What is a good sitemap generator for VBulletin?

Nima, the URL rewrites can and do create problems at times. If you are using vBulletin, they are not necessary and not recommended. Look at some of the top vBulletin forums - like this one - they are not using mod_rewrite.

As for the rest of jward's infomercial, as I said the first time around, I'm not arguing that they have a lot of features - I'm arguing that most of them are not needed and, as for the remainder, you can get them for free with Zoints SEO and the addition of two more vBulletin add-ons. That's not a lot of work for saving $160 - and it doesn't even involve doing your own code editing.

 

Having played both sides of the fence on this one and having done a little research, vBSEO performs as advertised and then some beyond dynamic URLs.

Static HTML pages do get a higher ranking or whatever you would call it when listed it appears.

Look at most forums with stock vbulletin archives. The .html page of the archive page is what is usually getting the traffic to the site, not the dynamic thread url in more cases then not.

On vBSEO and with the forum setup correctly, that issue can be eliminatned and should be.

If you are going to argue, but I make good money on my archive from adsense or ypn, then I will tell you you are giving away members/traffic for pennies. But when you use that arguement, you prove the point.

 

Minstrel,
Do you suggest Zoints SEO yourself or not?

 

Again, I'm not suggesting that they don't do what they say they do. I'm saying:

1. that forums don't need most of what vBSEO offers; and

2. that what really does benefit forum SEO can be done for free with one or two free vBulletin add-ons, even if the forum owner doesn't know how to or doesn't want to wade into code modifications.

 

Yes, I do. I have it installed and use some of it's features (not mod_rewrite) - see http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=127336.

You can also try this one - http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=134102 - I'm not sure how useful it is but I'm giving it a try. This is another free add-on for one of the features vBSEO sells you.

 

The only thing that I have added on right now, are the <h1> and <h2> tags for my forum pages...

I will look into the Zoints SEO and hopefully get that installed too..

Thanks
Nima

 

On reflection, I have uninstalled the above. I'm not sure how useful it is anyway but it's just too ugly to keep, IMO.

 

Can you post all three URL's together here?

 

Zoints SEO

Forum Archive List Footer

vBSEO Google/Yahoo Sitemap Generator for vBulletin (standalone product - does not require the purchase of vBSEO)

 

i signed up on VBulletin.org, but it says I'm not an owner of VB , even though I signed up with my VB Owner's email address...

And It doesn't let me email any of the admins until it shows me as a VB owner.

 

I've seen that hack (or at least that functionality) on several sites and I don't get why they think it helps anything. Anybody out there who is using that feature on their site care to explain?

If you literally just signed up it may take a little bit for the scheduled task to run to bump your email address up against vBulletin.com to check the license.

 

The idea is that it links to each of your forum archive pages from every other forum page, kind of like a page by page sitemap.

However, I don't have a problem getting my forum spidered without it and it really is ugly.

 

But...

That's where I'm going with this. I have not seen anything that actually spells out it's benefit and I've never had a problem with any of the engines crawling my sites without such a hack in place.

 

After having seen the code, for the most part, or at least used it and hacked it. I can tell you from experience, most average coders couldn't even code the meta desc, keywords and titles dynamically for the over 1 dozen places vBulletin needs the help.

I know this to be true because I coded such a device and it was a hand full and not a simple one file plugin as vBSEO is.

The changes are nothing like the so called improve your SEO on vBulletin page hacks or mods that most forums have sticked these days.

So no, you can't get "all" the features for vBulletin vBSEO offers and no not everyone can code or download them for free either.

While I see your points, because I have made them in the past myself, I will now say from experience, you are wrong and so was I.

Completely wrong? I don't know. Wrong can be so subjective. But for the purpose of this thread, you are wrong.

 

So you are saying that it is worth paying as much as VB software itself ($160) for VBSEO?

 

Personally I think the fact that it is the same price as vBulletin itself is meaningless. Whether the vBSEO guys did that on purpose only they can answer but the real question is: Is $160USD worth the benefits that a package like vBSEO could offer to your site? If the answer is "yes" then it doesn't matter that $160 also happens to be the cost of vBulletin but if the answer is "no" then it's a matter of what is the cost you're willing to pay for the benefits & features of a package like vBSEO and then going out & trying to find something in that price range.

I recently installed vBSEO on one of my sites. The changes I'm noticing are not night & day like some would try to claim but I am seeing an increase in traffic and I am seeing an increase in the number of backlinks to the site, particularly to individual threads being referenced elsewhere as opposed to generic backlinks to the front page. Over an extended amount of time I do believe that the $160 price will be worth the accumulated increases.

 

In this business $160.00 is not alot of money.

At $25.00 an hour it would be hard to get someone to do what vBSEO does and stay below the $160. In fact, I think it would be impossible.

 

100% incorrect !

ppl that say this are usually a bit stuborn and don't want to admit that it might help.

zoints seo isn't even supported ! why would you want to change your url structure if the script wont even be around a year from now
pretty stupid if you ask me

 

Perhaps not. But Zoints SEO can do it for you for free.

One more time: I said you can get all the vBSEO featurs THAT MATTER elsewhere for free. Please bother to read what I said before disputing it.

Coming from you, Loco, that's a compliment. Have I not said several times in several places that I do not WANT to change my URL structure and that I don't believe it is either necessary or even advantageous as an SEO option fopr vBulletin? Please try to read the thread before wading in with your stock "vBSEO is god - please buy it using my affiliate number" post, okay?

 

lol@ telling me to read the thread,, all I have to say about this is
"glass houses"

I simply stated not to use the zoints seo as its unsupported ( and even the founder of zoints suggest vbseo ).. other then that, this has nothing to do with vbseo, and you mention my affiliate link like that's what we where talking about ??

wasn't this thread about the sitemap ????
which I stand behind and say it isn't necessary, but why not use it ?? your just letting google and yahoo know what your thread and post url's are.. Whats the benefit of Not using it ??