vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Generator for vBulletin 3.6.x, 3.5.x & 3.0.x

vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Generator - vBulletin 3.5.x
Download vB 3.8.x Compatible Version Here
Download vB 3.7.x Compatible Version Here
Download vB 3.6.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?

============================

• 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
============================

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
============================

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
============================

We welcome you to join the vBSEO Affiliate Program.

[T2DMan]

Originally Posted by maroceve

Hello, is Vbseo compatible with vbrewrite ? or should i uninstall vbrewrite before installing vbseo ?

The vbrewrite rewrites url's, and the vbseo sitemap program only writes the basic showthread.php etc style url's and vbseo rewritten url's - unless you do the hacks/plugins necessary to have vbrewrite rewritten url's.

Personally, I prefer vBSEO rewrites, and so you would first remove all vbrewrite, then have vBSEO, and the vBSEO sitemap program.

[R1D1]

Originally Posted by iojam

AzzidReign,
perhaps you forgot to upload .htaccess file?

no. it's in my web-root (first directory called directly by the url xxx.com / exactly where my forums are.)

[theChronic]

Am I missing something? I can't find the .xml file in the zip that I downloaded...

[R1D1]

Originally Posted by R1D1

Very nice hack. Ugly thread.

Thx a lot for this cool hack, but i guess a lot of guys are bit of frustrated reading this thread and only wish to know, why they get 404s or what they should write in their htaccess-files, where to store the file and so on.

seems that 90% of the questions dangling around this cases.

so am i.

i havent read the whole thread.

i searched a while. but now i give up.

it would be very helpful to get a short faq - s.o. "if your forum-url is xxx.com/forums/" then you have to "do this" and so on.

here's my question anyway...

i installed it. it works fine and produces every day some cool sitemap files.

but by now they're waiting for google to catch them. no google so far.

and... if you execute the links at xxxx.com/vbseo_sitemap/index.php?details=xxxxxx.log as described by many others above leads to a smashing 404.

urghs.

my forumurl is my rooturl is xxxx.com - there's where my forums at. no /forums directories or stuff like that.

i installed the latest version. i did all, like it said in the instructions.

Q: what do i have to change, to make it get accessible, for me, for google...

thx a lot!!!

just a quote... any ideas? thx...

[theChronic]

my forumurl is my rooturl is xxxx.com - there's where my forums at. no /forums directories or stuff like that.

So you run a porn forum eh? *snickers*

[iojam]

R1D1,

make sure that your host supports mod_rewrite and please PM me your forums URL.

theChronic,

just checked - it's there: vbseo_sitemap.xml

[theChronic]

Hey

vbSEO came with this:

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

do I still add this

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

Thanks
John

PS: Thanks, I was being stupid and looking in the vbseo_sitemap folder..

[iojam]

theChronic,

do I still add this

you should just keep original vBSEO's .htaccess, no changes are reuqired.

[MadKad]

Great mod clicked install


But I do have a problem, the files for the site map in xml and txt seem to be being made but I get a db error in my Scheduled Task Manager

Database error in vBulletin 3.5.4:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT * FROM adv_setting;

MySQL Error  : Table 'dbnumber.adv_setting' doesn't exist
Error Number : 1146
Date         : Sunday, July 9th 2006 @ 09:55:14 AM
Script       : http://www.xxxxxxx.co.uk/admincp/cronadmin.php?do=runcron&cronid=17
Referrer     : http://www.xxxxxxx.co.uk/admincp/index.php
IP Address   : IP removed
Username     : user
Classname    : vb_database

Do you have any idea why this could be :surprised:

Also I have another question, how does google get the file for the site map as there is a .htaccess file in the data folder where the sitemap is made and in the .htaccess file it says deny from all so how can google access this file.

in the section where you have added a link to the google sitemap site

http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/siteoverview

how will you collect the infomation from there when these only work with the file name sitemap.xml

Sorry I am just a little confused about how this all works in the way that google will collect this infomation. would it not be better having the site map made like this here

Thank you.

[Shadow_NL]

Vbseo is working perfectly, just wondering if there will be problems when I install Vbrewrite aswell? Or do these two work together fine? Please let me know. Thanks!