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.

[iojam]

You should add your site as http://www.xxxxxx.com/forum in webmaster account and submit http://www.xxxxxx.com/forum/sitemap_index.xml.gz as a sitemap.

[Pebbled]

Hi iojam and thanks for your reply, I was hoping to generate the sitemap from the index page generated by vBadvanced rather than the forum page.

At risk of sounding like a right n00b, why can't the sitemap be generated from the index page, is it really so difficult to adjust the settings?

I've noticed that I can add the string into the robots.txt file to inform search engines where the sitemap is but that doesn't help me with Google Webmaster which is currently looking for the sitemap in the index page - I appreciate what you are saying about adding the http://www.xxxxxx.com/forum in webmaster account and submit http://www.xxxxxx.com/forum/sitemap_index.xml.gz as a sitemap.

Incidentally, is there any benefit to generating the sitemap from the forum page rather the index page created by vBadvanced???

[glennybee]

I have adjusted the .htaccess lines for the /index.php page as follows...

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

This goes in the .htaccess file in the root of your public_html folder.

This is the .htaccess lines I have in my /forums folder...

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

Hope this helps.

[iojam]

Pebbled,

you can move sitemap to domain root as described in http://www.vbseo.com/wiki/Sitemap:FA...To_Domain_Root

[jim6763nva]

Ok.. I have this installed and all seems to be working. I've generated a sitemap and run the reports. What happens now? Should I see magic lights appear and users flock to my site? LOL?

Jim

[KeyStalker]

I installed, can you check if I did it right? www.keystalker.com (I'm 99% sure I did it right).

[mariocaz]

I received by mail the reports of the mod, but I see FAILED in the final parts, check it.

Summary:
============================
Forum Display: 231
Show Thread: 7484
Show Post: 55269
Member Profiles: 1379
Poll Results: 28
Archive: 3954

Total Indexed URLs: 68346
Total Processing Time: 34.10 seconds

Google ping: FAILED.
Yahoo ping: FAILED.
Ask ping: FAILED.
Moreover ping: FAILED

Do I am doing something wrong?, please help me.

[iojam]

mariocaz,

check the post above in this thread: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=491

[Mark.B]

Originally Posted by jim6763nva

Ok.. I have this installed and all seems to be working. I've generated a sitemap and run the reports. What happens now? Should I see magic lights appear and users flock to my site? LOL?

Jim

Not quite, but if you hasve submitted your sitemap to Google, Yahoo etc then you should start to see an increase in spidering activity and better indexing of your site in the search engines.

It's not instant though...it can take many months to improve, but it will almost definitely improve.

[mariocaz]

Originally Posted by iojam

mariocaz,

check the post above in this thread: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=491

I didn?t find this part in my :

    function vbseo_query_http($url) 
    { 
.. 
}

I only found this part:

	function vbseo_query_http($url)
	{
		return @implode('', file($url));
	}

Is that ok?, to replace it for this part:

function vbseo_query_http($url)
{
ini_set('default_socket_timeout', 5);
$purl = parse_url($url);
$connsocket = @fsockopen($purl['host'], 80, $errno, $errstr, 5);
$start = 0;
$timeout = 50;
while($start < $timeout)
{
$start++;
if ($connsocket)
{
$out = "GET ".$purl['path']."?".$purl['query']." HTTP/1.1\n";
$out .= "Host: ".$purl['host']."\n";
$out .= "Referer: http://".$purl['host']."/\n";
$out .= "Connection: Close\n\n";
$inp = '';
@fwrite($connsocket, $out);
while (!feof($connsocket)) {
$inp .= @fread($connsocket, 4096);
}
@fclose($connsocket);
break;
}

}
preg_match("#^(.*?)\r?\n\r?\n(.*)$#s",$inp,$hm);
return $hm[2];
}

Confirm me.

Thank you a lot!!