Migrating site using vBSEO to Xenforo URLs?

[cmeinck]

From what I've been reading, vBSEO will not support XenForo -- at least initially. If this is true, how would a site migrate to XenForo without losing SERPs of current URL's. Would there be redirects? Not sure if/how this would work?

I do know that I would not want to have to wait for Google to completely reindex my forums.

 

[Brandon_R]

Yes you can.

Proof:

vBseo has a vBseo to regular vBulletion urls forwarder [Given]. vBulletin can forward it's urls to itself. [Reflexive property]. xenForo has a vBulletion to xenForo urls forwarder [Given]. By definition of the transitive property you can therefore forward your vBseo urls to xenForo urls.

vBseo URLS -> vBulletin URLS -> xenForo URLS.

 

[Danny.VBT]

You would either have to extend XF's URL routing to your vBSEO structure (not sure if this is possible without seeing code) or properly redirect old vBSEO urls to XF's structure.

Both should be possible, I don't know if either vbseo or XF will have a built in feature to support it, however.

 

[KURTZ]

From what I've been reading, vBSEO will not support XenForo -- at least initially. If this is true, how would a site migrate to XenForo without losing SERPs of current URL's. Would there be redirects? Not sure if/how this would work?

I do know that I would not want to have to wait for Google to completely reindex my forums.

this is a big issue for me, hope that the SEO Team answer to this ...

 

[Floris]

this is a big issue for me, hope that the SEO Team answer to this ...

Their answer that I read on their site: Not interested at this point.

That's the Steve Jobs answer Which means they're working hard on it, and hope to send you unneeded emails about it soon!

 

[KURTZ]

Their answer that I read on their site: Not interested at this point.

this really annoyed me Floris ... i think that they need to be interested in this point ... because we pay money for their product, and i think that they must release something for their customers (obviously for who wants to make a change).

 

[Floris]

this really annoyed me Floris ... i think that they need to be interested in this point ... because we pay money for their product, and i think that they must release something for their customers (obviously for who wants to make a change).

You pay for a product called: vBulletin forum software SEO addon

It doesn't say: Every BBS in the world SEO solutions

You didn't pay for anything beyond the .zip for the version you're running and available on their site at that point.

Unrealistic to demand it.

 

[KURTZ]

You pay for a product called: vBulletin forum software SEO addon

It doesn't say: Every BBS in the world SEO solutions

You didn't pay for anything beyond the .zip for the version you're running and available on their site at that point.

Unrealistic to demand it.

OK and this is clear, but if i wanna make a change? personally i think that they should give support untill we switch the software.

anyway, Mert said (on Twitter) that they haven't the XF code, so it's too early to make speculations about this point ...

$ 0.02

 

[KURTZ]

just have a clarification from the SEO Team: they told me which the importer must be released from 'here' and not by them ...

again: this is an huge issue for who like me as the vBSEO installed ...

 

[Brandon_R]

just have a clarification from the SEO Team: they told me which the importer must be released from 'here' and not by them ...

again: this is an huge issue for who like me as the vBSEO installed ...

Im sure someone will release it as it's a problem that definitly needs to eb addressed.

 

[cmeinck]

In addition to URL's, one of the things I've found to be useful have been relevant replacements. That likely won't be part of Xenforo. vBSEO didn't touch IPB during the initial vB4 revolt, but the movement here is much different. I think they are taking notice, or perhaps that's my hope.

 

[KURTZ]

In addition to URL's, one of the things I've found to be useful have been relevant replacements. That likely won't be part of Xenforo. vBSEO didn't touch IPB during the initial vB4 revolt, but the movement here is much different. I think they are taking notice, or perhaps that's my hope.

seems that here there is the <h1> tag ... isn't it part of the RRs?

 

[Shadab]

In addition to URL's, one of the things I've found to be useful have been relevant replacements. That likely won't be part of Xenforo.

They don't need to be.

RRs were used to place relevant content higher up in the html source code. This could have been helpful for vB if you were running a graphic heavy website or had messy html. But since xF is highly optimized out of the box, thankfully, we would no longer need to rely on such template modifications. The html code is semantic and the actual content is already placed before the forum header in the source code!

 

[KURTZ]

They don't need to be.

RRs were used to place relevant content higher up in the html source code. This could have been helpful for vB if you were running a graphic heavy website or had messy html. But since xF is highly optimized out of the box, thankfully, we would no longer need to rely on such template modifications. The html code is semantic and the actual content is already presented before the forum header.

thanks for the explanation

 

[Princeton]

Here's hoping that XF offers at least the basic URL rewriting features as vBSEO.
In other words, provide admins the options to match their current friendly URLs. (less work for admins)

Again, this is something that XF can do to prove to everyone that it is a different forum package.

If done correctly it will save admins money - in turn they will have more money to spend on additional XF licenses, services, addons, etc.

 

[Cezz]

Here's hoping that XF offers at least the basic URL rewriting features as vBSEO.
In other words, provide admins the options to match their current friendly URLs. (less work for admins)

Again, this is something that XF can do to prove to everyone that it is a different forum package.

If done correctly it will save admins money - in turn they will have more money to spend on additional XF licenses, services, addons, etc.

Even if you matched the URL format the thread/post ID's would change during import... you would need to 301 to the correct ID, and you wouldn't be able to do this if you kept the same format...

 

[Anthony Parsons]

Would there be redirects? Not sure if/how this would work?

From what I read from either Kier or Mike previously about this, they stated you will easily be able to redirect existing URL structures to the xenforo structure. I am quite sure that once the product is released, someone will quickly have a tutorial on how exactly to accomplish this.

 

[Brandon_R]

Incase no one understood my Geometric type proof [lame ] you can forward your vbseo urls to regular urls and from there to xenForo because xenforo has a vbulletin to xenforo url converter as kier said.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

I would say that is actually bad Brandon from an SEO viewpoint. A 301 is optimal in one step, search engine engineers such as Matt Cutts has stated over the years that multiple 301's to arrive at the correct URL is extremely bad, and Google don't like it at all as spammers use these exact techniques to manipulate other tactics, by redirecting a bot and trying to capture them in endless loops, spoof content and all sorts of nonsense that goes on.

I would always recommend one clean 301, not redirects upon redirects.

 

[Blackbeard]

just have a clarification from the SEO Team: they told me which the importer must be released from 'here' and not by them ...

again: this is an huge issue for who like me as the vBSEO installed ...

No one forced you to buy their product. They offered it as an addon to vBulletin...not any other bulletin board which the point was made earlier...but I can't even begin to understand your logic there.

IMO it would benefit who ever did make a similar addon to xF or such....to help people jump from vB....but thats just me.