chrome. You should see the address bar update and point to the new feed. That’s how you’ll know it’s set.

The Manual 301 Redirect

The 301 redirect requires you to have some basic knowledge of web-server technology. Depending on your web hosting service, you may be able to use a graphical interface in your web administration control panel. If this is the case, then the steps you need to take are easy: simply enter your old feed address as the  “old” or “source” address, and enter your new feed address as the “new” or “destination” address. Last, make sure the redirect is using the “301 moved permanently” method.

If you don’t have an easy way to implement a 301 redirect, then you may have to use one of the two methods that follow.

The more common way to implement a 301 redirect is via a file stored in your web server’s root folder called .htaccess. The .htaccess file allows you to enter specific rules to tweak how your website is configured.  At this point, if you need help creating or uploading files to your web server, we recommend contacting a friend or web administrator for assistance.

If you do not have a .htaccess, file in the root folder of your website, then all you have to do is create one. If you do already have an .htaccess file, all you have to do is edit it.

301 Redirect Method 1: Create an .htaccess file

First, create a .htaccess file and place it in the root folder of your web server. The root folder is the highest level folder, the contents in this folder can be directly accessed by typing in your domain name + file name with a slash separating them. For example, hello.html file in your root folder would be accessible at www.example.com/hello.html.

Next, you need to add some code to the .htaccess file in order to perform the redirection. Below is an example. You might need to modify based on the location of your current (about to be old) podcast feed address.

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^path/to/feed http://www.example.com/new/feed/ [L,R=301]
</IfModule>

The RewriteRule line is what makes the redirect happen. The first parameter ^path/to/feed will redirect both oldsite.com/path/to/feed as well as oldsite.com/path/to/feed/. It is very important you do not end the path/to/feed with a slash so both situations forward correctly. The second parameter http://www.example.com/new/feed/ is the new address you want the feed to point to. The last parameter [L,R=301] tells the web server that if this old address is requested, it should be treated as the last (L) rule and the rest of the rules in the .htaccess file do not need to be processed and that the redirection (R) should be 301 permanent.

301 Redirect Method 2: Edit an existing .htaccess file

If you already have a .htaccess file in the root folder of your web server, all you may need to do is add a line. If you open your .htaccess file and it already has lines similar to that found above, then all you need to do is add the following line directly below the RewriteBase line.

RewriteRule ^path/to/feed http://www.example.com/new/feed/ [L,R=301]

If you have WordPress, you might already have an .htaccess file. If so, you can use the following example as a guide.

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^path/to/old/feed http://www.example.com/feed/podcast/ [L,R=301]
RewriteRule ^index.php$ – [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Note the additional RewriteRule line just below RewriteBase line.

VERY IMPORTANT: The 301 redirection needs to be done on the server where the old feed was.

Apple Podcasts iTunes new feed URL in OLD FEED (last resort method)

To use the iTunes new feed URL tag in your RSS feed, you would put this line in your OLD RSS Feed:

<itunes:new-feed-url>http://example.com/new-feed-url.rss/</itunes:new-feed-url>

This tag will let the iTunes Directory and your listener’s iTunes client software know that the feed has changed, and where your new feed is. This method will only work with Apple Podcast Directory and Apple Podcasts app. If you want to be sure everyone subscribed gets the new feed, use the 301 redirect method above.

Whichever method you use, you should leave the tag or the redirect in place for at least a month, or indefinitely if possible.

Apple Podcasts <itunes:new-feed-url> in NEW feed

Apple recommends setting the <tunes:new-feed-url> setting in your “new” feed when using the 301 redirect method. For example, if your new feed URL is https://example.com/feed/podcast/, Apple recommends to set your <itunes:new-feed-url> to https://example.com/feed/podcast/. Note this points to itself and is meant to be an additional notifier for the iOS Podcast app to update the feed URL to this address in the event the iOS Podcasts app does not interpret the 301 redirect.

How long do we maintain the 301 Redirect and iTunes new feed URL?

To ensure that most subscribers receive the new feed URL, maintain the 301 redirection and/or the <itunes:new-feed-url> for at least one month if not indefinitely. The Apple Podcasts <itunes:new-feed-url> should be maintained for one month.