In order to link Twitter to WordPress or any website with an RSS feed you will need a Feedburner account, a Twitter account, and the address of your websites RSS feed. This process takes three steps and does not require any plugins. The end result will be automatic Tweets sent out each time new content is added to your website. Cross posting your websites content to Twitter has a number of advantages including notifying your followers of any changes and updates to your website, providing an additional avenue of exposure on the web, and creating a wealth of relevant links back to your website.
Link Twitter to WordPress: getting started
The first step is to create a Twitter account. The process is simple; just follow the prompts and check your email for the verification link. When selecting a Twitter name be sure to use a highly relevant keyword phrase. This is important because this name will be associated with every one of your websites auto-Tweets. Stay signed in to Twitter and be sure to note your Twitter name, password, and the email account you associated with the account.
Link RSS Feed
The next step is to locate your websites RSS feed address. In a standard WordPress install the RSS file located in the root directory as wp-feed.php. The url is “http://yourwordpressinstall.com/feed” Check your website’s RSS feed by going to this url and verifying that your posts are being published. By default your feed should be running; however some WordPress themes may require you to reconfigure the feed in your themes settings menu.
Link Twitter to WordPress via Feedburner
Twitter to Feedburner
Now it is time to set up a Feedburner account with Google. If you already have a Google account you may choose to sign up with it or create a separate account just to house and manage your feeds. To start burning a feed with Feedburner you will need to add your feed’s url the text box below “Burn a feed right this instant. Type your blog or feed address here:” and press next. You will now be prompted to add a “Feed Title” and a “Feed Address.” It is important here to keep search engine optimization in mind. Use relevant keywords in both places and be sure to separate words in the address with a “_” or a “-“symbol and hit next. Be sure to note your Feedburner feed’s address at the top of the page and click next or go directly to management. Once on the management page click the “Publicize” tab at the top then go to the “Socialize” link to the left. You are now ready to add you Twitter account (which is still open in another window of your browser) by clicking the ‘Add a Twitter account” button. You will now be prompted to authorize Google to use this account by clicking the “Authorize app” button.
That’s it! You have successfully link Twitter to WordPress. Now every time a post is made on your website all of your Twitter followers will be notified and your Twitter page can act as an archive for posts and site activity as well as add to your exposure on the internet. It is easy to link Twitter to WordPress without using a cumbersome plugin.
