vBSEO's weaknesses - why we need an alternative.

[Caliber]

Hello all,

Although much of vBSEO looks good, we are looking for an alternative to vBSEO because of its weaknesses. Specifically, we would like to have all of the same functionality, but we need the following:

1. vBSEO is encrypted so that if it conflicts with the other hacks that we have installed, it is impossible to modify the code in order to resolve a conflict.

2. If and when a security problem is discovered with vBSEO's encrypted code, we cannot fix it and our forums could be open to exploit.

3. Because the vBSEO license requires that you link back to them on every single page of your site, it is easy for anyone to search for vBSEO installations and exploit them.

4. vBSEO's requirement that you have an outbound link to them on every single page of your site, dilutes your own brand and bleeds PageRank from you to them and thereby negatively impacts your search engine positioning - something that the software was designed to do just the opposite of.

We approached vBSEO about paying extra for an unencrypted version without the onerous license requirement, but they were unreceptive, so we don't think that this would be a good solution for a large, highly hacked forum. Any alternatives that you might suggest would be most appreciated. Many thanks in advance!