SMF and SEO ... SID , and Friendly URLs ... No Expert answer Yet

[Tarek]

SMF Version: SMF 1.1 RC3
Hello :
i have reviewed all topics about SEO And SMF , i found no answer for the following issues :

- SMF Sends SID : which is very bad for SEO .
OK you can add a Spiders array to detect spiders and send URLs without Session IDs ...

- Why Friendly URLs are not working in SMF , while it normally works in My Server ?
well , i think you could use .htaccess and adjust the script to work ..

here is the big issue , friendly URLs are very important for SEO , and you are not taking this issue seriously , no one topic about this issue is answered yet !
this is weired ,

please post here the steps to make .htaccess file and enable it manually for SMF 1.3 .

[Tarek]

any answer please ?
or you want to keep the answer for tha paid version of smf ?

[Isaac]

There is no paid version of SMF.  The Charter Membership gets you the same thing as everyone else, but a bit sooner. 

[Tarek]

there will be !
it is a matter of time, when all the bugs are fixed in the current version .
it is always the same, this is what have happened with vBulliten , and with others , starts open source , and then you need a licnce to use the forums ..

[Isaac]

Sadly, you're mistaken.  See why free is better.

[Trekkie101]

Google and others spider SMF just fine, the session ID is used just once and then disappears

[H]

Sometimes the session ID will appear for ever. This is a known bug with old versions of php and SMF 1.0.

Upgrading to 1.1 RC3 should fix this problem.

- Why Friendly URLs are not working in SMF , while it normally works in My Server ?
well , i think you could use .htaccess and adjust the script to work ..

Is php running as a module or CGI?

[SleePy]

are you talking about the urls smf does itself?
like:
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php/topic,116280.0.html

[Tarek]

are you talking about the urls smf does itself?
like:
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php/topic,116280.0.html

Exactly , that is what i am talking about , the rewrite function ...

[Tarek]

Sometimes the session ID will appear for ever. This is a known bug with old versions of php and SMF 1.0.

Upgrading to 1.1 RC3 should fix this problem.

- Why Friendly URLs are not working in SMF , while it normally works in My Server ?
well , i think you could use .htaccess and adjust the script to work ..

Is php running as a module or CGI?

a php module

[SleePy]

Try this then
Admin -> Features and Options -> Tick "Search engine friendly URLs"

Save that and see if you get SEO urls..
If not there is a way I did to bypass smf checking of SEO support..

[Dannii]

SMF 1.1 doesn't show session IDs to spiders it recognises.

[Tarek]

Try this then
Admin -> Features and Options -> Tick "Search engine friendly URLs"

Save that and see if you get SEO urls..
If not there is a way I did to bypass smf checking of SEO support..

oyes please let me know your way , in the amin Feature , it says your server won't work , and i know it will ...

[Tarek]

okay i have just tried to use
http://www.**************.com/forum/index.php/topic,1.html

and it worked fine , but the problem now is that the script won't change the linking to topics and threads  and boards .

do i need to update the script manually ?

[SleePy]

Yea. The test you just did confirms that your server can use it..

Do this..

Backup and Open:
/Sources/QueryString.php

Find:

Code Select Expand

// This should work even in 4.2.x, just not CGI without cgi.fix_pathinfo.
if (!empty($modSettings['queryless_urls']) && (!$context['server']['is_cgi'] || @ini_get('cgi.fix_pathinfo') == 1) && $context['server']['is_apache'])

Replace:

Code Select Expand


// This should work even in 4.2.x, just not CGI without cgi.fix_pathinfo.
if (!empty($modSettings['queryless_urls']))

Save and Upload it..

And view your forum..
If you get a blank page Upload the Backup. Otherwise your should have the new urls..

[Tarek]

Yea. The test you just did confirms that your server can use it..

Do this..

Backup and Open:
/Sources/QueryString.php

Find:

Code Select Expand

// This should work even in 4.2.x, just not CGI without cgi.fix_pathinfo.
if (!empty($modSettings['queryless_urls']) && (!$context['server']['is_cgi'] || @ini_get('cgi.fix_pathinfo') == 1) && $context['server']['is_apache'])

Replace:

Code Select Expand


// This should work even in 4.2.x, just not CGI without cgi.fix_pathinfo.
if (!empty($modSettings['queryless_urls']))

Save and Upload it..

And view your forum..
If you get a blank page Upload the Backup. Otherwise your should have the new urls..

thank you so much , finally , it is now working
thanks ...

[SleePy]

No Problem...

I think SMF needs to have that detection imporoved or at least a way to force with without editing the file..

[godboko]

Is there a way to remove the index.php frpm the URL?

[SleePy]

apaches mod_rewrite is your only answer. I am not good at that so I can't help you there..

but basicly you need to take all requests and redirect them though correctly.. and then in load.php remove the part that addes index.php when it creates $scripturl.

[godboko]

apaches mod_rewrite is your only answer. I am not good at that so I can't help you there..

but basicly you need to take all requests and redirect them though correctly.. and then in load.php remove the part that addes index.php when it creates $scripturl.

Ok that's what I thought but thought I would ask. I will see what I come up with but the devs might consider making this an option in SEO friendly URL's.