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.

[iojam]

KrisP,

http://www.thegame-online.dk/vbseo_s...p_index.xml.gz

sitemap_index.xml.gz = 666
/data = 777

Your sitemap URL should be:
http://www.thegame-online.dk/sitemap_index.xml.gz (without vbseo_sitemap/data/)

a1exus,

installation process for vB3.6.x is the same as for vB3.5.x

valdet,

yes, it is compatible with vB3.6.x

Vinyljunky,

I ask as I can only submit one sitemap using the Google Webmaster Tools

you can submit multiple sitemaps in Google webmaster account.


Booyakan,

you can obtain it on http://api.search.yahoo.com/webservi...er_application


fox3nova,

when do you get this error?

[Xplorer4x4]

<a href="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2971/screenfo6.png" target="_blank">http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2971/screenfo6.png</a>
For some reason the sitemap is generating maps like crazy..instead shouldn't it be generated once at the time of the cron job and be done?

[AFemaleProdigy]

Originally Posted by Xplorer4x4

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2971/screenfo6.png
For some reason the sitemap is generating maps like crazy..instead shouldn't it be generated once at the time of the cron job and be done?

Because there is a limit to the number of URLs that can be contained in a Google sitemap, this generator will create multiple sitemaps to contain the allowed amount of URLs. So the number of sitemaps generated each time depends on how many URLs are contained within your boards. Larger boards will generate more sitemaps then smaller boards.

[fox3nova]

when I put the .htaccess in my vb root, it goes Forbidden 403.
I think that may virtualhost let the something goes wrong.
this is my .htaccess

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

this is my virtualhost

<VirtualHost *>
ServerName www.test.net
DocumentRoot C:/AppServ/www/
ErrorLog logs/error.log
CustomLog "|C:/AppServ/Apache2.2/bin/cronolog.exe logs/access_%Y%m.log" combined
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *>
ServerName www.club.net
DocumentRoot C:/AppServ/www/club
ErrorLog logs/error-club.log
CustomLog "|C:/AppServ/Apache2.2/bin/cronolog.exe logs/www.club.net/access_%Y%m.log" combined
</VirtualHost>

[iojam]

Xplorer4x4,

make sure that you have "minutes" option set to "0" in Scheduled tasks manager (NOT "*").

fox3nova,

try to add the following in VirtualHost:

Options +FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All

and restart apache.

[fox3nova]

fox3nova,

try to add the following in VirtualHost:

and restart apache.

first one:
present time in taiwan is 1305, but you post this qoute at 0505, ohhhhh, you are so lovely.
can't you sleep well ?

the second:
the

Options +FollowSymLinks

really solute my problem and thank you so much
sometimes, I think the KrisP's maybe the same, right ?

[KrisP]

Originally Posted by iojam

KrisP,


Your sitemap URL should be:
http://www.thegame-online.dk/sitemap_index.xml.gz (without vbseo_sitemap/data/)

?? You told me in an earlier post that the sitemaps get created in data library and the .htaccess then points to the data library so google thinks the sitemap is in the root.

Anyway - the sitemaps gets created in the data library - when I install the mod...

EDIT:
In vbseo_sitemap_functions.php

Deleted: define('VBSEO_DAT_FOLDER', VBSEO_SMDIR . '/data/');
Changed: //define('VBSEO_DAT_FOLDER', dirname(__FILE__) . '/../'); // choose this to place sitemap files directly to your vB root
to
define('VBSEO_DAT_FOLDER', './'); // choose this to place sitemap files directly to your vB root

Now both sitemap_index.xml.gz and sitemap_1_xml.gz gets created in the root = Google can find the sitemap without the .htaccess modification = my problem solved.

[AFemaleProdigy]

Okay... now I am having a problem.

I saw that someone else had this issue in a prior post, but I am not sure how it was resolved.

The Yahoo sitemap is not working correctly. It has been generated and does exist in the data folder, but the url is not working. Yahoo says it does not exist:

http://girl-talk.ws/forums/sitemap.txt.gz

The other sitemaps for Google are working fine though. How can I fix this?

[iojam]

fox3nova, KrisP

both problems solved - great!

AFemaleProdigy,

please make sure that you have "Text sitemap generation" enabled in vBSEO Sitemap Generator options.

[AFemaleProdigy]

Originally Posted by iojam

fox3nova, KrisP

both problems solved - great!

AFemaleProdigy,

please make sure that you have "Text sitemap generation" enabled in vBSEO Sitemap Generator options.

Yes, that is already enabled. It seems to be creating the sitemap (I can see it in the data directory), but it just isn't working linking to it.