Is there an easy way to make a Google site map without messing with python and getting inside the server command line and all that jazz?
Here you go, this automatically spiders your site and makes a google sitemap: http://www.sitemapbuilder.net/download.aspx
Sorry I don't know of any Mac ones. I have seen online ones though, I don't have the link handy but I'm pretty sure it was linked to from this forum if you hunt around... Although an online one is only good for smaller sites.
Yes it is a small site. I don't really need it for any other purpose other than that I was told it helps optimize. I have free webmaster resource site without alot of text. I'll keep hunting. thanks
Just released a vBulletin Google site map generator. It creates a gzipped xml sitemap and is able to cope with the maximum number of url's possible in the program - 1000 x 50k url's - 50 million. That should be enough for some of the largest forums. vBulletin Google Sitemap - I have codenamed it vBGSiteMap
still trying to get this done using OSX myself fired up Virtual PC but these software are hard to install
Yes, the simpliest way is to create a link.txt file with URLs of pages on your site. example look of link.txt http://www.site.com/page1.htm http://www.site.com/page2.htm http://www.site.com/page184538745568.htm But, this way will not tell Google when is your site updated and other stuff.
I use the web based tool at http://www.auditmypc.com/free-sitemap-generator.asp. Good for smaller sites.
I've been using sitemaps for a while now, and have seen a decrease in Google SER's if anything... Haven't touched Yahoo sitemaps, and that traffic is growing exponentially. Call me crazy, but it's like the flu shot for me: I never get the flu unless I get the flu shot.
We released a vBulletin Google Sitemap with vBSEO compatibility this week. If you are running a vB powered forum, please check out the link in my signature.