vBulletin Google Adsense Deep Integration Tutorial

This tutorial is written to show you how to use your Google Adsense codes efficiently in your vBulletin (3.5+) templates. I have a very heavily modified vBulletin style but i used the original style for this tutorial to be simple and match the colors. You can change everything as you want to find the most fitting results for your vBulletin.

Alternate ads-PSAs to Collapsible ads:

Quote:

Collapsing ad units are an optional advanced feature of alternate ads. A+ the collapsing ad unit code will 'collapse' your ad unit so that it takes up no page space if there are no relevant ads available. This allows you to minimize any blank space that would otherwise occur through the use of alternate colors. To implement the collapsing ad units feature, you'll need to host a small HTML file on your domain. Your alternate ad URL will reference this file, which will be called if there are no ads available for that particular ad unit.

http://joomla.medspan.info/forum/index.php/topic,5 7.0.html

Create a HTML file with this code and save it as collapsible_ad.html:

HTML Code:

 "http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">  "text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />    "background-color: transparent;">  

Upload this file to your web server. (http://www.yourwebsite.com/collapsible_ad.html)

Go to your Google Adsense account and grap your google_ad_client and google_ad_channel codes. (google_ad_channel is optional)

Open Notepad and paste these codes as you will change them with youradsensecode and yourchannelcode on the following steps.

We will use these there ad layouts in this tutorial:

728 x 90 Leaderboard
468 x 60 Banner
234 x 60 Half Banner

...and one link unit:

468 x 15

Note: navbar template editing step is optional because it may be against the Google Adsense rules for you. If you edit navbar template, almost all of your vBulletin pages will have Adsense ads at the top of the pages. My navbar and header templates include some flash, gif and text content and i update them regularly. It's why i use Adsense ads in navbar. You may apply this step (the ad unit) manually to your FORUMHOME, FORUMDISPLAY, etc templates...

Open your navbar template: vBulletin AdminCP > Styles & Templates > Edit Templates > Navigation / Breadcrumb Templates > navbar

(for the link unit)

Find:

Quote:

$vboptions[bbtitle]

Add below:

Quote:

Results:





(for the ad unit)

Find:

Quote:

Add below:

Quote:

Results:




Save.



Open your FORUMDISPLAY template: vBulletin AdminCP > Styles & Templates > Edit Templates > Forum Display Templates > FORUMDISPLAY

(First thread)

Find:

Quote:

Add below:

Quote:

-	-		Sponsored Links	-	-	-

(Last thread)

Find:

Quote:

Add below:

Quote:

-	-		Sponsored Links	-	-	-

Results:




Save.

Adsense below the last thread - vBulletin.org Forum


Open your search_results template: vBulletin AdminCP > Styles & Templates > Edit Templates > Search Templates > search_results

(First result)

Find:

Quote:

$searchbits Add below: Quote: - - Sponsored Links - - - - (Last result) Find: Quote: $searchbits Add below: Quote: - - Sponsored Links - - - - Results: Save. Open your postbit(legacy) template: vBulletin AdminCP > Styles & Templates > Edit Templates > Postbit Templates > postbit(legacy) (First post and last shown post) Find: Quote: Add below: Quote: GPC['ajax']))"> Save. vBulletin.org Forum - View Single Post - Adsense after first post Results:

Google.com: Dynamic vs. Static URLs

Below a compilation of quotes from Google regarding Dynamic & Static URLs. See highlights in orange. Thanks Joe!

Info from Google.com Regarding Dynamic & Static URLs

http://www.google.com/ads/glossary.html
Search optimization. Tactics and techniques that make it easier for spiders to find your page, contributing to higher ranking on a list of search engine results. Basic optimization starts with listing relevant keywords in your metatags and building clear and descriptive words into page copy, title, text hyperlinks, and image file names. It's also important to design your site on a logical link structure and follow standard HTML conventions, avoiding the use of frames, dynamic URLs, Image Maps, and JavaScript for navigation.


http://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html
Your pages are dynamically generated. We're able to index dynamically generated pages. However, because our web crawler could overwhelm and crash sites that serve dynamic content, we limit the number of dynamic pages we index. In addition, our crawlers may suspect that a URL with many dynamic parameters might be the same page as another URL with different parameters. For that reason, we recommend using fewer parameters if possible. Typically, URLs with 1-2 parameters are more easily crawlable than those with many parameters.


http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
If you decide to use dynamic pages (i.e., the URL contains a "?" character), be aware that not every search engine spider crawls dynamic pages as well as static pages. It helps to keep the parameters short and the number of them few.


http://www.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=745
Consider creating static copies of dynamic pages. Although the Google index includes dynamic pages, they comprise a small portion of our index. If you suspect that your dynamically generated pages (such as URLs containing question marks) are causing problems for our crawler, you might create static copies of these pages. If you do, don't forget to add the dynamic pages to your robots.txt file to prevent us from treating them as duplicates.


http://www.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=745 (Duplicate content)
Don't create multiple copies of a page under different URLs. Many sites offer text-only or printer-friendly versions of pages that contain the same content as the corresponding graphic-rich pages. In order to ensure that your preferred page is included in our search results, you'll need to block duplicates from our spiders using a robots.txt file. For information about using a robots.txt file, please visit http://www.google.com/remove.html

vBSEO Optimization Tips

Here are several options that may help to add extra efficiency for your vBSEO installation:

Move rewrite rules from .htaccess to httpd.conf

For users with dedicated servers, the vBSEO rewrite rules applied in the .htaccess files can be moved directly into the httpd.conf file for more efficient performance.



[forum_id] in URL formats

If your CRU format includes only [forum_title], 1 additional database query will be executed. To eliminate this query, simply be sure to include [forum_id] in the CRU format.

Related vbseocp.php options:

• General Options-> Define Forum Path Title Bits
• Forum URLs -> Forum URL Format
• Forum URLs -> Forum Index Page URL Format
• Announcement URLs -> Individual Announcement URL Format
• Announcement URLs -> Multiple Announcements URL Format
• Thread URLs -> Multiple Page Thread URL Format
• Thread URLs -> 'Last Post in Thread' Redirect URL Format
• Thread URLs -> 'Newest Post in Thread' Redirect URL Format
• Thread URLs -> 'Go To Post in Thread' Redirect URL Format
• Thread URLs -> Multiple page 'Go To Post in Thread' Redirect URL Format
• Thread URLs -> 'Previous Thread' Redirect URL Format
• Thread URLs -> 'Next Thread' Redirect URL Format
• Printthread URLs -> 'Printthread' URL Format
• Printthread URLs -> Multiple Page 'Printthread' URL Format
• Poll URLs -> Poll URL Format
• Nav Bullet (Tree Icon) Image URLs -> Forum Nav Bullet Image URLs
• Nav Bullet (Tree Icon) Image URLs -> Thread Nav Bullet Image URLs
• Attachment URLs -> Attachment URLs Format

[user_id] in Member Profile/Avatar URL formats OR Disable them

Include [user_id] in your Member Profile and Avatar URL formats.

Related vbseocp.php options:

• Member's Profile URLs -> Member Profile URL Format
• Custom Avatar Image URLs -> Custom Avatar URL Format

Optionally, rewriting member profile pages and avatars can be disabled.



Disable "Replace 'Previous/Next Thread' redirect links?" feature.

This option replaces the 'Next Thread' and 'Previous Thread' links with direct, content relevant links. Disabling it will save two database queries per thread page.

Related vbseocp.php options:

• Direct Links -> Replace 'Previous/Next Thread' redirect links?

Disable rewriting for attachments/tree icon images

Optionally, rewriting attachment and tree icon image URLs can be disabled.

Related vbseocp.php options:

• Nav Bullet (Tree Icon) Image URLs -> Rewrite Nav Bullet Image URLs?
• Attachment URLs -> Rewrite Attachment URLs?

Disable "Add Thread Titles" features

These features are available in vBulletion version 3.5x or greater. Optionally, you may disable them.

Related vbseocp.php options:

• Add Thread Titles -> Add Thread Titles to Showthread Links Anchor Text?
• Add Thread Titles -> Add Thread Titles to Showpost Links Anchor Text?

Disable features with outgoing network connections.

Various features have outgoing network connections. To reduce or eliminate these requests, you can disable the following vbseocp.php features:

• Outgoing LinkBacks -> Update Services
• Outgoing LinkBacks -> Enable Outgoing Pingbacks
• Outgoing LinkBacks -> Enable Outgoing Trackbacks
• Add Titles to External Links -> Add Page Titles to External Links Anchor Text?

IonCube vs. Zend

You may consider trying both the Zend and IonCube versions of vBSEO to determine if there is a performance variation. In some limited test cases, the server environment showed improved performance while of one over the other.

The vBSEO LinkBacks User Guide

The vBSEO LinkBacks User Guide - vBSEO 3.0 GOLD

• What This User Guide Covers
• How vBSEO LinkBacks are Generated
  
  
  • How PingBacks are Generated
    
    
    • How vBSEO Sends PingBacks
    • How vBSEO Receives PingBacks
      
      
  • How TrackBacks are Generated
    
    
    • How vBSEO Sends TrackBacks
    • How vBSEO Receives TrackBacks
      
      
  • How RefBacks are Generated
    
    
    • How vBSEO Receives RefBacks
      
      
• Using the LinkBack Menu
• Configuring vBSEO LinkBacks
  
  
  • Configuring vBSEO LinkBacks Using the VBSEO Control Panel (vbseocp.php)
    
    
    • Incoming LinkBacks Configuration
      
      
      • Configuration Option: Enabling Incoming Pingbacks
      • Configuration Option: Enabling Incoming Trackbacks
      • Configuration Option: Enabling Incoming Refbacks
      • Configuration Options: Email notifications on Incoming LinkBacks
      • Configuration Options: Incoming LinkBack Keyword Ignore List
      • Configuration Options: LinkBack "BlackList"
        
        
    • Outgoing LinkBacks Configuration
      
      
      • Configuration Options: Enable Outgoing PingBacks
      • Configuration Options: Enable Outgoing Trackbacks
      • Configuration Options: Update Services
        
        
    • Permalinks Configuration
      
      
      • Configuration Options: Enable "Permalink" indicators in Postbits
        
        
        • Option: Display Permalink in Postbit content
        • Option: Display Permalink besides Showpost Link
        • Option: Replace post number link with Permalink
        • Option: Do not add Permalink indicator in Postbit
          
          
• Editing LinkBack Settings in the vBSEO Configuration File (config_vbseo.php)
  
  
  • VBSEO_REFBACK_BLACKLIST
  • VBSEO_SNIPPET_LENGTH
    
    
• Moderating vBSEO LinkBacks
  
  
  • Moderating LinkBacks Inline on the Show Thread Pages
    
    
    • Approving or Disapproving LinkBacks
    • Deleting LinkBacks with the Trash Can Icon
      
      
  • LinkBack section of vBulletin User Control Panel (USERCP)
    
    
    • Approving LinkBacks
    • Deleting LinkBacks with the Trash Can Icon
      
      
  • Moderating LinkBacks from the vBulletin Admin Control Panel
    
    
    • Setting Permissions for Moderating LinkBacks Inline
      
      
      • Enabling LinkBack Moderation of a Forum
        
        
        • Give Moderators Global LinkBack Moderation Privileges
        • Give Moderators LinkBack Moderation Privileges Per Forum
          
          
    • Moderating Incoming and Outgoing LinkBacks
      
      
      • Moderate LinkBacks - Unapproved
        
        
        • LinkBack Information Displayed
        • Validating, Deleting, or Ignoring LinkBacks
          
          
      • Incoming LinkBacks - Approved
        
        
        • Deleting an Approved Incoming LinkBack
        • Editing an Approved Incoming LinkBack
          
          
      • Outgoing LinkBacks
        
        
        • Remove Successful LinkBacks
        • Remove Selected
        • Re-send Selected

The vBSEO LinkBacks User Guide - vBSEO 3.0 GOLD
LinkBack is a term created by the vBSEO team. It refers to the three methods of communication between websites - in particular: forums and blogs, but also available to all types of websites.

The three methods of communication in the LinkBack family are:

1. PingBacks
2. TrackBacks
3. RefBacks
   

With this powerful new system, vBSEO allows your forum to interact and build inbound and outbound links within the "blog-o-sphere" via PingBacks, TrackBacks, and vBSEO's own proprietary RefBacks.

In fact, our LinkBack system has evolved the traditional idea of PingBacks and TrackBacks, and added the exciting new concept of RefBacks.

With the vBSEO LinkBack system, we are essentially creating a new "forumsphere" and setting the stage for automated linking between blogs, forums, and other types of websites - and creating significant SEO advantages in the process.



The LinkBack Family



The concept of PingBacks and TrackBacks were originally developed exclusively for blogs. However, they are now being integrated into other types of content management systems (CMS) - which is basically a term to describe any system for publishing content on the Web.

By harnessing and expanding upon this technology, vBSEO is giving forum administrators a powerful new way to create inbound and outbound relevant linking between their forum and other sites, which not only has SEO advantages, but also enables a new stream of direct click-through traffic.

For a more in-depth technical description of the network communication mechanisms involved with LinkBacks, including PingBacks, TrackBacks, and vBSEO RefBacks, please see our LinkBack overview.



What This User Guide Covers
vBSEO includes a full section to manage and configure your LinkBacks within the vBSEO Control Panel (vbseocp.php), as well as an advanced moderation system within your vBulletin Admin Control Panel, your vBulletin User Control Panel, and on each thread page on your forum.

This user guide will provide you with detailed information on how to make the most of your vBSEO LinkBack features:

• How vBSEO LinkBacks are Generated
  Showing you how to generate each type of LinkBack.
• Using the LinkBack Menu
  A LinkBack Menu exists at the top of every thread page.
  
• Configuring vBSEO LinkBacks
  Firstly, we will introduce you to how the three types of LinkBacks (PingBack, TrackBack, and RefBacks) are configured.
• Editing LinkBack Settings in the vBSEO Configuration File
  Some advanced settings are not available in the vBSEO Control Panel. They can be configured directly within the vBSEO config_vbseo.php file.
  
• Moderating vBSEO LinkBacks
  And, finally, we will show you exactly how to use the LinkBack moderating system.

How vBSEO LinkBacks are Generated
As we stated above, the LinkBack family includes (1) PingBacks, (2) TrackBacks, and (3) RefBacks.

PingBacks and TrackBacks are primarily generated from interactions with blogs or other vBSEO-enabled forums.

RefBacks are quite different. They are generated in response to visitors to your sites following external links from other sites (of any type).

Now we will describe how each type of LinkBack is generated:

• How PingBacks are Generated
• How TrackBacks are Generated
• How RefBacks are Generated

How PingBacks are Generated

• PingBacks are a signal sent from one site A to another site B, notifying it that site A has created a Web link to site B.
• When site B receives the signal, it automatically checks site A to see if the link is really there.
• If the Web link is found on site A, then site B approves the PingBack.
• At this point, site B places a link back to site A in return.

Sound complex? Think of it as a conversation between two people: Mr. A and Mr. B.

Quote:

Mr. A: Hey, I just linked to your website. Mr. B: Oh ya? Let me check to see if that is true. Mr. B: Ah - I checked your website. You really did link to me. Mr. B: Thank-you for doing that. I'm going to link back to you now.

The end result is that both sites link to each other.

vBSEO-enabled forums are able to both Send PingBacks and Receive PingBacks.



How vBSEO Sends PingBacks

Every time a user on your forum submits a post containing a link to an external site, your forum will PingBack the site.

If the site is PingBack-enabled, you may end up earning a link exchange with the site. That is, you linked to the site, and it now links back to you.

Note: Unlike TrackBacks (as will be discussed below), you have to place a link to the site from yours in order to have the PingBack complete successfully.



How vBSEO Receives PingBacks

All vBSEO-enabled forums are also able to receive PingBacks. If someone posts a link to your forum on their PingBack-enabled blog, forum, or website, then your forum will receive a PingBack signal.

Depending on your LinkBack configuration options, you may automatically create a reciprocal link back to the site that signaled you, OR you could send the PingBack to the moderation queue for later approval or rejection.



How TrackBacks are Generated

• TrackBacks are signals sent from one site A to another site B, notifying it that site A has referenced information from a page on site B.
• However, it does NOT necessarily mean that site A has linked to site B. Linking within a post is optional with TrackBacks.
• When site B receives the signal, it might place a link back to site A in return for the site A reference or acknowledgement (Web link not required). This depends on the settings or moderators on site B.

Remember, with TrackBacks, site A does NOT have to link to site B from within the post in order to potentially receive a link back from site B.

This is the fundamental difference between TrackBacks and PingBacks. PingBacks require links, but TrackBacks do not.


Sound complex? Think of it as a conversation between two people: Mrs. C and Mrs. D.

Quote:

Mrs. C: Hey, I just created a post on my site and I mentioned some information I found on your site. Mrs. D: Oh ya? Thank-you for doing that. I'm going to link back to you now.

The end result is that you can get a link back to your site, WITHOUT having to place a link to the other site. You can just mention (i.e. reference) the other site instead.

vBSEO-enabled forums are able to both Send TrackBacks and Receive TrackBacks.



How vBSEO Sends TrackBacks

Every time a user on your forum submits a new thread or replies with a new post, they have the option of specifying a TrackBack (that is, a URL referencing a page with related content).

The TrackBack URL does NOT have to be included in the text they write for the new thread or post. Instead, there is a form input box on Post New Thread or Reply to Topic (i.e. New Post) pages.

In fact, you can even TrackBack more than one URL by separating each one by a space in the TrackBack input box.



Once a post containing TrackBacks is submitted, it will send a TrackBack signal to each URL provided in the TrackBack input box.

If the site is TrackBack-enabled, you may end up earning one or more inbound links to your site from the sites you referenced. That is, you let the site know that you were referencing (although not linking to) its content, and now the site links back to you.

Note: Unlike PingBacks (as discussed earlier), you do NOT have to place a link to the site on your site in order to have the TrackBack complete successfully. However, you DO have to place the URL to the site you are referencing in the TrackBack input box for your new thread or reply post.



How vBSEO Receives TrackBacks

All vBSEO-enabled forums are also able to receive TrackBacks. If someone references a page on your forum, from their TrackBack enabled blog, forum, or website, then your forum will receive a TrackBack signal.

Depending on your LinkBack configuration options, you may automatically create a link back to the site that signaled you, OR you could send the TrackBack to the moderation queue for later approval or rejection.



How RefBacks are Generated

• RefBacks are signaled when a user clicks a link on site A to another site B.
• When the user arrives at site B, by clicking the link, site B will convert the RefBack from information sent by the user's browser (FireFox, Internet Explorer, etc).
• Neither site A or site B needs to be PingBack or TrackBack enabled for the RefBack to occur.
• When site B gets the RefBack, it may place a link back to site A, since site A can be deemed to be a web page relevant to site A. This, of course, depends on your LinkBack configuration settings.

Remember, RefBacks are currently only available in vBSEO-enabled forums. This is a concept invented by the vBSEO team.

A RefBack is similar to a PingBack, because it requires a Web link to be created from site A to site B.

However, the vBSEO Team invented RefBacks to have a surprising characteristic:

RefBacks do NOT require either site A or site B to send any signal at all! Neither site needs to be PingBack or TrackBack enabled.

Instead of a signal, RefBacks are transmitted when a Web visitor clicks a link from one site to another.

The Web visitor's browser (FireFox, Internet Explorer, etc) carries with it information about where the user is coming from. When your forum is vBSEO-enabled, this information will be analyzed and converted into a RefBack.

RefBacks can be used to discover sites that are linking to your forum content. They can also be used (depending on your chosen configuration settings) to automatically create outbound links back to sites that link to you.

External links from your website to another website are also important for SEO. Search engines prefer sites that link to others. Otherwise, they consider them dead end destinations, and this is not viewed positively in all situations.

RefBacks help ensure that the links you place on your forum are highly relevant. In most cases, the pages that link to you, will be very relevant to you.


Note: You always have to watch for SPAM content. All members of the LinkBack family (PingBacks, TrackBacks, and RefBacks) are subject to SPAM by bot created pages, blackhat SEOs, and general search engine hackers or manipulators. Fortunately, SPAMMY LinkBacks can be fully handled with the vBSEO LinkBack moderation system (more on this topic later).


Sound complex? Think of it as a conversation between two people: Ms. E and Ms. F, and a friend Mr. Z.

Quote:

Ms. E: I think I'll stop by to see Mr. Z today. Ms. E: Hi Mr. Z. Mr. Z: Hi Ms. E. Did you know that Ms. F is doing something cool? Ms. E: Really? I'm going to go talk to her to find out more. Ms. E: Hi Ms. F. I heard you were doing something cool. Ms. F: Yes - I am. Who told you about this? Ms. E: Mr. Z told me. Ms. F: Interesting. I'm going to mention Mr. Z to people who visit me, since he's interested in the same stuff as me.

The end result is that your vBSEO-enabled forum will automatically determine where your Web visitors are coming from, and create links back to those sites whenever they are relevant topics.

Technically speaking, any site can send a RefBack whenever someone clicks a link on the site and proceeds to another.

However, only vBSEO-enabled forums are able to Receive RefBacks and convert them into relevant outbound links for SEO purposes.



How vBSEO Receives RefBacks

All vBSEO-enabled forums are able to receive RefBacks. If a Web visitor clicks a link from another site to your forum, when they arrive at your forum, vBSEO will analyze and discover the RefBack automatically.

Depending on your LinkBack configuration options, you may automatically create a link back to the site from which the Web visitor came, OR you could send the RefBack to the moderation queue for later approval or rejection.

Note: In the next two sections, we will discuss all of the vBSEO configuration options for LinkBacks in both the (1) vBSEO Control Panel (vbseocp.php), and (2) the vBSEO configuration file (config_vbseo.php).

After learning how to configure vBSEO, we will examine the LinkBack moderating system in more detail.


Using the LinkBack Menu



Each show thread page has a "LinkBack"menu at the top, next to the "Thread Tools" menu.

In parenthesis, next to the Link Back menu, the number of current LinkBacks for the thread will be displayed. Example: (2).

Clicking "See LinkBacks" will jump you to the bottom of the show thread page where all LinkBacks are listed.

Clicking "LinkBack URL" will pop up a dialog box, containing the URL to be used when linking to the showthread page on any other site.



Clicking "About LinkBacks" will display a page describing how the LinkBack family (PingBacks, TrackBacks, and RefBacks) work.



Configuring vBSEO LinkBacks



Configuring vBSEO LinkBacks Using the VBSEO Control Panel (vbseocp.php)

Most vBSEO configuration options are done within the vBSEO Control Panel. The vBSEO CP is a password protected control panel located on your vBSEO-enabled forum. You access it from:

Code:

http://www.yoursite.com/pathtoforum/vbseocp.php

In the above example, you must replace www.yoursite.com with the domain for your forum, and pathtoforum with your forum sub-directory (if applicable).

After logging in to the vBSEO Control Panel with your password (created the first time you accessed it), you can immediately select the LinkBacks (Ping/Track/RefBacks) link from the navigation menu at the top.

Doing so will take you directly to the section of the control panel containing all configuration options for the vBSEO LinkBack system.

The configuration options for the LinkBack system are divided into 3 main sections:

1. Incoming LinkBacks - Controls how LinkBacks received from other external sites are handled.
2. Outgoing LinkBacks - Controls how LinkBacks being sent from your forum are handled.
3. Permalinks - Controls how the URL address of the thread or post are displayed.

Incoming LinkBacks Configuration

There are many configuration options for your incoming LinkBacks.

They range from simple features such as enabling or disabling each member of the LinkBack family (PingBacks, TrackBacks, RefBacks) to more advanced features regarding email notifications and blocking of LinkBacks for filtered words or websites.

The options for configuring Incoming LinkBacks include:

• Enable Incoming Pingbacks
• Enable Incoming Trackbacks
• Enable Incoming Refbacks
• Email notifications on Incoming LinkBacks
• Incoming LinkBack Keyword Ignore List
• LinkBack "blacklist"

Configuration Option: Enabling Incoming Pingbacks

You can enable or disable incoming PingBacks by selecting the "Yes" or "No" option.

Disabling incoming PingBacks will not cause incoming TrackBacks and/or RefBacks to be disabled. They have their own enable settings.

Note: Incoming PingBack moderation for individual forums is set from within the vBulletin Admin Control Panel in the "LinkBacks" section. Configuring vBSEO LinkBacks from within the vBulletin AdminCP will be discussed in a later section of this guide.


Configuration Option: Enabling Incoming Trackbacks

Just as with PingBacks, you can enable or disable incoming TrackBacks by selecting the "Yes" or "No" option.

The setting for enabling/disabling TrackBacks is separate from the PinkBack and RefBack features. Likewise, incoming TrackBack moderation can also be configured in the vBulletin Admin Control Panel in the "LinkBacks" section (see upcoming section).


Configuration Option: Enabling Incoming Refbacks

Just as with PingBacks and TrackBacks, you can enable or disable RefBacks by selecting the "Yes" or "No" option.

The settings for enabling/disabling RefBacks is separate from the PingBack and TrackBack features. Likewise, incoming RefBack moderation can also be configured in the vBulletin Admin Control Panel in the "LinkBacks" section (see upcoming section).


Configuration Options: Email notifications on Incoming LinkBacks

vBSEO allows you to automatically notify the contributor of a particular thread or posted reply whenever a LinkBack is received.

When enabled, the user will receive an email whenever their contribution receives a PingBack, TrackBack, or RefBack.

To enable the email notifications, select "Yes".

There is also a section for entering the email addresses of administrators who want to receive a copy of all incoming LinkBack email notifications.

In the Email copy of LinkBack notifications: text box, enter as many admin emails as required, separating each one by a space.


Configuration Options: Incoming LinkBack Keyword Ignore List

SPAMMING has become a common practice in the blog-o-sphere.

Unscrupulous users abuse PingBack and TrackBack features in an automated fashion to spread affiliate links and other promotional information (often regarding questionable, adult oriented or illegal topics) to as many sites as possible.

As such, the vBSEO LinkBack system includes features to help combat automated spam.

When a LinkBack is received, it often contains a descriptive text snippet taken from the website page from which the LinkBack originated.

vBSEO monitors this incoming text and checks it for keywords that are a strong indication of a SPAM linkback. When these keywords are encountered in the snippet, the LinkBack can be immediately rejected.

vBSEO has included a list of default keywords that cover common areas of SPAM such as prescription drugs, adult websites, or multi-level-marketing sites, etc.

Users can also add as many extra keywords to the ignore list as needed. Each keyword should be placed on a new line.



Configuration Options: LinkBack "BlackList"

The LinkBack "Blacklist" is a different approach to reducing SPAM within the vBSEO LinkBack system.

The blacklist is a list of domains from which no LinkBacks will be accepted. Any website that is sending excessive or SPAMMY LinkBacks to your forum can be added to the LinkBack "BlackList", causing the LinkBacks to be immediately rejected.

Users can add as many blacklist domains to the list as needed. Each domain should be placed on a new line.

Note: The LinkBack "BlackList" feature is also commonly used to block competing websites from submitting LinkBacks, and potentially gaining external links back from your forum. To block a competing website, users must simply add the domain name of the competitor to the LinkBack "BlackList" in the vBSEO Control Panel.

When entering a new blacklist domain, do not enter http:// or www. Only the root domain or non-www subdomain is required.

Example:

Code:

mysite.com

or

forum.mysite.com

Outgoing LinkBacks Configuration

There are many configuration options for your outgoing LinkBacks.

Outgoing LinkBacks are applicable only for PingBacks and TrackBacks.

RefBacks, due to their nature, are defined by information stored within the user's browser, and do not have a formal signal or transmission that must be formatted and sent by vBSEO.

The options for configuring Outgoing LinkBacks include:

• Enable Outgoing Pingbacks
• Enable Outgoing Trackbacks
• Update Services

Configuration Options: Enable Outgoing PingBacks

You can enable or disable outgoing PingBacks by selecting the "Yes" or "No" option.

Disabling outgoing PingBacks will not cause outgoing TrackBacks to be disabled. They have their own enable setting.

Note: Moderation for outgoing PingBacks and TrackBacks are NOT required. This is handled by the outside site that receives the signals.


Configuration Options: Enable Outgoing Trackbacks

You can enable or disable outgoing TrackBacks by selecting the "Yes" or "No" option.

Disabling outgoing TrackBacks will not cause outgoing PingBacks to be disabled. They have their own enable setting.

Note: Moderation for outgoing PingBacks and TrackBacks are NOT required. This is handled by the outside site that receives the signals.


Configuration Options: Update Services

Update Services is a powerful vBSEO feature for outgoing LinkBacks. There are several online services that act as search portals for blog content.

Because of vBSEO's LinkBack features, forum content is increasingly merging with the blog-o-sphere. In fact, features such as Update Services allow for the convergence of the blog-o-sphere with the forumsphere.

Update Services allows the user to specify online services which should be notified of every new thread or post created on a vBSEO-enabled forum.

When a new post is created, it will be sent to each of the configured services for inclusion in their searchable index. This is a great way to not only build incoming links to a forum, but to also harness Web traffic from the many users of sites such as Pingomatic, Technorati, and Google BlogSearch (the 3 defaults).

Defaults:

Code:

http://rpc.pingomatic.com
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2

Users who identify other search portals need to enter the URL for the site used to transmit Pings in the XML_RPC format.

Note: Users do not have to do any formatting. vBSEO handles the ping transmission in XML_RPC. Users only need to provide the URL to the ping server being added.



Permalinks Configuration

Permalinks are a special CRU (Content Relevant URL) format used by vBSEO to address individual posts within a thread.

By using a technique called anchors, vBSEO can help to build link consensus (a very important SEO factor) by having all incoming URLs to any post within a thread to point to the same address.

When outgoing PingBacks or TrackBacks are transmitted from a vBSEO-enabled forum, they will contain the selected Permalink format.

Also, when members or visitors of a vBSEO-enabled vBulletin forum are copy-pasting links to place elsewhere on the Web (thereby creating external Web links to you), they will be forced to copy the permalinks, which further helps to build the all important link consensus for SEO purposes.

The configuration options for configuring Permalinks include:

• Enable "Permalink" indicators in Postbits

Configuration Options: Enable "Permalink" indicators in Postbits



If Permalinks are not used, each post in a particular thread will have a link to a separate showpost page.

When showpost pages are allowed, there will be one additional page of content for each post within the thread.

Depending on your SEO strategy, you may want to use Permalinks only, showpost URLs only, or both.

• Using Permalinks only increases link consensus to your thread pages.
• Using Showpost URLs only creates new content pages, that contain some text duplication. The text duplication occurs since the post text is also presented on the thread page.
• Using a combination of both helps to balance link consensus with growth of content pages.

The following Permalink configuration options control how the Permalinks or showpost URLs are displayed within the postbit area for each post within a thread:

• Display Permalink in Postbit content
• Display Permalink besides Showpost Link
• Replace post number link with Permalink
• Do not add Permalink indicator in Postbit

Option: Display Permalink in Postbit content

Selecting the Display Permalink in Postbit content option will cause an additional link with the label "Permalink" to be displayed within the postbit title area for each post.

Users can click on the "Permalink" labeled link in order to display the permalink within the browser's location bar (i.e. text area for entering URLs or web addresses).

Users can then copy and paste the permalink URL to create a link somewhere else on the Web, such as their own forum, blog, or website.

Note: The permalink will be the same URL as the thread page URL, but it will have a anchored # at the end indicating the position of the post within the thread page.

Remember, using this option will keep the existing showpost URL enabled, which creates a separate page of text content for each post.


Option: Display Permalink besides Showpost Link

Selecting the Display Permalink besides Showpost Link option is very similar to the above option for Display Permalink in Postbit content.

Instead of displaying the permalink in the title area of the postbit, it is placed in parenthesis next to the standard numeric post # showpost link.

Both the permalink and showpost URL are available on the page.

Note: The permalink will be the same URL as the thread page URL, but will have a anchored # at the end indicating the position of the post within the thread page.

Remember, using this option will keep the existing showpost URL enabled, which creates a separate page of text content for each post.


Option: Replace post number link with Permalink

Selecting the Replace post number link with Permalink option will cause the standard numeric post # showpost link to be replaced with the anchored permalink.

Users can click on the post # link in order to display the permalink within the browser's location bar (i.e. text area for entering URLs or web addresses).

Users can then copy and paste the permalink URL to create a link somewhere else on the Web, such as their own forum, blog, or website.

Since the showpost URLs are removed, the search engines cannot discover these separate content pages. This reduces the # of content pages available to be crawled, which may be an advantage depending on your SEO strategy. Likewise, the permalinks help to build much greater link consensus for the thread page.

Remember, using this option will cause all showpost pages to be eliminated from your forum, even with the new CRU (Content Relevant URL) format you selected to use for showpost URLs.

Note: Some SEOs consider this an advantage since showpost pages can be considered as duplicate content, and also require extra spidering for search engine bots to fully crawl and index an entire forum. The number of extra pages is very significant in most forums with a large number of posts in their database.

Replace post number link with Permalink is the selected option at www.vbseo.com.


Option: Do not add Permalink indicator in Postbit

Selecting the Do not add Permalink indicator in Postbit option will completely disable the permalink feature.

Instead the showpost URL links will be maintained using the CRU (Content Relevant URL) format you selected.

Note: This is not recommended if the LinkBack features are enabled. However, if users prefer to place the permalink in another location within the postbit or postbit_legacy templates, they can do so by editing the template from within the vBulletin Admin Control Panel, and placing the following replacement tag:





Editing LinkBack Settings in the vBSEO Configuration File (config_vbseo.php)

Some advanced settings are not available in the vBSEO Control Panel. They can be configured directly within the vBSEO config_vbseo.php file.

The config_vbseo.php file is located within the root directly of your forum, in the /includes/ directory.

There are two settings that can be configured for LinkBacks in the config_vbseo.php file:

• VBSEO_REFBACK_BLACKLIST
• VBSEO_SNIPPET_LENGTH

VBSEO_REFBACK_BLACKLIST

Within the config_vbseo.php file, you can configure the VBSEO_REFBACK_BLACKLIST option to ignore RefBacks generated from specific sites.

This is different from the feature for blacklisting sites from LinkBacks.

Since RefBacks are generated when a user clicks a link at another site, they can also be generated when a user clicks a link from a search engine.

Links from search result pages will generate RefBacks, but will not provide an SEO advantage. For this reason, it is not advised to allow them to be included as LinkBacks on your showthread pages. You can also consider this feature to be a search exclusion list.

Here is an example of this option configured to blacklist many common search sites from generating RefBacks:

PHP Code:

define('VBSEO_REFBACK_BLACKLIST', 'google..+/(u/|search|blogsearch|custom|pda|linux|ie)|search.yahoo.|search.msn.|msncache.com|altavista.com|answers.com|ask.|search.lycos.|dogpile.|alltheinternet.com|tiscali.|baidu.|verden.abcsok.no|[/&?=.](search|arama|blogsearch|query|results|sok|srch|yandsearch|aolsearch|q)[^a-z-]|backlink_checker.php|extremetracking.com|www.kvasir.no/nettsok/searchResult|awstats.pl?');


For more information on how to configure the VBSEO_REFBACK_BLACKLIST option, please submit a request within our forums or via a support ticket.



VBSEO_SNIPPET_LENGTH

VBSEO_SNIPPET_LENGTH is another option that can be configured within the config_vbseo.php file.

When a PingBack or TrackBack is received by a vBSEO-enabled forum, vBSEO will contact the webpage that sent the request and retrieve a small snippet of text from the page.

200 text characters is the default length of snippets that are retrieved.

Here is an example of this option configured for 200 character snippets:

PHP Code:

define('VBSEO_SNIPPET_LENGTH', 200);


For more information on how to configure the VBSEO_SNIPPET_LENGTH option, please submit a request within our forums or via a support ticket.



Moderating vBSEO LinkBacks

Moderating LinkBacks basically allows your moderating team to approve or disapprove incoming LinkBacks. However, it also allows you to re-submit failed PingBacks and TrackBacks from your forum.

Moderation can be done in two ways:

• Inline Moderation on Show Thread Pages
• LinkBack section of vBulletin User Control Panel
• LinkBack section of vBulletin Admin Control Panel

Moderating LinkBacks Inline on the Show Thread Pages



On each show thread page, a list of all LinkBacks will be displayed at the bottom of the page just above the "Similar Threads" section.

When LinkBack moderation is enabled for the administrator viewing the page, moderation icons will be displayed next to each of the listed LinkBacks:

• Moderation Icon: Approve or Disapprove LinkBack
• Trash Can Icon: Delete LinkBack

Within the list of LinkBacks, those that are currently unapproved will be indicated with a yellow background.

Those that are approved will have the standard background color.

Note: The list of LinkBacks on the thread page is for incoming LinkBacks only.



Approving or Disapproving LinkBacks

To approve a currently unapproved LinkBack, simply double-click the moderation icon. The LinkBack will then be visible to all members and guests (including search engine crawlers) on the show thread page.

To disapprove a currently approved LinkBack, double click the moderation icon. The LinkBack will no longer be visible to members, guests, or search engine crawlers on the show thread page.



Deleting LinkBacks with the Trash Can Icon

To delete a LinkBack from your forum, simply double-click the trash can icon. The LinkBack will be deleted and will be no longer visible in the list, even to moderators.

Note: Once a LinkBack has been deleted, it cannot be recovered.




LinkBack section of vBulletin User Control Panel (USERCP)



In versions of vBulletin greater than 3.6.x, users with moderating permissions can moderate from within the User Control Panel (USERCP).

Incoming unapproved LinkBacks can also be moderated here, in a similar way to inline LinkBack moderation.

Within the "Moderation" section of the left side navigation, select the "Moderated LinkBacks" link.

A list of all incoming unapproved LinkBacks will be displayed, with moderation icons displayed next to each:

• Moderation Icon: Approve or Disapprove LinkBack
• Trash Can Icon: Delete LinkBack

Within the list of LinkBacks, since they are unapproved, all LinkBacks will be indicated with a yellow background.

Once they are approved, they will be removed from the list of moderated LinkBacks.

Note: The list of LinkBacks on the thread page is for incoming unapproved LinkBacks only.



Approving LinkBacks

To approve a currently unapproved incoming LinkBack, simply double-click the moderation icon. The LinkBack will then be visible to all members and guests (including search engine crawlers) on the show thread page.



Deleting LinkBacks with the Trash Can Icon

To delete a LinkBack from your forum, simply double-click the trash can icon. The LinkBack will be deleted and will be no longer visible in the list, even to moderators.

Note: Once a LinkBack has been deleted, it cannot be recovered.



Moderating LinkBacks from the vBulletin Admin Control Panel

More advanced LinkBack moderation is available from within the vBulletin Admin Control Panel. It is also from within the Admin CP that inline LinkBack moderation settings are configured. In this section we will cover:

• How to Set Inline LinkBack Moderator Permissions
• How to Moderate Incoming and Outgoing LinkBacks

Setting Permissions for Moderating LinkBacks Inline

Only moderators with assigned permissions can moderate LinkBacks inline. Moderation can also be enabled or disabled on a per forum basis.



Enabling LinkBack Moderation of a Forum

To enable LinkBack moderation of a particular forum, follow these steps within the vBulletin Admin Control Panel:

1. From the "Forums & Moderators" section of the navigation, select "Forum Manager".
2. Scroll down the list to find the forum you want to configure LinkBack moderation settings for.
3. Click the "Go" button after selecting the "Edit Forum" option next to the selected forum.
4. Scroll down to the "vBSEO Permissions" section on the options page for the forum.
5. Enable the LinkBack moderation options as desired.
6. Click the "Save" button.

There are 3 options that can be enabled or disabled. Each is configured by selecting "Yes" or "No".

• Moderate PingBacks
  When moderation of PingBacks is enabled for a forum, incoming PingBacks will not be displayed on the show thread page until a moderator approves them.
  
  If this option is set to "No", all incoming PingBacks will be automatically approved and displayed on the show thread page.
  
  
  
• Moderate TrackBacks
  When moderation of TrackBacks is enabled for a forum, incoming TrackBacks will not be displayed on the show thread page until a moderator approves them.
  
  If this option is set to "No", all incoming TrackBacks will be automatically approved and displayed on the show thread page.
  
  
  
• Moderate RefBacks
  When moderation of RefBacks is enabled for a forum, incoming RefBacks will not be displayed on the show thread page until a moderator approves them.
  
  If this option is set to "No", all incoming RefBacks will be automatically approved and displayed on the show thread page.
  

Moderators can be assigned LinkBack moderation permissions for all forums, and also on a per forum basis.



Give Moderators Global LinkBack Moderation Privileges

To give a moderator global permissions to moderate LinkBacks inline in all forums, follow these steps within the vBulletin Admin Control Panel:

1. From the "Forums & Moderators" section of the navigation, select "Show all Moderators".
2. Scroll down the list to find the moderator you want to assign global inline LinkBack moderation privileges to.
3. Click the "Edit Permissions" link next to the selected moderator.
4. Scroll down to the "vBSEO Options" section on the permissions page for the moderator.
5. Enable the "Can moderate LinkBacks" option as desired.
6. Click the "Save" button.
   

Give Moderators LinkBack Moderation Privileges Per Forum

You can set LinkBack moderation permissions for each of your moderators on a per forum basis. Changing this option overrides the global LinkBack moderation settings for the moderator.

Follow these steps within the vBulletin Admin Control Panel:

1. From the "Forums & Moderators" section of the navigation, select "Forum Manager".
2. Scroll down the list to find the forum you want to configure LinkBack moderation settings for a particular moderator.
   
3. Click the "Go" button after selecting the "List Moderators" option next to the selected forum.
4. Scroll down the list to find the moderator you want to assign per forum inline LinkBack moderation privileges to.
5. Click the "Edit" link next to the selected moderator.
   
6. Scroll down to the "vBSEO Options" section on the permissions page for the moderator.
   Note: These are moderator permissions for the selected forum only.
   
7. Enable the "Can moderate LinkBacks" option as desired.
8. Click the "Save" button.
   

Moderating Incoming and Outgoing LinkBacks

In addition to moderating LinkBacks inline on each show thread page, LinkBacks can also be moderated by anyone with permissions to access the vBulletin Admin Control Panel.

From within the vBulletin Admin CP, more advanced moderation options are available.

To moderate LinkBacks in the Admin CP, scroll down to the "LinkBacks" section of the navigation.



There are 3 different moderating areas for LinkBacks available there:

• Moderate LinkBacks - Unapproved
  
• Incoming LinkBacks - Approved
  
• Outgoing LinkBacks
  

Moderate LinkBacks - Unapproved

The first Moderate LinkBacks link will display all incoming unapproved LinkBacks, including PingBacks, TrackBacks, and RefBacks.

For each LinkBack, there is editable information displayed.


LinkBack Information Displayed

For each LinkBack, the following information is display:

• Posted By - Provides the URL or web address from which the LinkBack originated.
• For - Provides the URL on your forum for which the LinkBack was received.
• Type - Indicates the type of LinkBack (PingBack, TrackBack, or RefBack)
• Date - Indicates the date and time the LinkBack was received.
• Title - Indicates the title of the LinkBack, which will be used on the show thread page in the LinkBacks section. This option can be changed prior to validation.
• Message - This is the text snippet that was sent and/or retrieved when receiving the LinkBack. This option can be changed prior to validation.
• Action - Choose "Validate", "Ignore", or "Delete".

Validating, Deleting, or Ignoring LinkBacks

You can select one of 3 options for each LinkBack:

• Validate
• Delete
• Ignore

After selecting Validate, Delete, or Ignore for each LinkBack, you can apply the setting by clicking the "Save" button at the bottom of the page.

• LinkBacks that you select with "Validate", will be approved.
• LinkBacks that you select with "Delete", will be permanently deleted from the system.
• LinkBacks that you keep the default selected option of "Ignore" will be left in the system unchanged.

Incoming LinkBacks - Approved

The second Incoming LinkBacks link will display all incoming LinkBacks that have already been approved only.

For each LinkBack, there is summary information displayed:

• For - Provides a link to the URL on your forum for which the LinkBack was received. The anchor text of the link is the title of the page.
  
• Posted By - Provides the URL or web address from which the LinkBack originated.
• Date - Indicates the date the LinkBack was received.
• Options - Edit or Delete.

Deleting an Approved Incoming LinkBack

To delete a LinkBack from the list of approved incoming LinkBacks, select the Delete option and click the "Go" button.

The LinkBack will then be permanently deleted from the system.



Editing an Approved Incoming LinkBack

You can edit the Title and Message (i.e. text snippet) for each approved incoming LinkBack.

To do so, select the Edit option and click the "Go" button.

All information for the LinkBack will then be displayed.

• Posted By - Provides the URL or web address from which the LinkBack originated.
• For - Provides the URL on your forum for which the LinkBack was received.
• Type - Indicates the type of LinkBack (PingBack, TrackBack, or RefBack)
• Date - Indicates the date and time the LinkBack was received.
• Title - Indicates the title of the LinkBack, which will be used on the show thread page in the LinkBacks section. This option can be changed prior to saving.
• Message - This is the text snippet that was sent and/or retrieved when receiving the LinkBack. This option can be changed prior to saving.

Once you have changed the Title and/or Message, click the "Save" button.

The changes to the approved incoming LinkBack will then be updated on your forum, and displayed on the show thread page to which the LinkBack is assigned.


Outgoing LinkBacks

The third Outgoing LinkBacks link will display all outgoing LinkBacks that were already sent from your forum. This includes only PingBacks and TrackBacks.

For each LinkBack, there is summary information displayed:

• For - Provides a link to the URL of the site for which the LinkBack was sent. The anchor text of the link is the title of the page.
  
• Posted By - Provides the URL or web address of the page on your forum from which the LinkBack originated.
• Date - Indicates the date the LinkBack was received.
• Successful? - Indicates whether the PingBack or TrackBack was successfully received and acknowledged by the external blog or website.

There are 3 main actions that can be applied to the list of outgoing LinkBacks:

• Remove Successful LinkBacks
• Remove Selected
• Re-send Selected

Remove Successful LinkBacks

Clicking the "Remove Successful LinkBacks" button at the bottom of the page will automatically delete all outgoing LinkBacks that are marked as being successful.

Being successful means that the PingBacks or TrackBacks were transmitted to the external sites and acknowledged (and may have resulted in a link back to your forum from the external site).

Deleting successful LinkBacks will delete them only from your forum. It will NOT delete any links that were created on external sites after your PingBack or TrackBack was submitted.

Note: You do not need to select any of the individual LinkBacks to delete them. This button automatically deletes all successful LinkBacks whether or not they are selected.



Remove Selected

Clicking the "Remove Selected" button at the bottom of the page will delete all outgoing LinkBacks that you selected on the page. They will be deleted regardless of whether they were successful or not.

Deleting them will not make any changes on the external sites to which you sent the PingBack or TrackBack signals.



Re-send Selected

When you transmit a PingBack or TrackBack signal, it may or may not be successful. This information is indicated in the list of outgoing LinkBacks.

However, by clicking the "Re-send Selected" button at the bottom of the page, you can re-send the PingBack or TrackBack signal to the external blog or website. The goal is to try to get the PingBack or TrackBack approved so that you can build external links to your forum.

Note: The PingBack or TrackBack signals will only be re-sent for the LinkBacks you have selected.