ROR, for short, is an evolving XML (extensible mark-up language) code used to build  web site "feeds" along with the standard HTML (hypertext mark-up language). Why? XML offers designers many more options and it leads to faster, more feature-rich web sites - improving the W3 itself as a resource.

One of the most important facets of ROR is its ability to be "read" by spiders from many different search engines. Up until now, search engines employed different site-criteria-weighting algorithms, so what might rank highly on Google might also be in the cellar over at Yahoo. The ROR XML is a search engine feed that describes all aspects of your site to a passing spider, regardless of the spider's home base search engine.

This provides search engines with a more accurate picture of your site by picking up features often lost on spiders crawling sites that lack ROR coding - features such as images, special daily discounts, podcasts, products, services, reviews, testimonials and other features found on even the simplest sites today.

Spiders are able to develop a clearer snapshot of your complete site with a direct ROR XML feed designed just for search engine spiders.

ROR XML was actually developed to address the limitations of traditional HTML coding. For example, spiders have never been able to crawl any kind of image - photo, graph, chart and so on. Designers had to rely on HTML <img> image tags to provide the spider with a "written" description of an image. With ROR, no special image coding is required.

In fact, ROR code provides the most complete, accurate picture of the purpose and scope of your web site. Even better, ROR XML can be read by all search engines so developers don't have to create one site map for Google (uses one format) and Yahoo (a completely different format) and other search engines. ROR simplifies the process of search engine recognition immensely, which is why it's become so popular and soon will become the norm for site design.

Google Site Maps, wherein webmasters submit a properly formatted site map, and its partner program, Google Base were designed to increase the efficiencies of site indexing by enabling site owners to notify search engines of a site's existence, form and function. Submit the site map and a Google spider would visit within a day or two, lessening the amount of time it took for a site to be indexed. Back in the "good old days" it could take weeks and even months for a search engine spider to happen upon a site. Google Site Maps and Google Base now receive an invitation to visit a site, speeding up indexing immensely.

Yahoo has recognized the value of this site map submission program and has developed its own program called Yahoo Search. This program provides numerous options for submission from complete site submission and mobile site submission to content and products submission - distinct from the other pages that make up your site.

Now, you can direct a search engine spider directly to your ROR feed - the complete picture of your site.

Not hard to do at all. Remember, an ROR feed is nothing more than an XML file that contains clearer, more detailed and more complete information about your site. So, to hook up spider and ROR file, designers create an ror.xml and place it in the main directory of the HTML code that underlies the site. The main directory is comprised of the code at the top of the program and contains the HTML index file, keyword and title meta tags and other general (but important) information about the site.

Note that ror.xml is the default name spiders look for when crawling a site. If you need or want more than one ROR feed for spiders,  name each file individually and provide links to each ROR XML file. Spiders will follow the links to the different ROR files you've created.

The easiest and most accurate means of creating an ROR feed is through the use of a site map generator that supports ROR XML code. A site map generator enables designers to create a web site map once, then format that single web site for Google, Yahoo, ROR and other critical search formats and functions.

These site generators simplify the site submission process regardless of individual search engine protocols. Just make sure that any site engine generator that you purchase is ROR capable.

If your site doesn't currently have an ROR feed for more complete search engine indexing, get one ASAP. You're not presenting the most accurate picture of your web site without one. And the quickest way to create and install that ROR feed is through the use of a site map generator.

So give spiders the complete picture - features, products, functions, RSS feeds and all of the other design elements that make up today's best looking, best functioning web sites with a simple ROR feed.