PunBB Forum – How to Make Your Forum More Search Engine Friendly

PunBB is by far the world’s best open source PHP forum. For example, our handcellphone forum is powered by PunBB. To do what handcellphone forum does in SEO by making the urls of your PunBB forum more Search Engine Friendly, you need to add Rewrite Mod into your PunBB forum (download ReWrite Mod).

Follow the instruction below to modify your PunBB codes to make your forum more search engine friendly.

#
#———[ 1. UPLOAD ]——————————————————-
#

.htaccess to /
rewrite.php to /include/

#
#———[ 2. OPEN ]———————————————————
#

include/common.php

#
#———[ 3. FIND (line: 35) ]———————————————
#

// Load the functions script
require PUN_ROOT.’include/functions.php’;

#
#———[ 4. AFTER, ADD ]————————————————-
#

require PUN_ROOT.’include/rewrite.php’;
#
#———[ 5. OPEN ]———————————————————
#

index.php

#
#———[ 6. FIND (line: 100) ]———————————————
#

$forum_field = ‘<h3><a xhref=”viewforum.php?id=’.$cur_forum['fid'].’” mce_href=”viewforum.php?id=’.$cur_forum['fid'].’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_forum['forum_name']).’</a></h3>’;

#
#———[ 7. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$forum_field = ‘<h3><a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“f”, $cur_forum['fid'], $cur_forum['forum_name']).’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_forum['forum_name']).’</a></h3>’;

#
#———[ 6. FIND (line: 111) ]———————————————
#

$last_post = ‘<a xhref=”viewtopic.php?pid=’.$cur_forum['last_post_id'].’#p’.$cur_forum['last_post_id'].’” mce_href=”viewtopic.php?pid=’.$cur_forum['last_post_id'].’#p’.$cur_forum['last_post_id'].’”>’.format_time($cur_forum['last_post']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ‘.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_forum['last_poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 7. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$last_post = ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“p”, $cur_forum['last_post_id'], format_time($cur_forum['last_post'])).’#p’.$cur_forum['last_post_id'].’”>’.format_time($cur_forum['last_post']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ‘.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_forum['last_poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 8. OPEN ]———————————————————
#

viewforum.php

#
#———[ 9. FIND (line: 149) ]———————————————
#

$last_post = ‘<a xhref=”viewtopic.php?pid=’.$cur_topic['last_post_id'].’#p’.$cur_topic['last_post_id'].’” mce_href=”viewtopic.php?pid=’.$cur_topic['last_post_id'].’#p’.$cur_topic['last_post_id'].’”>’.format_time($cur_topic['last_post']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['last_poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 10. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$last_post = ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“p”, $cur_topic['last_post_id'], format_time($cur_topic['last_post'])).’#p’.$cur_topic['last_post_id'].’”>’.format_time($cur_topic['last_post']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['last_poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 11. FIND (line: 195) ]———————————————
#

$subject = $lang_forum['Moved'].’: <a xhref=”viewtopic.php?id=’.$cur_topic['moved_to'].’” mce_href=”viewtopic.php?id=’.$cur_topic['moved_to'].’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['subject']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 12. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$subject = $lang_forum['Moved'].’: <a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“t”, $cur_topic['moved_to'], $cur_topic['subject']).’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['subject']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 13. FIND (line: 197) ]———————————————
#

$subject = ‘<a xhref=”viewtopic.php?id=’.$cur_topic['id'].’” mce_href=”viewtopic.php?id=’.$cur_topic['id'].’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['subject']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 14. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$subject = ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“t”, $cur_topic['id'], $cur_topic['subject']).’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['subject']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 15. FIND (line: 200) ]———————————————
#

#
#———[ 16. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

#
#———[ 17. OPEN ]———————————————————
#

viewtopic.php

#
#———[ 18. FIND (line: 172) ]———————————————
#
<ul><li><a xhref=”index.php” mce_href=”index.php”><?php echo $lang_common['Index'] ?></a></li><li> » <a xhref=”viewforum.php?id=<?php echo $cur_topic['forum_id'] ?>”><?php echo pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['forum_name']) ?></a></li><li> » <?php echo pun_htmlspecialchars($cur_topic['subject']) ?></li></ul>

#
#———[ 19. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

#
#———[ 20. FIND (line: 315) ]———————————————
#
<h2><span><span class=”conr”>#<?php echo ($start_from + $post_count) ?> </span><a xhref=”viewtopic.php?pid=<?php echo $cur_post['id'].’#p’.$cur_post['id'] ?>”><?php echo format_time($cur_post['posted']) ?></a></span></h2>

#
#———[ 21. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

#
#———[ 22. FIND (line: 351) ]———————————————
#

#
#———[ 23. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

#
#———[ 24. OPEN ]———————————————————
#

search.php

#
#———[ 25. FIND (line: 544) ]———————————————
#

$forum = ‘<a xhref=”viewforum.php?id=’.$temp[0].’” mce_href=”viewforum.php?id=’.$temp[0].’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($temp[1]).’</a>’;

#
#———[ 26. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$forum = ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“f”, $temp[0], $temp[1]).’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($temp[1]).’</a>’;

#
#———[ 27. FIND (line: 555) ]———————————————
#

#
#———[ 28. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$subject = ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“f”, $search_set[$i]['tid'], $search_set[$i]['subject']).’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['subject']).’</a>’;

#
#———[ 29. FIND (line: 584) ]———————————————
#

#
#———[ 30. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

#
#———[ 31. FIND (line: 616) ]———————————————
#

$subject = ‘<a xhref=”viewtopic.php?id=’.$search_set[$i]['tid'].’” mce_href=”viewtopic.php?id=’.$search_set[$i]['tid'].’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['subject']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 32. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

$subject = ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“t”, $search_set[$i]['tid'], $search_set[$i]['subject']).’”>’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['subject']).’</a> <span class=”byuser”>’.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['poster']).’</span>’;

#
#———[ 33. FIND (line: 673) ]———————————————
#

?><td class=”tcr”><?php echo ‘<a xhref=”viewtopic.php?pid=’.$search_set[$i]['last_post_id'].’#p’.$search_set[$i]['last_post_id'].’” mce_href=”viewtopic.php?pid=’.$search_set[$i]['last_post_id'].’#p’.$search_set[$i]['last_post_id'].’”>’.format_time($search_set[$i]['last_post']).’</a> ‘.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['last_poster']) ?></td><?php

#
#———[ 34. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

?><td class=”tcr”><?php echo ‘<a xhref=”‘.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.makeurl(“p”, $search_set[$i]['last_post_id'], format_time($search_set[$i]['last_post'])).’#p’.$search_set[$i]['last_post_id'].’”>’.format_time($search_set[$i]['last_post']).’</a> ‘.$lang_common['by'].’ ’.pun_htmlspecialchars($search_set[$i]['last_poster']) ?></td><?php

#
#———[ 35. OPEN ]———————————————————
#

extern.php

#
#———[ 36. FIND (line: 126) ]———————————————
#

// Load the functions script
require PUN_ROOT.’include/functions.php’;
#
#———[ 37. AFTER, ADD ]————————————————-
#

require(PUN_ROOT.’include/rewrite.php’);

#
#———[ 38. FIND (line: 255) ]———————————————
#

echo “\t\t”.’<link>’.$pun_config['o_base_url'].’/viewtopic.php?id=’.$cur_topic['id'].$url_action.’</link>’.”\r\n”

#
#———[ 39. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

echo “\t\t”.’<link>’.$pun_config['o_base_url'].’/’.makeurl(“t”, $cur_topic['id'], $cur_topic['subject']).$url_action.’</link>’.”\r\n”

#
#———[ 40. FIND (line: 227) ]———————————————
#

echo “\t\t”.’<description><![CDATA['.escape_cdata($lang_common['Forum'].’: <a xhref=”‘.$pun_config['o_base_url'].’/viewforum.php?id=’.$cur_topic['fid'].’” mce_href=”‘.$pun_config['o_base_url'].’/viewforum.php?id=’.$cur_topic['fid'].’”>’.$cur_topic['forum_name'].’</a><br />’.”\r\n”.$lang_common['Author'].’: ‘.$cur_topic['poster'].’<br />’.”\r\n”.$lang_common['Posted'].’: ‘.date(‘r’, $cur_topic['posted']).’<br />’.”\r\n”.$lang_common['Last post'].’: ‘.date(‘r’, $cur_topic['last_post'])).’]]></description>’.”\r\n”

#
#———[ 41. REPLACE WITH ]————————————————-
#

echo “\t\t”.’<description><![CDATA['.escape_cdata($lang_common['Forum'].’: <a xhref=”‘.$pun_config['o_base_url'].’/’.makeurl(” mce_href=”‘.$pun_config['o_base_url'].’/’.makeurl(“f”, $cur_topic['fid'], $cur_topic['forum_name']).’”>’.$cur_topic['forum_name'].’</a><br />’.”\r\n”.$lang_common['Author'].’: ‘.$cur_topic['poster'].’<br />’.”\r\n”.$lang_common['Posted'].’: ‘.date(‘r’, $cur_topic['posted']).’<br />’.”\r\n”.$lang_common['Last post'].’: ‘.date(‘r’, $cur_topic['last_post'])).’]]></description>’.”\r\n”

#
#———[ 42. SAVE/UPLOAD ]————————————————-
#

Troubleshooting

If your PunBB forum isn’t loaded at the root folder, you have to add RewriteBase /{name of your folder} in the .htaaccess file.

Example:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteBase /techforum
RewriteRule ^f([0-9]+)(.*).html$ viewforum.php?id=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^t([0-9]+)(.*).html$ viewtopic.php?id=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^p([0-9]+)(.*).html$ viewtopic.php?pid=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^(.*).rss$ extern.php?action=$1&type=rss [L]
RewriteRule ^blabla.html$ index.php [L]

If you have any questions, please post them under the comment section below, I will be glad to answer your questions

3 thoughts on “PunBB Forum – How to Make Your Forum More Search Engine Friendly”

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Philippine Website Developers on May 22, 2008 at 1:57 pm said:

Wow, thanks for putting up this detailed guide. Real helpful for my Pinoy Entrepreneur forum

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PunBB Forum – How to Make Your Forum More Search Engine Friendly

Troubleshooting

3 thoughts on “PunBB Forum – How to Make Your Forum More Search Engine Friendly”

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