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

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.

[kall]

If you follow the instructions, place the vbseo_sitemap/ folder in your /forum directory, and upload the .htaccess, your problem will vanish.

You MUST place the vbseo_sitemap folder in your /forum/ directory (or whatever the folder is called that contains global.php etc), or it won't work, as you have discovered.

The .htaccess goes in the root/ folder. It 'tricks' google into thinking the sitemap xml file is at root.

(If your forums are at root.. that's okay too.)

[NokStar]

hay thanks for your reply, my vbseo_sitemap directory is inside forum directory.
like mydomain.com/forum/vbseo_sitemap/

.htaccess should go to root? it's inside mydomain.com/forum/

in the readme it says to upload it like 'vbroot/.htaccess'
so vbroot mean inside forum or my root directory?

i mean .htaccess should be like

mydomain.com/.htaccess
mydomain.com/forum/.htaccess

or should be in both places?

i know it may be dumb but i dont know whats vbroot, i thought it's the directory which vb installed.

[Snake]

Hmm this is strange. I had the mod installed for about 2 days now and there are no current reports made yet. Any idea?

http://www.finalfantasyforums.net/vbseo_sitemap/

[AzzidReign]

@ Dark
I think the reports are in the vbseo_sitemap/data folder.

@ nokstar
vbroot means vbulletin root...so basically where your forums are.

[NokStar]

hay thanks AzzidReign,

well i went to https://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/

and submited
http://www.mydomain.com/forum/sitemap_index.xml.gz

but i really wanted to have a site map to my root. I mean to http://www.mydomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz

since my vbseo_sitemap in my forum directory i dont have such http://www.mydomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz

So i manualy uploaded sitemap_index.xml.gz from forum directory to root. Since that sitemap_index.xml.gz only links to http://www.example.com/forum/sitemap_1.xml it dont need any updating right?

So i have same sitemap(/forum/sitemap_1.xml) from two locations to Google sitemaps program. Is it okay? will it cause trouble?

i have submited both

http://www.mydomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.gz
http://www.mydomain.com/forum/sitemap_index.xml.gz

other thing i have add some other directory in my root to extra-url.txt
But google sitemap program says "never accept links from higher level directorys. like mydomain.com/friends"

Should i remove that link or any solution for that?

[iojam]

Dark Blade,

did you setup a sheduled task to create sitemap s in vB admincp?

NokStar,
you should create a new .htaccess file in the site's root:

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

and manually submit individual sitemap files to google account:

http://www.mydomain.com/sitemap_1.xml.gz
http://www.mydomain.com/sitemap_2.xml.gz
etc.

[mdavis1984]

ok i installed and ran it and got this
Warning: mail() [function.mail]: "sendmail_from" not set in php.ini or custom "From:" header missing in \vbseo_sitemap\vbseo_sitemap_functions.php on line 609

[iojam]

mdavis1984,

you can either:
1. modify your php.ini by adding the setting:
sendmail_from your_email@domain.com

2. or modify vbseo_sitemap_functions.php file
FIND:

PHP Code:

        mail($email, 
            'vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Updated', 
            $mailbody); 


REPLACE WITH:

PHP Code:

        mail($email, 
            'vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Updated', 
            $mailbody,
"From: your_email@domain.com"); 


[Snake]

Originally Posted by iojam

Dark Blade,

did you setup a sheduled task to create sitemap s in vB admincp?

NokStar,
you should create a new .htaccess file in the site's root:

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

and manually submit individual sitemap files to google account:

Yes Oleg, I did create the sheduled taks in the Admin CP...

[GrendelKhan{TSU]

having same issue as others, tried many combinations and permutations...
but still getting 404 error when run a check via Google sitemaps.

-- uploaded all files to server and installed acc. to readme
-- uploaded .htaccess to root folder AND /forums/ folder (just in case)
with the following code:

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

-- configured the admincp for vbseo sitemap.
-- uploaded /addon/ folder with vbseo_sm_vba.php and added module name in the Addon Generator Modules of admincp. (i am running vbadv. CMPS).

actual folder structure is to the sitemap:

www .mysite . com/forums/vbseo_sitemap/data/sitemap_index.xml.gz
(is that right?)

but I submitted:
http :// www. mysite .com/sitemap_index.xml.gz
to google add sitemap verficatoin tool.

-I have "Run from vB Scheduled Tasks Manager ONLY" set to YES.
-and auto submitt is on..but I still wanted to verify it was working with a direct submit check).
-I have set a run direct code properly.
-nothing the extra urls.txt cause I don't really know what to do with that.
-yes, I have the cron job set up.

any ideas what am I doing wrong? any help would be greatly appreciated.