vBadvanced CMPS, is it bad for SEO?

Hi all!

I have vBadvanced CMPS with lots of modules on my index page. Is this bad for SEO? I guess a lot of modules are read before the more valuable "content" on the main page.

SGL.

Here are some previous discussions on CMPS: VBadvanced good or bad for seo?

Hmm... not really any answer for my question there. More a debate if vBadvanced was a good add-on or not.

SGL.

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

Hi all!

I have vBadvanced CMPS with lots of modules on my index page. Is this bad for SEO? I guess a lot of modules are read before the more valuable "content" on the main page.

SGL.

Also try a site like Poodle Predictor (Poodle Predictor - See your site like Google does. Simulate search engines and predict your Google listings.) to see how you pages look to a bot searching for text. For example, if you're running a typical three column CMPS page you'll notice that your left column is the first thing seen after the usual navbar stuff.

personally, i think it's a waste. all it does is make a useless homepage, all of the stuff of which is already in your forum.

Sverre,

I think vBAdvanced or any other content management system that allows you to post articles, etc. is a good idea.

Editorial content can be extremely valuable to your forum and can rank well.

As far a modules, I certainly believe that you should keep it minimal. You want to FOCUS your visitors on elements that deliver a result for you. For many sites, a primary goal is for the user to quickly discover valuable content which compels them to register as a forum member.

Putting too much stuff on the page distracts a user. We should never make it more difficult for them than it has to be for them to zero in on what they are really looking for.

Stuff like "Who's online" has benefits, but may not be that compelling to someone who is doing a search for information, wants to find it quickly, and wants it to be as user friendly/readable as possible.

Try the following. Make a list of everything (modules) that you are considering placing on the page. Now order them in priority from 1 (most desired) to last (least desired). When you complete your list, review it, and adjust it as necessary. Now divide the list in two and convince yourself to keep only the top half. If possible, convince yourself to weed away even more that you deem are unnecessary and may distract the user from FOCUSING on the key target of your page.

Instead of ordering the list by *your* desire, try re-ordering it by "expected level of interest by your average visitor", or "expected value added to your average user".

You'll often find that the order of the list may be quite different.

If really in doubt, launch a survey or discussion on your forum. Ask your users which elements should stay and which should go. In this way, you'll get valuable feedback directly from your users, allowing you to make a far more informed decision. Note: Make sure you get lots of user participation. Having only a few users contribute will NOT give you a good representation of what your average user would prefer.

And since you can set permissions at the module level, you can hide all your "non-essential" modules from guests, which would hide them from search engine spiders.

Thanks a lot! Thsoe were the answers I were looking for.

I'm considering removing VBA and use html (which really is the coding language I understand) for all my non-forum/wiki pages (I use NuWiki, which will be optimized by vBSEO too, as far as I understand).

If using VBA for certain pages, would you advice using only two columns, with the "content" column on the right side, to avoid having the spiders read through a lot of lesser value modules before getting to the main content?

...

I've been in the process of deceiding weither to go for NuSEO or vBSEO, but the quick responses on this forum have convinced me to go for vBSEO.

Originally Posted by briansol

even IF Nuseo is on par (i don't know, never used it) with vbseo, they are lacking the community the vbseo has. Several vBulletin modification makers are here, several vBulletin staff members are here, and, well, i'm here

...and of course, briansol being here is a BIG plus!

SGL.

If using VBA for certain pages, would you advice using only two columns, with the "content" column on the right side, to avoid having the spiders read through a lot of lesser value modules before getting to the main content?

This sounds like a good approach.

Originally Posted by KW802

Also try a site like Poodle Predictor (Poodle Predictor - See your site like Google does. Simulate search engines and predict your Google listings.) to see how you pages look to a bot searching for text. For example, if you're running a typical three column CMPS page you'll notice that your left column is the first thing seen after the usual navbar stuff.

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

... If using VBA for certain pages, would you advice using only two columns, with the "content" column on the right side, to avoid having the spiders read through a lot of lesser value modules before getting to the main content? ...

If I was starting from scratch I'd have the 'content' output on the left side of my CMPS pages. Try it out using the link I gave above.

Originally Posted by KW802

If I was starting from scratch I'd have the 'content' output on the left side of my CMPS pages. Try it out using the link I gave above.

Typo, I meant the left side yes. I've allready tried a program similar to that one, and it listed a lot of modules before the content, as expected.

SGL.

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

...and of course, briansol being here is a BIG plus!

i'm popular on the internet. lol

Originally Posted by briansol

personally, i think it's a waste. all it does is make a useless homepage, all of the stuff of which is already in your forum.

Oh please. Spend just a little time reading about what it does besides a portal page. I use it extensively:

About TheFloorPro.com
Articles @ The Floor Pro
Reviews @ The Floor Pro
How-To Articles
Remnants of The Floor Pros
Contact The Floor Pro Staff
Customer Relations for the Flooring Inspector
Patching Vinyl Floors - Preparations
PHOTO ESSAY: Patching Vinyl - Prep
Profiting On In-House Labor
SLC & Radiant Heat Flooring
The Floor Pro Privacy Policy
Website Map of The Floor Pro Community
CTEF 2007 Master Schedule
vBGoogleMap ME Instructions

And a whole lot more.

Jim

Originally Posted by eJM

Oh please. Spend just a little time reading about what it does besides a portal page. I use it extensively

A bit off topic:

I see your site have some articles with images nicely put into them. Is that some columns function from vBadvanced (or vBulletin?)?

So far I've not been able to integrate images with the text, having to put it either before or after the text.

SGL.

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

A bit off topic:

I see your site have some articles with images nicely put into them. Is that some columns function from vBadvanced (or vBulletin?)?

So far I've not been able to integrate images with the text, having to put it either before or after the text.

SGL.

You can use XHTML code in all modules and pages (and make it pass validation). You can also use BBCode and I have a custom code to float images (or text, whatever) left or right so the text flows around it. You can even use PHP in your modules and pages. Your pages can also be crafted as static pages with keyword rich file names, which might even be better for SEO. Therefore, bringing it back on-topic, vBadvanced CMPS can be used as an excellent application to produce any number of pages and modules, all coded and optimized to take full advantage of every search engine's ability to crawl and index.

R'gards,

Jim