I can't resist the urge to vBSEO!

[peterska2]

Originally Posted by FleaBag

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]

Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne

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]

Originally Posted by Kerry-Anne

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]

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]

Deftly dealing with duplicate content
Posted by Adam Lasnik, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
12/18/2006

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]

Originally Posted by ConqSoft

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]

im sort of confused to go for vbseo or zoints seo.
definately looking to get any one of it quick.

[amnesia623]

I love vbseo.

[RetroDreams]

Originally Posted by d8tabyte

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.



That is the crawl rate by google.


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]

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.