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Xenforo Search Improvement Ideas

Uniphix

Uniphix

Active member
Hello,

I've been reviewing some of the posts that many people would like to see some more advance features added and implemented into the current system for the search engine of xenForo.

I am starting this thread to see what features people would like to see. I will then take the summary of all these features and come with a final feature list.

Major features are:
  • Tags (You will be able to add tags to not only posts/threads but port into the tag area on any page as you want to.) Similar to how the Facebook/Twitter/Google share page template works.
  • Added style properties for handling the highlighting feature of the search results.
  • You'll be able to add multiple filtering tags while searching, you'll be able to narrow down your results as you add more filters. You can also remove filters. Similar to how the Prefixes work.
These are some of the ideas I have already in plan, I just would like to see if there are more people would like to see???

Fire away!!!
 
Uniphix said:
Hello,

I've been reviewing some of the posts that many people would like to see some more advance features added and implemented into the current system for the search engine of xenForo.

I am starting this thread to see what features people would like to see. I will then take the summary of all these features and come with a final feature list.

Major features are:
  • Tags (You will be able to add tags to not only posts/threads but port into the tag area on any page as you want to.) Similar to how the Facebook/Twitter/Google share page template works.
  • Added style properties for handling the highlighting feature of the search results.
  • You'll be able to add multiple filtering tags while searching, you'll be able to narrow down your results as you add more filters. You can also remove filters. Similar to how the Prefixes work.
These are some of the ideas I have already in plan, I just would like to see if there are more people would like to see???


Fire away!!!
Click to expand...
Tags are a form of taxonomy, and really don't have much to do with SEO other than supplying another link to the page.
 
Interesting Topic.
Certainly going to be a lot of debate here.

Do Tag clouds help or hinder SEO?
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- right from Google.

I've always like Tags, but if they aren't good for SEO .. maybe they aren't worth it ?

I think you need to redesign forum structure itself to get better gains than just native xenforo ... but that's a discussion for another thread.

Tags is too generic a word as well, would users be able to make their own private tags ? Are all tags public all the time ? Who determines what the tag cloud contains or doesn't contain ? Would tags extend to addons (XenPorta, XF albums, Pages, etc) ?
 
Is the plan here to make some changes to the Xenforo Search system to make it better ?
Are you pretty sure you are going to code something ?
Paid mod ?
Is your goal Search engine Optomization ... or Optimizing Xenforo Searching ?

I feel a valuable addition to search in Xenforo would be to include non-forum items in "What's New".
Examples: XenPorta, XenCarta, XFR.Albums, Blogs.
Apparently the first iteration of What's New only includes Forum Posts :(
 
Digital Doctor said:
Is the plan here to make some changes to the Xenforo Search system to make it better ?
Are you pretty sure you are going to code something ?
Paid mod ?
Is your goal Search engine Optomization ... or Optimizing Xenforo Searching ?

I feel a valuable addition to search in Xenforo would be to include non-forum items in "What's New".
Examples: XenPorta, XenCarta, XFR.Albums, Blogs.
Apparently the first iteration of What's New only includes Forum Posts :(
Click to expand...
This is a GREAT IDEA
 
Digital Doctor said:
Is the plan here to make some changes to the Xenforo Search system to make it better ?
Are you pretty sure you are going to code something ?
Paid mod ?
Is your goal Search engine Optomization ... or Optimizing Xenforo Searching ?

I feel a valuable addition to search in Xenforo would be to include non-forum items in "What's New".
Examples: XenPorta, XenCarta, XFR.Albums, Blogs.
Apparently the first iteration of What's New only includes Forum Posts :(
Click to expand...

The plan is to make it extendable and flexiable so that plugins like the ones you mention to be able port in easy... The ideas I am drawing from are from stackoverflow where you can control how tags are added on your site... You'll be able to moderate them and even create tag moderators like stackoverflow... I'll also include things like requirements to tag something... Tags will be simple as typing something that represents that post, thread, forum, or any other addons you have on XenForo.

Yes this will be a paid addon. If I am going to spend quality time developing something to a professional level my work then does not come free... I am developing this for a site but as well addon people can purchase...
 
Tags are not VERY important from SEO point of view.Among the most important points is Heading/Titles and URL.Look at the following URL.
Code: 
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/seoas-search-engine-optimization-advance-system.23429/#post-292565
Hierarchy wise the most important part of the URl is the title of this thread and it's buried in the subfolder structure i.e. /community and again /threads
However the search engines will give it more importance when the thread title is just after the domain name say for example-
Code: 
http://xenforo.com/seoas-search-engine-optimization-advance-system.23429
If it's not possible to eleimate the slashed structure,at least one should be able to cusotmize it for example-

Code: 
http://xenforo.com/community-threads-seoas-search-engine-optimization-advance-system.23429
 
Here "/" are replaced with "-" to prevent the subdirectory structure.
And I am able to do that in other forum software using plugins and in Wordpress the URL structure configuration is dead easy.
So main point in saying this is I am looking for a plugin which can customize the URL and include this feature if you are making one.:)
 
So the plan is for this to be a Tags addon ?
and it will include being able to use tags in search.

Tags itself is a HUGE task.

SEOAS (Search Engine Optimization Advance System)
- this name implies the addon plan is to be more than just Tags.

By the title you want to be a VBSEO for XF.
I think that would be quite an undertaking.

You might want to bite off something small and useful first, release that, and then outline your plans moving forward ?
 
picnic said:
Tags are not VERY important from SEO point of view.Among the most important points is Heading/Titles and URL.Look at the following URL.
Code: 
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/seoas-search-engine-optimization-advance-system.23429/#post-292565
Hierarchy wise the most important part of the URl is the title of this thread and it's buried in the subfolder structure i.e. /community and again /threads
However the search engines will give it more importance when the thread title is just after the domain name say for example-
Code: 
http://xenforo.com/seoas-search-engine-optimization-advance-system.23429
If it's not possible to eleimate the slashed structure,at least one should be able to cusotmize it for example-

Code: 
http://xenforo.com/community-threads-seoas-search-engine-optimization-advance-system.23429
 
Here "/" are replaced with "-" to prevent the subdirectory structure.
And I am able to do that in other forum software using plugins and in Wordpress the URL structure configuration is dead easy.
So main point in saying this is I am looking for a plugin which can customize the URL and include this feature if you are making one.:)
Click to expand...
There is no negative or positive impact for using the current structure; if you've read that anywhere, its more marketing FUD to sell SEO propaganda.

The friendly URL structure is there for human legibility, not to increase crawling by search engines (They're going to crawl and archive no matter what).
 
Uniphix said:
The purpose of this thread is simply to see what people would like that applies to the search engine of xenForo.
Click to expand...
This is the optimization of Xenforo Search.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization
is a much different kettle of fish.

You should change the title to reflect your wishes, or SEO people will troll this thread to hell, as already witnessed.

Title: Xenforo Search Improvement ideas ?
 
If I could I'd change the name but I can't... Xenforo Search Improvement ideas I suppose would be a better title...
 
I think there are lots of things that could improve Xenforo searching ...
Overall I think tags could help searching ... but that would be alot of work.

Are Tags helpful to Xenforo searching ? I would say yes.
However .... they are more of an ALTERNATIVE to searching than they are an improvement in searching.
As I said, well done tags definitely make Tagged information easier to find.
I'll research stackoverflow's implementation of Tags.

For the record, I think forum searching (All products ever made) is terrible. People don't use it because it is horrible. Admins complain that "You should have searched for that". And that is true, people will be lazy and not search. But, another reason they don't search is forum searching is terrible.

Some relatively easy tweaks would make a world of difference.

Uniphix - have you ever programmed an addon before ?

I have one idea for improving search that I was thinking of hiring a programmer to create. I was hoping the "Addon Making Ecosystem" would improve before I made any larger commitments.
 
Digital Doctor said:
I think there are lots of things that could improve Xenforo searching ...
Overall I think tags could help searching ... but that would be alot of work.

Are Tags helpful to Xenforo searching ? I would say yes.
However .... they are more of an ALTERNATIVE to searching than they are an improvement in searching.
As I said, well done tags definitely make Tagged information easier to find.
I'll research stackoverflow's implementation of Tags.

For the record, I think forum searching (All products ever made) is terrible. People don't use it because it is horrible. Admins complain that "You should have searched for that". And that is true, people will be lazy and not search. But, another reason they don't search is forum searching is terrible.

Some relatively easy tweaks would make a world of difference.

Uniphix - have you ever programmed an addon before ?

I have one idea for improving search that I was thinking of hiring a programmer to create. I was hoping the "Addon Making Ecosystem" would improve before I made any larger commitments.
Click to expand...

Yes I have created an addon. The addons I've made are not for sharing purposes at all, as they are related to the site I am doing. Now the resources system I've designed may end up being useful to share...

I am doing this addon one way or another for the purpose of tagging stuff. I am doing it for the site I am designing for, and then for public release (paid version) of this system as well.
 
Some people might want your Search improvements.
More people might want your Tag system.
Some might want both.

Although they are related, I'd develop them seperately.
If you are going to be actively designing a tagging system, you should start a NEW thread to that effect.
By this title, no one would guess you are talking about tagging.

Keep in mind, other addons will be wanting tagging. You may ask other addon makers what they want in a TAGS product.

Pepelac said:
Individual images – maybe, but i think that this feature will not be presented in v1.0.0.
Tags – yes, I'll add this in the next beta.
BB codes – possibly yes. But need to test that.
Click to expand...
 
Kier said:
Anyone who develops a search engine with such rules should be summarily fired.

None of the decent search systems out there give this kind of thing one iota of importance.
Click to expand...
Sorry! Seems like I have to brush up my SEO basics..and yes, I got the reason why I didn't get a job at G00gle! :)
 
I would like to see the ability for the admin to set search results as threads by default - the member can change it back if they want, but I dont see the need for multiple posts from the same thread to come back on a given search.
 
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