The Arcive of Official vBulletin Modifications Site.

Forum Site Map for Search Engines · **Released**: 11-03-2002

Just a very quick hack that will print a static php page listing your categories and topics.

Search engines like Google wont index a dynamic URL off a dynamic URL so by providing a static page listing your topics dynamic URL's you will get a deeper crawl. I know there are different approaches on this board to optimizing for Google, but try this as well. It works

I then just create a link from the home page to the this file (you should try and name it sitemap.php or something similar.

Please note that I have deliberately not used any vbulletin templates etc... the goal of this page is to be as simple and clean as possible for crawlers like Google and AlltheWeb to index as much as possible.

Example of output here: http://www.sizematters.com.au/forums/sitemap.php

Just cut and paste the code and play. In another version I made it so the first 100 characters of the first post in each topic was created, but I dont think it helps much.

PHP Code:


			


<?php require('./global.php');



// This file can be saved as any name, but upload to your forum dir.



// Only real variables for you to change. Include the trailing /



$siteurl = "http://www.sizematters.com.au/forums";

$sitename = "SizeMatters";



// You can safely edit the header and footer as well.



?>



<html>



<head>

<title>SizeMatters Forum Site Map</title>

<meta name="description" content="">

<meta name="keywords" content="">



<style>

<!--

h1           { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; color: #666666 }

h2           { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #666666 }

body         { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8pt; color: #666666 }

p            { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8pt; color: #666666 }

-->

</style>



</head>



<body>



<?php



echo "\r\n<h1>$sitename Forum Site Map</h1>\r\n";



echo "\r\n<p>Click here to return to <a href='$siteurl/'>$sitename</a></p>\r\n";



echo "\r\n<h2>$sitename Forum Categories</h2>\r\r\n";



$result = mysql_query("SELECT title, forumid, description FROM forum ORDER BY forumid");



echo "<b>Number of Forums: </b>".mysql_num_rows($result)."<br><br>\r\n";



while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))

{

      echo "<a href='$siteurl/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=".$row["forumid"]."'>".$row["title"]."</a> - ".$row["description"]."<br>\r\n";



}



echo "\r\n<h2>$sitename Most Recent Forum Topics</h2>\r\r\n";



$result = mysql_query("SELECT title, threadid FROM thread ORDER BY threadid LIMIT 20");



echo "<b>20 Most Recent Topics</b><br><br>\r\n";



while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))

{

      echo "<a href='$siteurl/showthread.php?s=&threadid=".$row["threadid"]."'>".$row["title"]."</a><br>\r\n";

      

}



echo "\r\n<h2>$sitename Forum Topics</h2>\r\r\n";



$result = mysql_query("SELECT title, threadid FROM thread ORDER BY title");



echo "<b>Number of Topics: </b>".mysql_num_rows($result)."<br><br>\r\n";



while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))

{

      echo "<a href='$siteurl/showthread.php?s=&threadid=".$row["threadid"]."'>".$row["title"]."</a><br>\r\n";

}



?>



</body>



</html>

If you do make some changes that you think work well - please share

NOTE: This version WILL show contents of private forums if you have them. If you have certain forums you dont want to have their content listed - see the revised code a couple of posts below.

Erwin · #12 11-04-2002, 08:56 AM

I suggest you place the php code in a text file, so that it is hidden from unlicensed members, and so that members can download it onto their hard disk. Good idea, btw.

MaXxed · #13 11-04-2002, 02:53 PM

Works well. Thanks!

Max.

djr · #14 11-04-2002, 06:01 PM

Is there a way with META NAME keywords to force Google not to index the forums, but only to index this file?

Something in the likes of:
META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="INDEX,NOFOLLOW"

and in the normal forums:
META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX,NOFOLLOW"

or wouldn't that make a difference?

If so, where would I place the META NAME? In the header template?

Webdork · #15 11-04-2002, 07:10 PM

Well - you would simply use a robots.txt file - much easier in my opinion, but I would never restrict Google from trying to index anything.

webhost · #16 11-09-2002, 10:40 PM

What if you have some forums that you still have in your control panel but you have them turned off to not show on your forum. Code still shows them. How to exclude those types of forums from the map?

99SIVTEC · #17 11-10-2002, 06:02 PM

Works great! I have it installed on both of my sites.

CRego3D · #18 11-18-2002, 04:49 AM

is there a way to make this work off a template ? so we can include $header and $footer ?

Automated · #19 11-23-2002, 07:05 PM

How would i go about making the page adobt the header and footer templates so it looks like a normal page not just a doorway page?

Thanks
Matthew

Webdork · #20 11-28-2002, 11:30 PM

I made it deliberately so that you wouldnt have headers and footers - or anything to distract the search engines from their job of indexing

Having said that though a header and footer can EASILY be added. Its just a html file after all. Add your header and footer before and after the php code.

corn · #21 12-08-2002, 08:45 PM

Looks great man !!

X vBulletin 3.8.12 by vBS Debug Information
Page Generation 0.05746 seconds Memory Usage 2,317KB Queries Executed 25 (?)
More Information
Template Usage: (1)SHOWTHREAD (1)ad_footer_end (1)ad_footer_start (1)ad_header_end (1)ad_header_logo (1)ad_navbar_below (1)ad_showthread_beforeqr (1)bbcode_php (1)footer (1)forumjump (1)forumrules (1)gobutton (1)header (1)headinclude (1)modsystem_post (1)navbar (6)navbar_link (120)option (1)pagenav (1)pagenav_curpage (2)pagenav_pagelink (11)post_thanks_box (11)post_thanks_button (1)post_thanks_javascript (1)post_thanks_navbar_search (11)post_thanks_postbit_info (10)postbit (11)postbit_onlinestatus (11)postbit_wrapper (1)spacer_close (1)spacer_open (1)tagbit_wrapper Phrase Groups Available: global inlinemod postbit posting reputationlevel showthread	Included Files: ./showthread.php ./global.php ./includes/init.php ./includes/class_core.php ./includes/config.php ./includes/functions.php ./includes/class_hook.php ./includes/modsystem_functions.php ./includes/functions_bigthree.php ./includes/class_postbit.php ./includes/class_bbcode.php ./includes/functions_reputation.php ./includes/functions_post_thanks.php Hooks Called: init_startup init_startup_session_setup_start init_startup_session_setup_complete cache_permissions fetch_threadinfo_query fetch_threadinfo fetch_foruminfo style_fetch cache_templates global_start parse_templates global_setup_complete showthread_start showthread_getinfo forumjump showthread_post_start showthread_query_postids showthread_query bbcode_fetch_tags bbcode_create showthread_postbit_create postbit_factory postbit_display_start post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_start post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_end post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_start post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_end post_thanks_function_thanked_already_start post_thanks_function_thanked_already_end fetch_musername postbit_imicons bbcode_parse_start bbcode_parse_complete_precache bbcode_parse_complete postbit_display_complete post_thanks_function_can_thank_this_post_start pagenav_page pagenav_complete tag_fetchbit_complete forumrules navbits navbits_complete showthread_complete
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