vBulletin SEO Setup

Every webmaster or webmaster-to-be has to start somewhere. If you want to start a forum, I highly recommend you use vBulletin (and no, I am not being payed to say that). If you are new to the world of webmastering and are using vBulletin, there are a few modifications -or hacks, as we call them- that you will probably want to add to your site. This is a list of 10 hacks that I use on my sites and I think are put to good use on almost any site. If you are a new vB owner and you have never installed a hack, installing these will give you a good idea of how this is done, and once you’ve learned how, you won’t have to pay people to do it for you.

DO NOT be afraid to mod your site. vBulletin owners have one of the best online communities for modifying (also known as modding) your site, it is called vbulletin.org. If you are a vB license holder you have access to thousands of hacks and great support. The following is a list of said hacks, good ones, if you come across problem it is best to ask in the “release thread” for help on the hack you are having a problem with. Now on to the list!

1 Welcome Headers

Welcome headers was a great hack when it first came out, and it still is to this day. A welcome header is text or an image you can show to guests or unregistered viewers only, to explain what your site is about, what features you offer, why they should sign up, etc., all in hope they will do just that: SIGN UP!

You can now make welcome headers with the notice system added to vB version 3.7 and higher, but the welcome header mod makes it very easy for you to set everything up without having to be a vB expert. Installation is fairly simple and takes you through editing templates (something you will want to learn) and installing products.

2 Display Unread Post and Rep Comments

Unread post and reputation comments is probably my most favorite hack ever. It is so simple yet so effective and convenient. Best of all it is a super easy install; download the file from the release thread, extract it on your PC, upload it in your products manager. Should take less them 5 minutes.

This hack will give you a handy count of how many unread posts you have waiting to be red as well as a new posts button and a indicator for showing if you get a new reputation point.

3 AE Multiple Login Detector

Alter Ego,multiple login detector. This is a good hack to have for every vb owner, inevitably you are going to have to reprimand someone, ban someone, etc. When that time comes you don’t want them back, and if they do want to come back and are smart enough they will use a different email address and probably a proxy ip to trick you. If they do that, and you have this installed you will still be able to catch them.

This is also good if you run a a referral contest to thwart cheating. Just make a sub-forum in your staff section, hidden from regular member, to put the automated notices in.

4 The Image Resizer

Another simple to install, great hack. Image Resizer will give you control of how wide linked pictures on your site are. If your members are like mine sometimes they will post big pictures. Anything over say 800px wide will make the thread and site look sloppy when displayed, this fixes that problem. Many, many, features to this mod…check it out.

5 Advanced Permissions Based on Post Count

This hack give you extra control over a myriad of things that user can do on your site. If you want a member to have 10 posts before they can download attachments, or 50 posts in order to private message people, etc, this is for you. Easy to install and a very handy tool to have in your bag of tricks for setting up special permissions, and adding security to your site.

6 Advanced Captcha Image Verification

Simple to install, and if used in conjunction with the built in human verification of vb 3.7 it will be a rarity that you have a spam bot get through to you, and your members. I have run those 2 mods for a long while and very, very, rarely has a bot ever got through.

7 vBseo Sitemap Generator

SEO is a big part of the forum game if you want your site to be popular and get good rankings in search engines. If you don’t want to spring for the full vBseo package, this mod is available free on vb.org and is a great help to get your site indexed and spidered by the major search engines quickly and easily

8 Referrer Statistics

A great way to get the word out on your site is referrals, your members can refer people to your site with stock vBulletin. This hack piggy backs onto that and lets them and you track who has referred who, and also shows your members their referral link right in their usercp to help encourage them to tell people about your site.

9 Ajax Registration

This is a usability hack, makes it easier and more intuitive for people to register on your site. When they hit the register page and input a username they like, it will check to make sure it is available and if not let them know. It also checks for password matches, and email matches, etc. This make it easier, and faster for people to register.

10 Custom Style (Skin)

Last but certainly not least, you need a style. Styles are not really categorized as mods but they are just as, if not more, important…and they sort of install like mods as well.

I suggest using and sticking with one style. vBulletin has the ability to run as many user selectable styles as you wish, but if you have followed this tutorial, and installed some hacks that include template edits, you can imagine how difficult it would be to do all that work over two or three times each upgrade. Having one style also help in “branding” your site.

Picking a style is probably the hardest thing you are going to have to do for two reasons.

1. There are literally hundreds of styles, both free and paid, to choose from.
2. You want a style that will fit in with, and reflect the niche or topic of your site.

Here is a link that will help you in your search, otherwise search for “vBulletin skin” or “vBulletin style” on your favorite search engine. – List of vBulletin Skinners

When all is said and done, if you have followed this list, and added these few hacks, and have a hot style going, you should be ready to make your forum sections and get your board opened up and people chatting.

Good luck, if you need help, you can ask me HERE at vBulletinSetup.com

-Caddyman
TalkDelaware.com