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.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by iojam

Borden,

yes - ".htaccess" file should be created as described in installation instruction.

I installed the ".htaccess" file that was in the 2.1 download.

This works when I click on it with my web browser: http://www.mysite.com/forum/vbseo_sitemap/index.php

When I click on this, it says, "Page Not Found".
http://www.mysite.com/forum/sitemap_index.xml.gz

Is the Your Google Sitemap Index URL, not suppose to open with the web browser?

I ran the site map generator and this happenend:

Generated Sitemap Details
Date 2008-02-27 20:21
Processing time 55.60 s
Total URLs 70,576 (+132)
Forumdisplay URLs 551 (+2)
Showthread URLs 11,555 (+25)
ShowPost URLs 48,362 (+81)
Archive URLs 9,156 (-)
Member Profile URLs 872 (-)
Poll Results URLs 79 (-)
Blog Entries URLs 0 (-)
Sitemap Files
Index File sitemap_index.xml.gz
Sitemap File #1 sitemap_1.xml.gz (20,000 URLs, 120.85Kb) 3,975.60Kb uncompressed
Sitemap File #2 sitemap_2.xml.gz (20,000 URLs, 119.49Kb) 3,949.76Kb uncompressed
Sitemap File #3 sitemap_3.xml.gz (20,000 URLs, 128.31Kb) 3,971.07Kb uncompressed
Sitemap File #4 sitemap_4.xml.gz (10,576 URLs, 58.24Kb) 2,046.36Kb uncompressed
Text Format File urllist.txt.gz (321.76Kb)
Search Engines Pings
Google Successful
Yahoo Successful
Ask Successful
Moreover Successful

[Borden]

This is what happened as I just submitted my site map to google.

Property Status
Sitemap type Web
Submitted Feb 27, 2008
Last downloaded by Google Feb 27, 2008
Total URLs in Sitemap 0
Indexed URLs in Sitemap –
Sitemap errors and warnings
Line Status Details
Details - 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. HTTP Error:
Found: 404 (Not found) Help

Feb 27, 2008

[alm3refh]

Up messages from the server

[newmailcgi] Recently Uploaded CGI scripts that send email on host.Site.com‎



Note: If this is the first time you received this mail, it contains the history for the entire month so far. Below are the recently upload scripts that contain code to send email. You may wish to inspect them to ensure they are not sending out SPAM. /home/Site/public_html/vb/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap_functions.php:832: {/home/Site/public_html/vb/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap_functions.php:833: mail($email,/home/Site/public_html/vb/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap_functions.php:834: 'vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Updated',

PHP Code:

        {
                        mail($email,
                        'vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Updated', 


Can solved?

[Pirat3]

How do i run a CRON JOB to verify this mod is working?

Edit: I vew my site map on the reports page and this is what I get:

        This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.
      
−
	<sitemapindex xsi:schemaLocation="             http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9             http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/09/siteindex.xsd">
−
	<sitemap>
<loc>http://www.MYSITE.com/sitemap_1.xml.gz</loc>
<lastmod>2008-02-28T14:49:21+00:00</lastmod>
</sitemap>
</sitemapindex>

Edit got this email report a few moments ago:

Summary:
============================
Forum Display: 44
Show Thread: 39
Show Post: 44
Member Profiles: 2
Poll Results: 0
Archive: 84

Total Indexed URLs: 214
Total Processing Time: 2.42 seconds

Google ping: Successful.
Yahoo ping: Successful.
Ask ping: Successful.
Moreover ping: Successful.

Does it mean this is working?

[iojam]

Borden,

if you have created .htaccess as described and still get 404 error, check with your host that mod_rewrite is supported on your server.

alm3refh,

that is only a note sent by your host stating that script contains PHP mail() function call (to send you email notifications).

Pirat3,

looks good.

[newbuck]

If mod rewrite is not allowed on my server what can I do?


Search Engines Pings
Google Successful
Yahoo Successful
Ask Successful
Moreover Successful

the mod works/pings successfully but when I try to manually submit to google or yahoo I get a 404 error
my host is 1&1

All I want to do now is manually submit my sitemap to google yahoo & msn

I installed the ".htaccess" file that was in the 2.1 download in my root directory.

MY SITE IS LIKE THIS www.mysite.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz
NOT LIKE THIS www.mysite.com/forums/sitemap_index.xml.gz

how can i get this to work when I submit it manually?

[newbuck]

Originally Posted by mark99

I finally figured out why the mod couldn't see my sitemap, it's because on 1&1 servers you can only execute rewrite rules from an .htaccess in the root where your domain is attached. Dumb but true, so I ran a test in a test sub-dir and this worked:

RewriteRule ^test/foo.html /test/bar.html [R]

However the vBSEO Sitemap code still doesn't, even when adjusted to the forums DIR:

RewriteRule ^((urllist|sitemap).*\.(xml|txt)(\.gz)?)$ /forum/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_getsitemap.php?sitemap=$1 [L]

Maybe it's because I need a /forum in the first part too but this stuff isn't exactly easy to understand. Suggestions?

UPDATE:

Ah this fixed it.

RewriteRule ^forum/((urllist|sitemap).*\.(xml|txt)(\.gz)?)$ /forum/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_getsitemap.php?sitemap=$1 [L]

from reading this seems like 1&1 severs allow rewrite rules

[zuhair2008]

thx man ..........

[newbuck]

I removed my .htaccess file and moved my files manually to my root directory, now I can submit my sitemap to google yahoo and msn

but how can change this to automatically be put in my root directory versus */vbseo_sitemap/data/

[newbuck]

VBSEO still supporting this mod?