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
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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
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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?

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


Google Webmaster Accounts
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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

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• 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
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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
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(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

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

vBSEO Affiliate Program
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We welcome you to join the vBSEO Affiliate Program.

[Michael2]

Ugh, I swear I've followed the instructions and still can't get this to work. I'm submitting http://www.veggieboards.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz and getting a 404. I also tried http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/sitemap_index.xml.gz. I uploaded the .htaccess file that came with the zip to the forum root.

[Alibass]

Originally Posted by Michael2

Ugh, I swear I've followed the instructions and still can't get this to work. I'm submitting http://www.veggieboards.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz and getting a 404. I also tried http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/sitemap_index.xml.gz. I uploaded the .htaccess file that came with the zip to the forum root.

I half to move the files from the .../data folder to my forums root folder manually to make this hack work. I have tried everything to allow google to access files from the .../data folder but still no luck. Let me know if you figure it out. I even tried to modify the sitemap_config.php and still no luck there either.

[Mecho]

VBSEO can include other Installed language to engines too ???

thanks

[Jason Black]

This has taken me through hell lol..i have no idea what i am doing.....
I uploaded everything into my forum root but i can't even see the link in my admincp....
what's up with that?

[helloxy]

help!!
whats wrong????

Warning: gzopen(/home/*****/public_html/*****/forum/vbseo_sitemap/data/sitemap_1.xml.gz) [function.gzopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/*****/public_html/*****/forum/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap_functions.php on line 540
Warning: gzopen(/home/*****public_html/*****/forum/vbseo_sitemap/data/urllist.txt.gz) [function.gzopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/*****/public_html/*****/forum/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap_functions.php on line 544
Warning: gzwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/*****/public_html/*****/forum/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap_functions.php on line 554

[cjshirlaw]

When I try to run the site map generator it does a few lines then says database error. Why is that?

[baghdad4ever]

hi i wanna today to delete

Sitemap Generator History report

but it doesnt deleted

why this will be happened??

[madotds]

Originally Posted by cjshirlaw

When I try to run the site map generator it does a few lines then says database error. Why is that?

I to got this error I have had a good search but couln't find the problem.

EDIT:
OK got some of my problems sorted!

cjshirlaw did you make the same mistake as me? At the bottom of the vbsoe settings page there is a box to input the file names of the add ons. The first time i tried this i put the file name followed by .php. For example vbseo_sm_downloads.php .this gave me a database error I then decieded to take the .php out and it ran ok
(Question? When you run the program it shows a load of text and at the end tells you the files have been created but there is no "proceed" or "next" button I have to manually go back to the main page by typing in the addy bar. Is this right or is there something wrong?)

Question? When the process is done i can go back to the vbsoe page and see that the file is created I also get the email to say the file is created but when i use my FTP app ( I use fireftp for firefox) to look inside the folder i can not see the file! Should this be the case?

Question? The file is not automatically sent to google ( i haven't checked yahoo yet as i dont know how) I had to manually add the file via my webmasters account.! ( In my email it says "Google ping: Successful.
Yahoo ping: Successful."
So why is it not sending the file?

Sorry for the long winded post but i do believe that the more information provided the easier it is for the helpers to help and it also helps people when they are searching for similar problems

[fredang85]

thanks!

[linkingpro]

I have done as instructed and installed the vBSEO for my forum.Can u please tell me how to add the footer?Im new to editing and stuff.thanx