http://www.vbseo.com

I thought it would be cool to have a section where we can provide feedback of SEO aspects for each others' forums

I'll break the ICE with vBSEO.com. Please don't be too harsh on me

Modifications:
- Got rid of the navbar completely (182 lines of code that reside between the header of the page and the start of the actual content) and positioned alternative links at the very top using CSS. The code resides between the <h2>title</h2> and the html code in reality.
- Enabled the 'Clean HTML' function via vbseocp.
- Conditioned the dhtml popups (and accompanying code) for the 'search' and 'quick links' to appear only for registered users.
- Enabled direct linking from the archives via vbseocp
- Conditional Signatures plugin (of course) @ 100 words min.
- Direct links for next/prev links enabled via the vbseocp (not suitable for large forums)
- More Soon...

Excellent idea for a forum!

I love how the page size has been successfully dramatically increased, it is often so hard to create a coherant and interesting forum design without using images for basic parts such as your tcat, thead and tfooter areas. You also have an impressive us of your basic h2, and h3 tags which we know the Search Engines adore.

i do like ur forum cos its fast loading and pure css based smooth like a babys butt!!

Originally Posted by BrentWilson

Excellent idea for a forum!

Thanks! I feel it will probably be one of the most active forums.

Originally Posted by Michael

You also have an impressive us of your basic h2, and h3 tags which we know the Search Engines adore.

Yes!! I forgot to mention that one, the navbar title is an <h3>... so I followed a basic hierarchy starting from h1 (logo) to h2 (page title) to h3 (navbar title)

Originally Posted by MentaL

i do like ur forum cos its fast loading and pure css based smooth like a babys butt!!

not pure css yet... but we'll try to approach it

It´s a very good idea
Anyone can post here step-by-step instructions?

Thanks

Direct links for next/prev links enabled via the vbseocp (not suitable for large forums)

Juan, why you said that? I've enabled this feature and don&#180;t have any problems at all...

Can you change the way the <h1> looks via css so that it isnt huge? I want to wrap up some text but I dont want it to be huge as that has no place on my site

Originally Posted by psico

Juan, why you said that? I've enabled this feature and don´t have any problems at all...

Because this feature adds two queries whenever viewing a thread.
You know how large forum administrators are about their queries

The review requests are coming thick and fast, and so I thought I would have a look at the main one. SEO and design raise interesting issues and differing opinions.

Google needs pointers

My personal take is that Google can see areas of a website, the navigation, header, footer, content areas. But to do so easier, it needs some pointers.

I personally try and keep the concepts real simple - use an h1 tag around the title of the thread (Navbits), and use that to tell Google that the words immediately following are the content - my firstwords concept that I put in the navbar.

Do people write SEO? - No

People in general do not write text naturally SEO'ed, so I use a formula to write the meta description and navbar words.

I create a sentence with the title of the thread, the description of the forum, and some descriptive phrase about the website.


How good does it look?

Actually, not bad. Can be very hard to write phrases that can apply generically across all the threads of a forum, but it does describe to the visitor exactly what the thread is about.


Test on vBSEO - thread for phrase "ioncube or zend"

How well does vBSEO rank for a test phrase. I do a site search
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.vbseo.com

Then take one of the threads that show up, and search for it.
http://www.google.com/search?q=ioncube+or+zend

vbseo is currently ranked 6th - not bad, but could it be better?

Note the snippet:

Which vBSEO-Version do you prefer? I`m using Ioncube. :-) Yours, Silmarillion.

The snippet is not using up the full 150 characters allowed, but more importantly, there is no highlight of the phrase "Ioncube or Zend".

Then on the page, how often is the phrase "ioncube or zend" used? Actually, there is no instance of the phrase used in a sentence. Each time it is used in a header tag. Google is after content, not headings. It wants to give the best content to people. Somehow you have to provide it.


Meta description

The meta description is best to have the search phrase repeated twice with potentially a third instance of one of the words in the phrase. Therefore the title can be the first words, followed by the current first words of the post up to 150 characters. Or better still title, firstwords, broken by the repetition of the title say "Discuss Title", at the end.


Firstwords

The firstwords should also follow the same basic formula, but they can mention the forum description as well to provide some background to what the thread is about.


Summary

It is my experience that when you have an h1 in the navbits with a sentence of the title repeated twice with the description of the forum, that you get to the top that much easier.

The next step of creating the snippets is considering:

• why you exist?
• and what you are selling?

How can you use the title and Google snippet as a sales pitch?

So Juan -

• what are you selling with this forum?
• what words can you use to describe that?

Yes, there is the basic answer that you are selling vbseo, and that it is a url rewriter and auto seo machine. So use a sales phrase as the last words of the title, and as part of the meta description to add to every meta description.

Use each thread as an opportunity to sell vbseo, each thread having the opportunity of getting to the top of its search phrase, and therefore there being a 1001 ways for vbseo to market itself.

Amazing Feedback - Wow... a bunch of interesting things here.

Google needs pointers

My personal take is that Google can see areas of a website, the navigation, header, footer, content areas. But to do so easier, it needs some pointers.

I personally try and keep the concepts real simple - use an h1 tag around the title of the thread (Navbits), and use that to tell Google that the words immediately following are the content - my firstwords concept that I put in the navbar.

I see. The firstwords concept makes total sense and it's something we are not harnessing here.

Do people write SEO? - No

People in general do not write text naturally SEO'ed, so I use a formula to write the meta description and navbar words.

I create a sentence with the title of the thread, the description of the forum, and some descriptive phrase about the website.

Could you give me an example of how this sentence could look like for the 'ioncube or zend' thread?

My guess: IonCube or Zend at the vBSEO Plugin general discussion forum within the vBulletin Search Engine Optimization Forums.

Note the snippet:

The snippet is not using up the full 150 characters allowed, but more importantly, there is no highlight of the phrase "Ioncube or Zend".

Then on the page, how often is the phrase "ioncube or zend" used? Actually, there is no instance of the phrase used in a sentence. Each time it is used in a header tag. Google is after content, not headings. It wants to give the best content to people. Somehow you have to provide it.

True, very interesting.

Meta description

The meta description is best to have the search phrase repeated twice with potentially a third instance of one of the words in the phrase. Therefore the title can be the first words, followed by the current first words of the post up to 150 characters. Or better still title, firstwords, broken by the repetition of the title say "Discuss Title", at the end.

How would you automatically select that one word, randomly? a formula?

Firstwords

The firstwords should also follow the same basic formula, but they can mention the forum description as well to provide some background to what the thread is about.

These firstwords you are refering to are the same as discussed above (the ones that could potentially be on the navbar area)?

Summary

It is my experience that when you have an h1 in the navbits with a sentence of the title repeated twice with the description of the forum, that you get to the top that much easier.

What has been your experience with h2's (vs.) h1's?

How can you use the title and Google snippet as a sales pitch?

So Juan -

• what are you selling with this forum?
• what words can you use to describe that?

Yes, there is the basic answer that you are selling vbseo, and that it is a url rewriter and auto seo machine. So use a sales phrase as the last words of the title, and as part of the meta description to add to every meta description.

Use each thread as an opportunity to sell vbseo, each thread having the opportunity of getting to the top of its search phrase, and therefore there being a 1001 ways for vbseo to market itself.

So... based on this, my previous keyphrase could become something like:
IonCube or Zend at the vBSEO Plugin general discussion forum within the vBulletin Search Engine Optimization Forums that sells an SEO product. ??

Originally Posted by Juan Muriente

So... based on this, my previous keyphrase could become something like:
IonCube or Zend at the vBSEO Plugin general discussion forum within the vBulletin Search Engine Optimization Forums that sells an SEO product. ??

Discuss IonCube or Zend at vBSEO-more than just a vBulletin URL rewrite. IonCube or Zend which vBSEO version do you prefer.

You have to play around with it.

• Does the word discuss work on most threads?
• The byline vBSEO more than just a vbulletin URL rewrite is a pretty good sales pitch.
• You would be good to have descriptions on all your forums, but then only use them for the meta descriptions (possibly) and certainly the firstwords, not on the body of the main page forumhome page since you want the clean look.
• Possibly take the first words, first sentence, first x words of a whole sentence similar to what Google does for its snippet, or as I have mentioned to you before, the words around the first time that a person mentions the title on the page? Again, you have to do some testing to see what would work, look good.

Use the formula - both meta and firstwords = 150 characters with the search phrase mentioned twice with possibly a third mention of one of the words in the search phrase. We are talking about an open forum so its a general rule that you try and do your best to use the spirit of.

Taking the opening lines of the post with the repetition of the title and some descriptive phrase would probably look better than a generic formula across all threads.

But now I have to do this for someone who is paying me, so I better get onto it.

Have a look at how I have used the firstwords concept in the navbar on my http://forum.time2dine.co.nz, and see how I have written the meta descriptions.

Personally, I like having them showing even when people are logged in, but some prefer to have them only for guest viewing.