Trying to get some info

Hi,

I've got a couple of questions about vBSEO and am hoping that you will be able to answer them. I did send them via email to the sales@ email address but have not received a reply and as I am making a decision this week I need the answers to these questions as quickly as possible.

Firstly, a bit of background....

I've got 4 vB sites that are active at present. I'm considering vBSEO for the newest one and depending on the results, adding it to all my other sites too including any new ones that I develop. The newest site does have a commercial aspect to it and for many reasons it is important that this particular site is successful. (Possibility of up to 8 installations + the potential of a modified version to work with other software instead of vB which would involve at least another 2 installations.)

So, down to the questions......

1. Is the source still encoded or is it visible source now?

2. What is the situation with 3.6.8/3.7.0 compatibility along with the blog, project tools and custom pages/modifications?

3. Is there a refund policy? I'm sure you appreciate that it is a lot of money and so this is something that is quite important.

4. Do you do a bulk license discount or have any other discounts (including special offers)?

5. What is the situation with the license agreement and sites accessed through more than one domain (same content)?

6. What is the situation with the license agreement and sites accessed through more than one domain but run from one installation even though the content is different?

7. Are test/development installations permitted?

8. If the URL of a site changes can I still use vBSEO?

9. Can I modify the vBSEO software to meet the needs of my sites?

10. Do you have a demo that I can play with?

11. What information is collected about my installation and site by vBSEO?

12. Can I create an affiliate account then purchase through the affiliate link?

13. What sort of results are typical in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year for forums as follows:
a) <1,000 posts, < 50 members, online < 2 months
b) ~2,000 posts, ~500 members, online ~3 years
c) ~1,500,000 posts, ~3,000 members, online ~5 years
d) ~1,800,000 posts, ~2,000 members, online ~18 months
All sites (except b) have adsense integrated deeply.

14. If bulk discounts and refund policies are not available, can second hand licenses be purchased and where is this usually done?

15. Do you have a guide for second hand license pricing and transfer policies?


I'd appreciate if you could get back to me as soon as possible.

Thanks,

peterska2

Originally Posted by peterska2

1. Is the source still encoded or is it visible source now?

3.1 is un-encoded.

2. What is the situation with 3.6.8/3.7.0 compatibility along with the blog, project tools and custom pages/modifications?

3.7 isn't officially supported yet, but it will be once 3.7 is gold on the vb side, and vbseo has time to make any changes if necessary. As you can see, vbseo is on 3.7 beta already.
3.1 has built in support for blogs
not sure on the project tools (it will work with it, jst not sure if it re-writes it)
and custom pages can be re-written via the CRR (custom re-write rules) section of the control panel.

3. Is there a refund policy? I'm sure you appreciate that it is a lot of money and so this is something that is quite important.

to the best of my knowledge, the only refund is if the software won't work on your server for what ever reason.
there is a demo available to try out before you buy. https://www.vbseo.com/demo/

4. Do you do a bulk license discount or have any other discounts (including special offers)?

There are bulk discounts
Bulk Discounts on Multiple vBSEO Licenses

5. What is the situation with the license agreement and sites accessed through more than one domain (same content)?

just like vb, 1 domain = 1 license.

multiple domains to 1 resource is HORRIBLE for seo in the first place. siteB.com should 301 redirect to siteA.com for best SEO.

6. What is the situation with the license agreement and sites accessed through more than one domain but run from one installation even though the content is different?

see above.

7. Are test/development installations permitted?

yes, but not permanently i don't think. When you purchase, your license is attached to an EXACT url. you can sign up with your dev area uri and later put a ticket in to update your license to your live domain.

8. If the URL of a site changes can I still use vBSEO?

yes, same as #7. put a ticket in and you can move it (provided the license is active)

9. Can I modify the vBSEO software to meet the needs of my sites?

i can't say yes to this, but it can be done. a staff member can provide more info. I don't know what else you'd need to change though. pretty much everything can be done though the CP (included non vb pages re-writes, and so on)

10. Do you have a demo that I can play with?

see above

11. What information is collected about my installation and site by vBSEO?

just the url really. i don't think i put anything else in on the order.

12. Can I create an affiliate account then purchase through the affiliate link?

no, you can't affiliate yourself.

13. What sort of results are typical in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year for forums as follows:
a) <1,000 posts, < 50 members, online < 2 months
b) ~2,000 posts, ~500 members, online ~3 years
c) ~1,500,000 posts, ~3,000 members, online ~5 years
d) ~1,800,000 posts, ~2,000 members, online ~18 months
All sites (except b) have adsense integrated deeply.

impossible to say with any worth. It's entirely up to google. some days they do stuff fast, some months they take forever.

14. If bulk discounts and refund policies are not available, can second hand licenses be purchased and where is this usually done?

yes bulk are available as stated above. Occasionally you can find a used license on digital point forums. they are not for sale 2nd hand here. And it would be wise to verify the license with joe/staff before purchasing to make sure its up to date (license must be active to be transfered) license is owned for ever but must be renewed at $35 a year there after for support/updates (just like vb.com does)

15. Do you have a guide for second hand license pricing and transfer policies?

pricing is entirely up to the seller. usually $100 is what they go for. Transfer is handeled by the seller more than the buyer, so buyer beware, and its usualyl a better idea to just buy new. With multiple licenses, you're practically at the $135 pricepoint anyway (the $100 for the license, and then the other $35 to renew it for support, downloads, etc)





that's about it.

Note, i'm not a staff member... just a user trying to help out, so I reserve the right to be wrong on any of these items

Pretty much covered all of it Brian.

And yes, concerning number 7, you are free to modify it for your needs if you are apply tweaks.

Thanks very much I'm going to have a play with the demo and talk to my partners again then we can make our final decision.

hmmmm. any chance of a demo of the current version? The demo is 3.0.0 running on 3.5.3 and so is completely irrelevant.

Also, does it not integrate into the vB ACP? having two ACPs with two logins is just pointless and making more work IMO.

Originally Posted by peterska2

Also, does it not integrate into the vB ACP? having two ACPs with two logins is just pointless and making more work IMO.

I believe all configuration settings are stored in a flat PHP file to cut WAY down on database queries. As such, you couldn't use the default vB options panel. It is linked to from the left side of the normal vB admin area though.

And it's just a password you enter to access the settings which you'll end up rarely, if ever, changing. Plus, you can easily have your browser remember it like I do.

Ok. I still have more questions and am very concerned that the demo is out of date. I want to be able to try what I would be buying and not something that is out of date. It's like having a vB2 demo when the latest version is vB3.6.

Can someone from the staff who is in a decision making position please contact me privately by PM or email then we can discuss this further. I would submit a ticket but not being a customer yet I can't do that and as emails to sales have gone unanswered I'm not holding my breath about getting a response if I send in another email.

I will go with another solution if I don't have a response and communication in a timely manner by midnight tonight (UK Time). As I said, I'm looking at a number of licenses and expect a decent level of support in terms of both knowledge and timely responses.

Hello,

the latest version of vBSEO (3.1.0) is now installed on the demo instance: https://www.vbseo.com/demo/

Originally Posted by peterska2

Can someone from the staff who is in a decision making position please contact me privately by PM or email then we can discuss this further.

PM Sent.

emails to sales have gone unanswered I'm not holding my breath about getting a response if I send in another email.

Hmm.. sales@crawlability.com is constantly monitored for incoming mails. Would you be so kind to forward those emails to my personal mailbox (included in PM) so that I can take a look?

As I said, I'm looking at a number of licenses and expect a decent level of support in terms of both knowledge and timely responses.

"Decent" is not good enough for the vBSEO Total Support team, expect "Superb" support.

Originally Posted by Oleg Ignatiuk

Hello,

the latest version of vBSEO (3.1.0) is now installed on the demo instance: https://www.vbseo.com/demo/

Something is broken:

Warning: include_once(/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 394

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 394

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php:394) in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 405

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php:394) in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 641

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php:394) in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 642

Warning: include_once(/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/functions_vbseo_pre.php on line 44

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/functions_vbseo_pre.php on line 44

Warning: include_once(/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 127

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 127

Warning: file(/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/xml/vbseocp_VBSEO_CP_LANGUAGE.xml) [function.file]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 703

Warning: implode() [function.implode]: Invalid arguments passed in /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/vbseocp.php on line 703

or just trying to access the forum there:

Warning: include_once(/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /includes/functions_vbseo_pre.php on line 44

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/vbseo_configs/705406.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /includes/functions_vbseo_pre.php on line 44

Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #2 is not an array in /includes/functions_vbseo_url.php on line 282

Warning: strtr() [function.strtr]: The second argument is not an array in /includes/functions_vbseo_url.php on line 283




Unable to add cookies, header already sent.
File: /home/vbseo/domains/demo.vbseo.com/public_html/includes/class_core.php
Line: 3036

Could you please PM me the link sent to you in activation email?

wierd, it's working if I click the link in the email but not if I refresh the page. If it goes haywire again I'll let you know.

Ok, let me know if you have any issues.

Hi Peter,

Has the issue you encountered with the demo been resolved? Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Thank-you Brian for the detailed response you provided. Here are some additional items, I've added.

Re: Project Tools/Blog

We are using our Custom Rewrite Rules right now, but support for Project Tools and Blog will be built-in, in the next version of vBSEO.

Re: Refunds

Refunds are provided if vBSEO cannot for any reason be successfully installed and run on your server. Our only requirement is that you allow our vBSEO Total Support Team an opportunity to troubleshoot the installation problems, prior to issuing your refund. Note: Refund requests are extremely rare.

Re: Test installations

We do allow for test installations as Brian noted. We do not generally impose limitations on the term if the location is purely for testing purposes and available to the Internet for regular use. This is for those that run full time testing or staging environments prior to updating anything on their live installs.

Re: License/URL Transfer Policy

Here is the link to the transfer policy:
Transfer Policy: Buying or Selling a vBSEO License

Re: Modifying vBSEO Source Code

vBSEO license holders are permitted to modify the source code for their own use. We prefer that this been down using our (a) extensions API, or (b) upcoming modules (future version).

vBSEO Functions for Extensibility

Note: Similar to vBulletin's support policy, our vBSEO Total Support Team may require a fresh vBSEO install (non-modified) if we believe their is a possible conflict between user contributed/user modified code.

Re: Information Collection

We take your URL, preferred language, and request contact information to generate your invoice.

When retrieving/validating your license key, vBSEO will contact our license database. It will pass us your license key (if provided), your URL, and date/time of installation with vBSEO version.

13. What sort of results are typical in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year for forums as follows:
a) <1,000 posts, < 50 members, online < 2 months
b) ~2,000 posts, ~500 members, online ~3 years
c) ~1,500,000 posts, ~3,000 members, online ~5 years
d) ~1,800,000 posts, ~2,000 members, online ~18 months
All sites (except b) have adsense integrated deeply.

Each site is distinct. From the data you have provided, factors contributing to crawling/indexing/ranking are influenced in particular by the # of threads/posts and age of site. However, these are only a few of many.

Some general guidelines for you including:

• Age of site is a factor in SEO. Isolating site age from other factors, site/domain age is a positive SEO factor. This relates to vBSEO in that older/established sites may see more rapid crawling and updating of the index with the vBSEO-optimized URLs.
• Large #s of threads and posts tend to be correlated strongly with site age for obvious reasons. I believe re-crawling will be more closely correlated with "number of pages currently indexed", rather than "total number of URLs". In general, if a site is well established it will get some jump in priority.
• Any site, of any size, that installs vBSEO and runs our sitemap generator should expect crawling activity to pickup with 1 day to 2 weeks.

Think of it this way:

• When vBSEO optimized forums/threads are crawled, they are optimized for improved ranking. So a big factor is simply the rate of crawling/indexing.
• vBSEO + our sitemap provides a *huge stimulus* to search engines to re-crawl your existing content, and discover new content (not yet indexed). If the site already has *credibility* with the search engine, this process tends to be more rapid.
• When a site is not already firmly established, other factors (such as niche content, linking structure, etc) play a factor in how Google and the other engines respond to the stimulus.