Administrative and Maintenance Tools - vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Generator

vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Generator - vBulletin 3.6.x
Download vB 3.8.x Compatible Version Here
Download vB 3.7.x Compatible Version Here
Download vB 3.5.x Compatible Version Here
Download vB 3.0.x Compatible Version Here

Note: Version 2.5 replaces all previous versions of the vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Generator, and now includes support for all the new URL types in vBulletin 3.8.x.

Overview
============================

Providing Google, Yahoo, Ask sitemaps is an essential step towards improving your forums.

The "vBSEO Google Sitemaps" plugin provides a solution that allows your forum to be indexed by the Google (and also Yahoo and Ask) search engines faster, more completely, more effectively, and with less bandwidth consumption.

The ultimate goal is to help you achieve more web traffic for your forum.

Originally Posted by Google's Description of GSM

https://services.google.com/inquiry/publishertools?hl=en_US
Google Sitemaps is an easy way for you to help improve your site?s representation in the Google index. It's a collaborative crawling system that enables you to communicate directly with Google. You get a smarter crawl because you can provide Google with specific information about all your web pages, such as when a page was last modified or how frequently it changes.

Note: This plugin is fully compliant with vBSEO 3.x version. The current version is vBSEO 3.2. However, if you are running vBSEO, please upgrade to vBSEO 3.2 or greater before installing.

Compatibility
============================


Fully compatible with:

• vBulletin 3.0.x, 3.5.x, 3.6.x, 3.7.x and 3.8.x
• vBulletin Blogs 1.0.x and 2.0.x *Optional
• vBSEO 2.x, 3.x *Optional

What does it do?

============================

• Auto-generates a Google XML sitemap for all of your specified forum URL types (including vBulletin Blog URLs).
• Auto-generates a Yahoo text sitemap for all of your specified forum URL types.
• Auto-notifies Google when a new sitemap is generated.
• Automatically sends you a summary of the sitemap generation via email each time it is created.
• Includes only publicly accessible forums and threads.
• Allows Google/Yahoo to find all of your forum URLs without having to spider the forum to find the links.
• Allows Google/Yahoo to find your forum URLs without having to account for query string and/or session ID information.
• Allows Google to give precedence to crawling your higher priority forum pages.
• Allows Google to give precedence to crawling your forum pages that change more frequently.
• Allows you to conserve bandwidth by more efficiently facilitating the crawling processes for GoogleBot and Yahoo Slurp.
• Is 100% compatible with the static CRUs (Content Relevant URLs) used by vBSEO-enabled forums.

How does it work?
============================

Whenever it is scheduled or invoked via the URL, this plugin will generate both the Google XML formatted and the Yahoo text formatted sitemaps. If you selected "Yes" to the Google auto-notification setting, Google will be notified each time the sitemap is generated. The Yahoo sitemap must be manually submitted to http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request/.

• Google Sitemap files are gzipped
• Forum and thread pages are listed with pagination (i.e. all pages for each forums/thread are included in the sitemap)
• Maximum Priority is set for Sticky threads.
• Optimization for sitemap generation on large forums.

Automated Reporting Tool
============================

The vBSEO Sitemap includes a report tool, allowing you to track your progress. To access your reports enter the following URL:

http://www.example.com/forums/vbseo_sitemap/

NOTE: Replace "http://www.example.com/forums/" with the full URL to your vB forum root.


You will be required to login by providing your "Sitemap Interface Access Password" from your vBSEO Sitemap settings in:

• vBulletin Admin CP (for 3.5.x/3.6.x/3.7.x/3.8.x users) OR
• vbseo_sitemap.php configuration file (for 3.0.x users) located in the vbseo_sitemap directory in your forum root.

Once you successfully login, you will be provided with a list of 'Useful Links'. Here are the 4 main links:

Show Reports List
The 'Show Reports List' link will display a report of each time your vBSEO Sitemap generator executed, including the (1) date, (2) run time, (3) total URLs included, and (4) and change in # of URLs included from the last generation.

Each vBSEO Sitemap generation record will include a (1) "View details" and (2) "Remove record" link. The "View Details" link shows more detailed information about the sitemap generated. The "Remove record" will permanently delete the record from your reports.

Show Sitemap Downloads Log
The 'Show Sitemap Downloads Log' link will display a report of each time your vBSEO Sitemap was downloaded by either a search engine (GoogleBot or Yahoo) or by another user agent (i.e. Web browser, etc.).

The report includes the (1) date, (2) name of sitemap file downloaded, (3) Bot, (4) IP address of the downloader, and the (5) User-agent.

Each vBSEO Sitemap download record will include a "Remove record" link which will permanently delete the record from your reports.

Run Sitemap Generator
The 'Run Sitemap Generator' link will automatically regenerate your Google and Yahoo sitemaps.

Your Forums Homepage
The 'Your Forums Homepage' link is a quick link back to your forum homepage.

Additional Links
Additional links to various other related SEO resources are also included.


Click "Install"
============================

Please click "Install" to show your support for this script.


Installation & Configuration for vB 3.5.x, 3.6.x, 3.7.x and 3.8.x as a Plugin
============================

Follow the installation/upgrade instructions provided in the docs/readme.html file.


Google Webmaster Accounts
============================

It is NOT required for you to have a Google Webmaster account to run the vBulletin Google Sitemaps plugin. If you decide to setup an account for testing purposes you can do so here:
http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/login?sourceid=gsm&subid=us-et-about2


Copyright & Licensing

============================

• vBSEO Google Sitemaps plugin is copyright protected by Crawlability Inc.
• You are free to download and install this plugin on any vBulletin forum for which you hold a valid vB license.
• Unauthorized distribution of any code and/or documentation, whole or in part, included here is strictly prohibited.
• In addition, the following copyright notice must be maintained.

vBSEO(TM) ? 2005-2009 Crawlability, Inc.


Revision History
============================

02/22/2009 - Version 2.5 Released

NEW FEATURE: Blog tags URLs are included.
NEW FEATURE: Social Group Discussion URLs are included.
NEW FEATURE: Smart Priority applied for the following URL types

1. Show Post
2. Member Profiles
3. Forum Display
4. Poll Results
5. Blog Entries
6. Member Profile Albums
7. Social Groups
8. Social Groups Discussions
9. Social Group Pictures
10. Tags
11. Blog Tags

UPDATE: Compatible with vBulletin 3.8.x. Includes the following updated settings:

1. Priority Range - Show Post
2. Priority Range - Member Profiles
3. Priority Range - Forum Display
4. Priority Range - Poll Results
5. Priority Range - Show Thread
6. Priority Range - Blog Entries
7. Priority Range - Member Profile Albums
8. Priority Range - Social Groups
9. Priority Range - Social Group Pictures
10. Priority Range - Tags

Fix: Social Group Discussion database error is fixed.

Upgrade Instructions
============================

(1) Follow the installation/upgrade instructions provided in the docs/readme.html file.

(2) For versions of vBulletin 3.6.x only: Open "Schedule Manager" in the vBulletin Admin Control Panel (admincp); Remove existing scheduled task for Sitemap Generator if you have one.
Note: The new task will be automatically setup when you import the XML product file.

Other vBSEO Plugins

============================

• vBSEO - vBulletin Search Engine Optimization
  
• vBSEO Conditional Signatures for vBulletin

vBSEO Affiliate Program
============================

We welcome you to join the vBSEO Affiliate Program.

[pictureboarduk]

Quick question, in the install docs it says to upload the .htaccess file.

Do you just upload the single .htaccess file OR the whole htaccess folder?

The folder contains other files, if I just upload the one .htaccess file, these other files won't get uploaded.

Thanks!..

[djbaxter]

Just the .htaccess file. The other files are readme files only.

But read the posts just above yours: If you already have an .htaccess file, you want to ADD the lines from the add-on .htaccess file to the bottom of the existinfg .htaccess file so you do not overwrite what's already there.

[pictureboarduk]

Has anyone managed to get this to work on a GoDaddy hosted site?

[mlomenzo]

I have tried everything that I have found on this post to try to fix this. 1st No matter what I put in the Sitemap Files URL field, i get 404'd when i try to access them. I have tried every different permission combination that I could and nothing. I have moved the files and moved them back. Still nothing. My HTACCESS file is exactly as it should be. Google reports same thing 404 not found no matter where i place the files. **screams** I need help!

Thanks

[pictureboarduk]

Originally Posted by mlomenzo

I have tried everything that I have found on this post to try to fix this. 1st No matter what I put in the Sitemap Files URL field, i get 404'd when i try to access them. I have tried every different permission combination that I could and nothing. I have moved the files and moved them back. Still nothing. My HTACCESS file is exactly as it should be. Google reports same thing 404 not found no matter where i place the files. **screams** I need help!

Thanks

I have exactly the same problem and after bugging vbSEO on there forum they finally admitted that unless your host allows PHP files to be used via the mod_rewrite then it won't work.

Often hosts allow mod_rewrite, but NOT for PHP files (GoDaddy for one).

The staff at vbSEO wasted my time saying 'do this' and 'do that' when surely they know that it doesn't work with GoDaddy.

Really disappointed with them, won't be ordering vbSEO now.

[ShawneyJ]

i just cant get the prick to work lol.

[WarDoGG]

My sitemap has generated

Total URLs 17,226 (+322)
Forumdisplay URLs 214 (+6)
Showthread URLs 3,203 (+57)
ShowPost URLs 10,833 (+198)

in the past 1 month. . but it doesnt show any bots download activity.

I tried manually adding the sitemap to "Google Webmaster Tools" but google says the sitemap cannot be found. Also, if i FTP to my root folder, i cant locate the sitemap_1.xml.gz file even though VBSEO says its been created.

I get this error while submitting to google manually :

General HTTP error: 404 not found
We encountered an error while trying to access your Sitemap. Please ensure your Sitemap follows our guidelines and can be accessed at the location you provided and then resubmit.

I dont understand the .gz format, because i think Google requires sitemaps in XML format ?

[djbaxter]

.gz is gzip, a compressed file format. Google is fine with that

[unknownkind]

Okay I have a few questions and hopefully someone can explain them to me....

I installed this hack fine and everything seems to be working fine or at least I hope so...
My site map is located at http://www.mysite.net/forums/sitemap_index.xml.gz. I added a robots.txt and put inside http://www.mysite.net/forums/sitemap_index.xml.gz. Well I went to google add my sitemap and put the link in and it loaded.. How will it upload to google automatically? Also whats the point of have .htaccess? Is it needed? Is robots.txt needed or should I get rid of it..? In the vBSEO settings theres a spot for your "Yahoo ID", but I thought this hack doesn't auto upload to yahoo? Whats the point of having the ID?

The Yahoo sitemap must be manually submitted to http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request/.

I saw someone put this for his robots.txt

User-agent: *
Disallow: /ajax.php
Disallow: /attachment.php
Disallow: /cron.php
Disallow: /editpost.php
Disallow: /image.php
Disallow: /inlinemod.php
Disallow: /joinrequests.php
Disallow: /login.php
Disallow: /misc.php
Disallow: /moderator.php
Disallow: /newattachment.php
Disallow: /newreply.php
Disallow: /newthread.php
Disallow: /poll.php
Disallow: /postings.php
Disallow: /private.php
Disallow: /register.php
Disallow: /report.php
Disallow: /reputation.php
Disallow: /search.php
Disallow: /sendmessage.php
Disallow: /showgroups.php
Disallow: /subscription.php
Disallow: /threadrate.php
Disallow: /usercp.php
Disallow: /usernote.php

Sitemap: http://www.mysite.net/forums/sitemap_index.xml.gz

Is all that necessary or do I just need the Sitemap: http://www. etc..........

Thanks for the much needed help!

--UnknownKind

Hopefully this also clears up the same problems other people are having....

[Kiros72]

Very nice work! Can't wait to see the results! But I have a couple problems...

My website is running vBulletin in a /forums/ folder (ex: http://www.domain.com/forums/) and I have a normal website in my root (not vBadvanced or some other portal). I added my root website to the extra-urls.txt in hopes that it will be added to the sitemap. I also set my root as the Sitemap URL, expecting the sitemaps (or atleast the sitemap index) to be generated in my root (http://www.domain.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz).

Problem part::
I just ran the scheduled task to see if it would generate a new sitemap index in the root and no dice. It didn't even generate it in the default vBulletin directory (/forums/). The only place that it is stored is http://www.domain.com/forums/vbseo_s...p_index.xml.gz.
And now I just got a few errors in my log complaining that there was no file http://www.domain.com/vbseo_sitemap/...getsitemap.php (no /forums/).

So anyone know what's going on?

The problem was that I had to include "forums/" in the .htaccess instead of just "vbseo_sitemap/..." which I didn't realize until I actually took a look at it


But I have another bit... I only want Google and Yahoo! to use the archive, so I disabled use of showthread, showpost, member profiles, etc. and only let the sitemaps include the archive. The reason is that I think that search engines can focus more on the content than menu/other links and plus, Yahoo! Slurps have been creating some decent server load, so I think that it might be better with no advanced GUI. Is this a good idea or not?

And a new problem:

Now that spiders are crawling my archive, some of them are not taking the archive/index.php/ as a directory. I'm getting error logs like "File not found: /forums/archive/f-86.html." I don't want to have to edit the archiving script to include index.php/ in front of every one of its links. I'd much rather use a .htaccess type of thing. Does anyone know how I could do the following in .htaccess?

Redirect anything trying to get a *.html file in the /archive/ directory TO /archive/index.php/%filename%

(Where %filename% is the *.html file that the client was trying to get)

Anyone?