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

(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.

[jward]

@msimonds:

We'll check into that. An updated release is coming soon.

[iojam]

msimonds,

please try to remove "-q" php command line switch to get it working (seems to be required for vB3.0.x standalone execution to avoid cookie set problem):

"/usr/local/bin/php /path/to/vbroot/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap.php"

[jward]

11/11/2005 - Version 1.2 Released
(1) UPDATE: Release notes.
(2) FIX: Google not recognizing the MIME type for the sitemap file correctly (for some server configurations) resulting in a "HTTP 500" error message in the webmaster account page.
(3) FIX: New cron command provided (Removed -q directive).

/usr/local/bin/php /path/to/vbroot/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap.php

(4) FIX: .htaccess directives updated.

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

Upgrade Instructions (Version 1.1 to 1.2)

(1) Upload all new PHP files for version 1.2 to the vbseo_sitemap folder, overwriting the existing ones.
(2) Change the .htaccess directives to the 1.2 version provided.
(3) IF you are using the cron, update the cron command to the 1.2 version provided.

[Hexemer]

Hello,

i hope you understand me, my english is not the best. :ermm:

I have a big forum (Threads: 79.852, Posts: 594.311, Members: 4.769) but don't have a own server. The server has a max execution time for php scripts (set_time_limit) of 30 sec. This is too short to complete the generation of sitemap files so i became a Time out.

I had the same problem with backup the database. The Script "MySQlDumper" (http://www.mysqldumper.de/en/) has a very tricky function:

Originally Posted by "Mysqldumper.de

mysqldumper uses a proprietary technique to avoid execution interruption. It only reads and saves a certain amount of commands and then calls itself via JavaScript and memorizes how far in the process it was and resumes its action from its last standby.

Can you make vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap generator compatible with big forums and the maximum execution time of php scripts, please?

[iojam]

Hexemer,

if you have a maximum execution time set for php scripts, you can execute the script from the SSH (shell) command line:
/usr/local/bin/php /path/to/vbroot/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap.php
(command line php config usually doesn't have this restriction).

The SSH access is required for this though.

If you don't have SSH, you can exclude showpost urls from the generated sitemap (in Admincp->vBSEO Sitemap Options) - that will significantly reduce the time required for sitemap generation.

[Vitesse]

Am i being a complete muppet here or something?

exactly what url would i submit to google?

I've tried all the urls to the files in the data folder and none of them seem to work

Also somewhere i saw something mentioned that sitemaps are automatically submitted to google, where do i find this feature as everytime i log onto my google account it says i havnt submitted one yet?

Many thanks

Tom

EDIT: One other thing i was wondering, the google FAQ says that you should have the index file in the uppermost directory or your site, as my site uses a portal and my forums are in www.whatever.com/forums will this prevent anything above the forums from getting crawled (i.e. my photo gallery, tutorials sections etc?)

[ConqSoft]

Use:
http://www.yoursite.com/forums/sitemap_index.xml.gz
(It should work in your browser too, if you go to it, as long as you made the .htaccess changes instructed.)

It will automatically notify Google of your updated sitemap (if you have that option turned on), but it won't show up under your Google Sitemaps account. It's done "behind the scenes". You will have to manually add it if you want to see/track it under your Sitemaps account..

[Vitesse]

Nope, it doesnt work for me

My .htaccess is in www.mysite.com/forums folder is that right?

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

Is that right?

[iojam]

Tom,

after ConqSoft's (absolutely correct) answers, I can only add:

the script submits your sitemap to Google, and NOT to your webmaster account, because there is NO association between your site and your google webmaster account. Within your account you can track multiple sitemaps (including sites that you do not own!) AND vice versa - there may be several accounts that track the same sitemap.

EDIT: One other thing i was wondering, the google FAQ says that you should have the index file in the uppermost directory or your site, as my site uses a portal and my forums are in www.whatever.com/forums will this prevent anything above the forums from getting crawled (i.e. my photo gallery, tutorials sections etc?)

Sitemap cannot prevent crawling the site. The "uppermost directory" term means that any URL that link to the upper folder and is included into sitemap will be ignored, which is not the case - all urls created by vBSEO Sitemap Generator will point to your forums/ directory.

[iojam]

My .htaccess is in www.mysite.com/forums folder is that right?
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^(sitemap.*\.(xml|txt)(\.gz)?)$ vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_getsitemap.php?sitemap=$1 [L]

That is correct. Please make sure you have mod_rewrite enabled at your host. (look in phpinfo() for that)

Edit: I noticed from the error mesage at your site that you are hosted on IIS. mod_rewrite is an apache module and IIS doesn't support it. The workaround for you is to move all *.xml.gz files from vbseo_sitemap/data/ folder to vbroot/ (the only downside is that you will not be able to see the downloads log in this case).