DigitalPoint's forum archive link question.

I came across DigitalPoint's forum archive link on Google.

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/archive/index.php/t-3282.html

Code (markup):

When I click on it, it leads me to the non archive thread instead of the archive.

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=3282

Code (markup):

How do we do this?

 

It's a built-in feature of version 3 of vBulletin. It could also be used for people accessing the website through a PDA.

 

an archive can serve your forum as a site map.

 

No, the archive is a built in feature.

But redirecting the archive to the actual thread is not a built in feature.

 

Shawn's doing this because vb3 makes duplicate content for the archive pages. In reality, there's no real need for this since search engines can spider thread pages easily. The archive is like a site map, like ST mentioned, however there's no need for the content to be duplicated in the archive and the actual thread (on top of the individual posts (click the #5 on this post to see what I mean) as well as the printer friendly version of each thread). Jelsoft wanted to make sure vb3 was search engine friendly, however there are many things they included that COULD trip duplicate content filters (though I haven't personally seen this yet).

As far as doing what Shawn is doing, check out this thread by T2Dman

http://forum.time2dine.co.nz/showthread.php?t=98

It's a very in-depth look at how to SEO vbulletin to make sure each thread gets the most PR possible.

 

very often the archive pages are the ones ranking in google. I'm sure you guys have clicked on them before where you had to find the actual forum thru that. Goes to show the power those pages have when it comes to structure and overall impact.

 

So how do we redirect each archive thread to it's actual thread?

 

it's only one click away

 

Please guide.

I went to that thread but there are so many code modifications.

 

well I can confirm that archive pages are much easier indexed by Google than the actual forum pages, I guess the redirect is just a simple edit of the archive pages header? make sure you use a 301 redirect tho

 

Read the guide. You have the info available.

 

There was a long discussion regarding this exact topic between T2D, Minstrial, myself and Anthony Parsons. How to SEO VBulletin

Read that thread and decide for yourself. I'm not going to rehash my thoughts here since I already have it posted. My opinion is that you shouldnt redirect. I also think the stock vbulletin forum archive is good, but there is an archive hack out there that is even better (its listed and discussed in that thread)


-Here are some other ways to SEO VBulletin as well if your interested.

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