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-   -   I can't resist the urge to vBSEO! (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=137511)

FleaBag 01-25-2007 05:46 PM
I can't resist the urge to vBSEO!
 
It's becoming more and more difficult each day to resist buying vBSEO. Generally my important keywords rank me in the top 30 on Google (thanks to the amazing Zoints Tags), I want the top spot and I see other sites beating me generally use it. My only gripe is the branding free - don't get me wrong, I've not come here to moan about the lack of it, I was just wondering what your opinions are?

I have branding removed from every script on my site, and am currently running about $600 worth of vB and add-ons. The reason for this is my target audience is very small. Basically the 30 mile radius around where I live. If everything is labelled it would be no time at all before a competitor comes along and clones my site (it's happened before with free BB's).

Have you ever seen something in a shop and had the money burning a hole in your pocket? Well that's where I'm at right now. I'd also love to get those sexy URL's - I know it's a little sad but it's the single feature I want the most from the script.

I tried Zoints SEO (who do allow you to remove branding by donating to charity) but I need it to work for my mods and hacks as well. There's talk of a brand free version which I'd be happy to buy at any cost - but as we know talk is cheap, there's been talk of a vB CMS & a vBa journal for years lol. :D

I realise the vBSEO site is the ideal place to discuss, but as you can imagine the place is teaming with pro-vBSEO-ers... Not that this is bad! I just want opinions from a broader audience, not just those who run and love the script.

I just feel if I can't remove the term 'vB' from the footer I might as well have not bought any branding free at all, and this is what is holding me back.

Your thoughts, opinions and information would be greatly appreciated.

Was it worth it for you? Would you get it if you could afford it? Please let me know. :D

Thanks!

Ziki 01-25-2007 05:59 PM
You bet it was!I was ranked 40th place and just in 5 hours!5 HOURS!Honestly!I went from 40th place to 9th!vBSEO combined with vBSEO Sitemap generator rules.Plus there were a few SEO optimizations for the forum.I can do that for you for a small fee :p

FleaBag 01-25-2007 06:06 PM
What kind of optimisations do you mean? I'm just getting into this SEO stuff.

Zoints Tags is doing pretty good though. For example "Range Against The Machine reform" (recent music news) - I am 14th out of about 675,000 (was 30th last night) and the thread was created just a few days ago.

ConqSoft 01-25-2007 06:10 PM
Here is a great guide for vBulletin SEO: http://forum.time2dine.co.nz/seo-vbu...-5-a-2460.html

Ziki 01-25-2007 06:10 PM
I am just putting them into a big hack.I just bought a 2 books about SEO and implementing all into one vBulletin hack!

peterska2 01-25-2007 06:15 PM
Personally I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. I'd rather have much shorter URLs with variables in them then the huge ones that rewrote urls result in. Plus, if you are indexed already, then all your content will be double indexed which could actually have a negative effect on your SE Rankings in the long term.

FleaBag 01-25-2007 06:19 PM
Thanks ConqSoft, had a little read, will read on further now.

I will take a look at your modification when it's out Ziki! :)

Kerry, wouldn't Google just drop the old URL's when they are redirected by vBSEO? Surely using that hack couldn't cause me to end up with a worse ranking?

ConqSoft 01-25-2007 06:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne (Post 1167168)
Plus, if you are indexed already, then all your content will be double indexed which could actually have a negative effect on your SE Rankings in the long term.
All old urls are redirected with 301 redirects, so this isn't an issue.


As for the keywords in URLs, many people have said that it doesn't help, but I have found that it really does. Here's just one example:

Google Search for "vancosport": vancosport - Google Search

His profile on my cbrxx.com site is second only to his own site. And my site ranks above all the other forums where he is a member, some of them where he has been a member for YEARS. He's only been a member on my site for about 2 months, and his profile on my site has ranked in that location since about a week after he joined.

KW802 01-25-2007 06:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne (Post 1167168)
... Plus, if you are indexed already, then all your content will be double indexed which could actually have a negative effect on your SE Rankings in the long term.
That's why vBSEO and other products use a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL. The real damange would come into play if somebody uses vBSEO for a period of time, is indexed with the re-written URLs, and then stops using vBSEO.

peterska2 01-25-2007 06:24 PM
I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole though.

I've never understood the need for it, and IMO it is more problematic than helpful.

Also, I like to modify any codes I use (I think there is a bit of original code somewhere on my site, but there isn't much of it left) so encoded scripts are a big no-go.

Personally, even if I was given the script for free I probably would not use it. In fact, if I was paid to use it I still would be unlikely to install it.

Ziki 01-25-2007 06:30 PM
Long urls are not a problem because you can still use the old ones.And search engines like static (html) urls not active

KW802 01-25-2007 06:55 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne (Post 1167180)
I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole though.

I've never understood the need for it, and IMO it is more problematic than helpful.

Also, I like to modify any codes I use (I think there is a bit of original code somewhere on my site, but there isn't much of it left) so encoded scripts are a big no-go.

Personally, even if I was given the script for free I probably would not use it. In fact, if I was paid to use it I still would be unlikely to install it.
To be honest... I used to feel 100% the same way. If somebody pulls my old posts from the various vBulletin communities they might even find a quote or two from me saying that I'll never under any circumstances used closed code that I can't at least view.

But then I gave in to the Dark Side and installed vBSEO on my largest public site. I wasn't expecting miraculous results but the results I am getting so far are encouraging and I would even say surprising. I may have... uh... been.... ummm... wrong in the past.

Attilitus 01-25-2007 06:59 PM
Yea... I saw a huge spike in income on my forum... and my forum is rather small. (I get consistantly around 500 uniques a day from my little gaming site)

FleaBag 01-25-2007 07:00 PM
My concern is that vBSEO could turn around at any time and pull my use of the script. Effectively crippling my site - but I guess you have that issue with any script. I felt the same way myself about the closed script previously but I'm inclined to say - what the hell.

You were wrong Kevin? I refuse to believe it! :D

True that SE's like static URL's - but surely there will come a point where they evolve and dynamic will become just as acceptable?

Kerry, why do you feel it would be more problematic than helpful?

Adrian Schneider 01-25-2007 07:07 PM
I started using it this fall, and it made quite a difference to the site. I went from having almost nothing indexed, to nothing indexed, to everything indexed.

It is a factor, but not the only one... if you want it, go for it. But, remember that there are other actions (even in combination with) that will be worthwhile, too.

Ziki 01-25-2007 07:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirAdrian (Post 1167212)
But, remember that there are other actions (even in combination with) that will be worthwhile, too.
So true

FleaBag 01-25-2007 08:14 PM
I'm all ears. ;)

d8tabyte 01-25-2007 08:14 PM
Ive been focusing on SEO for the past few weeks. Without touching mod_rewrite - which google has said is no longer necessary ( dynamic urls - those ? and % in your urls) no longer phase the googlebot - The Slurp spider can not read 301 redirects properly, and often times this will cause your rankings in yahoo to drop - so yeah... installing the mod CAN affect your rankings. anyway, without touching mod-rewrite, these are the increases I have seen with google alone.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/

That is the crawl rate by google.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/
KB downloaded.

I have also seen an increase in guests from searches - I have seen a dramatic increase in search term relevancy and all this with out an SEO product beyond Zoints Tags.

What did I do? I optimized my Title tag, my meta description and keywords, I made sure all my images had relevant alt tags, and I went forum to forum re-writing their descriptions, making them more descriptive - I thought like someone should think - like a searcher, not as an admin.

I am anticipating even higher jumps over the next 6 months as I produce more content on the front end. The forum will always take care of its self if it is active.

Just my 2 cents.

COBRAws 01-25-2007 08:15 PM
I use vBSEO in one of the boards i Admin, but I wouldnt be buying for the rest of the boards until a branding free option is available. Wich is... never. They will never release such version, they used to say "in the near future" since august, now they just say "its being taked into consideration for the next full release"

bleh

ConqSoft 01-25-2007 08:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by COBRAws (Post 1167254)
now they just say "its being taked into consideration for the next full release"

bleh
That is incorrect. Please point to where that was said by a vBSEO staff member.

It is still planned, as it has been for a long time. It will be available once the new "member area" is online.

peterska2 01-25-2007 08:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by FleaBag (Post 1167209)
Kerry, why do you feel it would be more problematic than helpful?
Troubleshooting, and other things. I like to be in complete control of everything that is happening on my sites, and this isn't possible with it.

Of course, this is just my opinion, but for the record I did try vBRewrite once which was the same thing, longwinded URLs just for the sake of it being readable to users, and it completely messed my site up so I won't be doing that again.

Also, if your archive is turned on then SE's dont have problems listing your content anyway, so why pay huge amounts of money for something which is done perfectly well by vB anyway?

treasureman 01-25-2007 09:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne (Post 1167180)
I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole though.

I've never understood the need for it, and IMO it is more problematic than helpful.

Also, I like to modify any codes I use (I think there is a bit of original code somewhere on my site, but there isn't much of it left) so encoded scripts are a big no-go.

Personally, even if I was given the script for free I probably would not use it. In fact, if I was paid to use it I still would be unlikely to install it.
Only use VBSEO if you want to increase web site traffic, forum registrations and bottom line: ad revenue.

It increased mine by 50% within a month of installing, and after 6 months 100%.

Only drawback is that it also increases server load so you will need a server to handle it.

Code Monkey 01-25-2007 09:33 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne (Post 1167273)

Also, if your archive is turned on then SE's dont have problems listing your content anyway, so why pay huge amounts of money for something which is done perfectly well by vB anyway?
If your archive is turned on in default vBulletin they you have a serious duplicate page problem with google. This is a problem that most default vBulletin boards have when they turn this SERP killer on. That's what's nice about vBSEO. It 301 redirects the archive pages to the new urls and eliminates the duplicate content.

Also, you can limit the size of urls with vbseo so that whole "long url" thing is wrong.

ConqSoft 01-25-2007 09:35 PM
You can even have it use the default format for threads (showthread.php?t=XXXX) if you so choose. And it will still eliminate all the duplicate content issues that plague default vBulletin.

Or if you like really short URLs, check out one of Brent's sites: http://www.vbulletinzone.com/t224/

d8tabyte 01-25-2007 10:34 PM
Deftly dealing with duplicate content
Posted by Adam Lasnik, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
12/18/2006
Quote:
What is duplicate content?
Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar. Most of the time when we see this, it's unintentional or at least not malicious in origin: forums that generate both regular and stripped-down mobile-targeted pages, store items shown (and -- worse yet -- linked) via multiple distinct URLs, and so on. In some cases, content is duplicated across domains in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings or garner more traffic via popular or long-tail queries.

What isn't duplicate content?
Though we do offer a handy translation utility, our algorithms won't view the same article written in English and Spanish as duplicate content. Similarly, you shouldn't worry about occasional snippets (quotes and otherwise) being flagged as duplicate content.

Why does Google care about duplicate content?
Our users typically want to see a diverse cross-section of unique content when they do searches. In contrast, they're understandably annoyed when they see substantially the same content within a set of search results. Also, webmasters become sad when we show a complex URL (example.com/contentredir?value=shorty-george〈=en) instead of the pretty URL they prefer (example.com/en/shorty-george.htm).

What does Google do about it?
During our crawling and when serving search results, we try hard to index and show pages with distinct information. This filtering means, for instance, that if your site has articles in "regular" and "printer" versions and neither set is blocked in robots.txt or via a noindex meta tag, we'll choose one version to list. In the rare cases in which we perceive that duplicate content may be shown with intent to manipulate our rankings and deceive our users, we'll also make appropriate adjustments in the indexing and ranking of the sites involved. However, we prefer to focus on filtering rather than ranking adjustments ... so in the vast majority of cases, the worst thing that'll befall webmasters is to see the "less desired" version of a page shown in our index.

How can Webmasters proactively address duplicate content issues?

* Block appropriately: Rather than letting our algorithms determine the "best" version of a document, you may wish to help guide us to your preferred version. For instance, if you don't want us to index the printer versions of your site's articles, disallow those directories or make use of regular expressions in your robots.txt file.
* Use 301s: If you have restructured your site, use 301 redirects ("RedirectPermanent") in your .htaccess file to smartly redirect users, the Googlebot, and other spiders.
* Be consistent: Endeavor to keep your internal linking consistent; don't link to /page/ and /page and /page/index.htm.
* Use TLDs: To help us serve the most appropriate version of a document, use top level domains whenever possible to handle country-specific content. We're more likely to know that .de indicates Germany-focused content, for instance, than /de or de.example.com.
* Syndicate carefully: If you syndicate your content on other sites, make sure they include a link back to the original article on each syndicated article. Even with that, note that we'll always show the (unblocked) version we think is most appropriate for users in each given search, which may or may not be the version you'd prefer.
* Use the preferred domain feature of webmaster tools: If other sites link to yours using both the www and non-www version of your URLs, you can let us know which way you prefer your site to be indexed.
* Minimize boilerplate repetition: For instance, instead of including lengthy copyright text on the bottom of every page, include a very brief summary and then link to a page with more details.
* Avoid publishing stubs: Users don't like seeing "empty" pages, so avoid placeholders where possible. This means not publishing (or at least blocking) pages with zero reviews, no real estate listings, etc., so users (and bots) aren't subjected to a zillion instances of "Below you'll find a superb list of all the great rental opportunities in [insert cityname]..." with no actual listings.
* Understand your CMS: Make sure you're familiar with how content is displayed on your Web site, particularly if it includes a blog, a forum, or related system that often shows the same content in multiple formats.
* Don't worry be happy: Don't fret too much about sites that scrape (misappropriate and republish) your content. Though annoying, it's highly unlikely that such sites can negatively impact your site's presence in Google. If you do spot a case that's particularly frustrating, you are welcome to file a DMCA request to claim ownership of the content and have us deal with the rogue site.

In short, a general awareness of duplicate content issues and a few minutes of thoughtful preventative maintenance should help you to help us provide users with unique and relevant content.

BamaStangGuy 01-26-2007 12:10 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConqSoft (Post 1167308)
You can even have it use the default format for threads (showthread.php?t=XXXX) if you so choose. And it will still eliminate all the duplicate content issues that plague default vBulletin.

Or if you like really short URLs, check out one of Brent's sites: http://www.vbulletinzone.com/t224/
Just wanted to point this out. Using VBSEO's linkback feature I recieved 5 different urls to the same thread already:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?p=1167329
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?p=1167221
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...=137511&page=2
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?p=1167308
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...89#post1167389

So far that's 5 different url's that users can use to link to this thread. Very bad if you want to build solid link weight to a thread.

You want to link to a thread on my site? You only have one choice.

forumrating 01-26-2007 08:51 AM
im sort of confused to go for vbseo or zoints seo.
definately looking to get any one of it quick.

amnesia623 01-29-2007 02:44 PM
I love vbseo.

RetroDreams 01-29-2007 10:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by d8tabyte (Post 1167253)
Ive been focusing on SEO for the past few weeks. Without touching mod_rewrite - which google has said is no longer necessary ( dynamic urls - those ? and % in your urls) no longer phase the googlebot - The Slurp spider can not read 301 redirects properly, and often times this will cause your rankings in yahoo to drop - so yeah... installing the mod CAN affect your rankings. anyway, without touching mod-rewrite, these are the increases I have seen with google alone.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8114/562641442td.png

That is the crawl rate by google.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5562/439264234du.png
KB downloaded.

I have also seen an increase in guests from searches - I have seen a dramatic increase in search term relevancy and all this with out an SEO product beyond Zoints Tags.

What did I do? I optimized my Title tag, my meta description and keywords, I made sure all my images had relevant alt tags, and I went forum to forum re-writing their descriptions, making them more descriptive - I thought like someone should think - like a searcher, not as an admin.

I am anticipating even higher jumps over the next 6 months as I produce more content on the front end. The forum will always take care of its self if it is active.

Just my 2 cents.
Bingo. I did the same thing with a forum of mine and the results netted me Top 3 in over 150 keywords in under two weeks.

projectego 01-30-2007 10:32 PM
I like vBSEO and currently have one active license; it's a great product but certainly not worth the rather hefty price tag. I won't be investing in another license any time soon either, I'd rather put the money towards another vBulletin license.


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