The real reason for the drop was the change in URL structure that someone seems to have done by accident:
There are now two instances of /forum in the URL. So it seems that the software has been installed in a subdirectory where the old forum was installed, resulting in every single URL being changed.
When you change old URLs (some which were perhaps 10 years old or more) google drops you to the bottom of the search rankings, considering you a new page. Secondly, google will have to reindex all the millions of posts with the new URLs which will take time, and even once that's done they will have lost all their old incoming links (since the URL has changed), as well as the age benefits.
So I would say this drop has nothing to do with the vb5 software (yet), but everything to do with an accidental mistake while installing the new software to a new folder. To find out whether vb5 performs well or poorly with SEO and old links, etc., the software would have to be installed in the exact same folder with exact same links. Then we could accurately compare what the effects on it are.
At this point someone should try to move the forum to the old location and check that the URL structures all match 100% with the old URLs. But from past experience, once you mess up google doesn't give you back your rankings even after correcting things.
Code:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-5-connect/vbulletin-5-connect-feedback/3980385-your-results-in-google-are-plummeting-vb5-is-horrible-for-seo
When you change old URLs (some which were perhaps 10 years old or more) google drops you to the bottom of the search rankings, considering you a new page. Secondly, google will have to reindex all the millions of posts with the new URLs which will take time, and even once that's done they will have lost all their old incoming links (since the URL has changed), as well as the age benefits.
So I would say this drop has nothing to do with the vb5 software (yet), but everything to do with an accidental mistake while installing the new software to a new folder. To find out whether vb5 performs well or poorly with SEO and old links, etc., the software would have to be installed in the exact same folder with exact same links. Then we could accurately compare what the effects on it are.
At this point someone should try to move the forum to the old location and check that the URL structures all match 100% with the old URLs. But from past experience, once you mess up google doesn't give you back your rankings even after correcting things.
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