Validate your RSS feed before migrating your podcast
Note: The W3C Validator is not a recommended podcast validation tool. This was not built for podcast RSS feeds and will show false positive errors.
The RSS feed is the container that holds all of your podcast’s information, details, and episodes. Podcasts are moved from one hosting service to another using the RSS feed.
| Jump to: | Recommended RSS feed validators |
|---|---|
| Missing episodes | |
| Inaccessible feed | |
| Validation errors |
Before migrating your podcast to Castos, we recommend checking the RSS feed to make sure it:
- shows the correct number of episodes
- accessible
- free of errors
Recommended RSS feed validators
The listed podcast validation tools are free and do not require any downloads:
Missing episodes
Castos imports exactly what is present in the RSS feed. If the episode count appears inaccurate, it's likely that some episodes are missing from the RSS feed. Consider the following reasons for this discrepancy:
- Hosting Platform Limitations: Some original hosting platforms impose limitations on the number of episodes included in the RSS feed. This is particularly relevant for platforms offering both free and paid subscription plans.
- Account Settings Update: Check and update, if necessary, the account settings on the original hosting platform. Check with the original host to inquire about any settings or features that may impact the addition of episodes to the RSS feed.
- Cache Refresh: Ensure that your website or feed cache is refreshed. This step is crucial to avoid any discrepancies in the episode count. If issues persist, consider refreshing the cache to synchronize the content accurately.
Inaccessible feed
- An RSS feed that is not available will display a 404 error. Verify the RSS feed URL is correct. Check for spelling errors
Validation errors
Validation errors commonly arise from incorrect formatting or the presence of inappropriate elements in the RSS feed.
- Character Issues: An invalid feed often results from one or more "invalid" characters that require removal or editing. For instance, the use of a series of dashes "-" in the description to create a line break or an episode file containing characters outside the range of 0-1, a-z, or A-Z.
- Filetype Compatibility: Another cause of validation errors is uploading an episode file in a format not supported by platforms such as Apple Podcasts. It is advisable to upload audio files as MP3 and video episodes as MP4.