SDK for PHP - SEO Implementation Guide

This guide covers implementing SEO features using the Buying Buddy SDK for PHP. Follow these instructions to optimize your property listings for search engines.

Prerequisites

Before implementing SEO features, ensure you have:

Completed basic SDK setup (see SDK Overview & Setup)
Modified your JavaScript plugin to use seo : "true"
Added the SDK to your pages

SEO Benefits Overview

The SDK provides three main SEO enhancements:

1. Indexable Listings

Display widgets (List Widget, Gallery Widget) output HTML with links that search engines can crawl and index.

2. SEO-Friendly URLs

Property details pages use clean URLs without query parameters (e.g., /property/123-main-street instead of /details.php?property_id=123).

3. Dynamic Meta Data

Automatically generates optimized title tags, meta descriptions, and Open Graph tags using actual property information.

Required JavaScript Configuration

Ensure your Buying Buddy JavaScript plugin is configured correctly for SEO:

<!-- Buying Buddy plugin -->
<script src="https://www.mbb2.com/version3/css/theme/acid/[ACTIVATION_KEY]"></script>
<script>
var MBB = { seo : "true", data:{ acid : "[ACTIVATION_KEY]" } };
function mbbMapLoaded(){ MBB.googleMaps = true; };
</script>
<script src='https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?callback=mbbMapLoaded&libraries=places&key=[YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY]'></script>
<script src="https://d2w6u17ngtanmy.cloudfront.net/scripts/my-buying-buddy.5.0.js.gz"></script>
<!-- End Buying Buddy plugin -->

Critical: The seo : "true" setting is required for SEO features to work. This must be loaded in the <head> of all pages.

SEO Object Implementation

Available SEO Objects

The SDK provides these SEO objects for property details pages:

$propertyObj->title - Optimized page title
$propertyObj->h1 - Optimized H1 heading
$propertyObj->meta_description - Meta description with property details
$propertyObj->meta_keywords - Relevant keywords
$propertyObj->property_address - Property address
$propertyObj->og_tags - Open Graph tags for social sharing

Implementation Example

PHP Setup:

<?php
require_once "mbb/MyBuyingBuddy.php";
$mbbObj = new MyBuyingBuddy( array(
    "api_key" => "[YOUR_API_KEY]",
    "acid" => "[ACTIVATION_KEY]"
    )
);
$propertyObj = $mbbObj->getWidget(
    "MBBv3_SearchDetails", 
    array("property_id" => $mbbObj->getPropertyIdFromURL())
);
?>

HTML Head Section:

<head>
    <title><?php echo $propertyObj->title?></title>
    <meta name="description" content="<?php echo $propertyObj->meta_description?>">
    <meta name="keywords" content="<?php echo $propertyObj->meta_keywords?>">
    <?php echo $propertyObj->og_tags?>
</head>

HTML Body Section:

<body>
    <h1><?php echo $propertyObj->h1?></h1>
    <div id="MBBv3_SearchDetails">
        <?php echo $propertyObj->html?>
    </div>
</body>

Complete Property Details Page Example

<?php
require_once "mbb/MyBuyingBuddy.php";
$mbbObj = new MyBuyingBuddy( array(
    "api_key" => "[YOUR_API_KEY]",
    "acid" => "[ACTIVATION_KEY]"
    )
);
$loginObj = $mbbObj->getWidget("MBBv3_LoginPanel", array("filter" => "layout:horizontal") );
$propertyObj = $mbbObj->getWidget(
    "MBBv3_SearchDetails", 
    array("property_id" => $mbbObj->getPropertyIdFromURL())
);
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title><?php echo $propertyObj->title?></title>
    <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
    <meta name="description" content="<?php echo $propertyObj->meta_description?>">
    <meta name="keywords" content="<?php echo $propertyObj->meta_keywords?>">
    
    <!-- Buying Buddy plugin -->
    <script src="https://www.mbb2.com/version3/css/theme/acid/[ACTIVATION_KEY]"></script>
    <script>
    var MBB = { seo : "true", data:{ acid : "[ACTIVATION_KEY]" } };
    function mbbMapLoaded(){ MBB.googleMaps = true; };
    </script>
    <script src='https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?callback=mbbMapLoaded&libraries=places&key=[YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY]'></script>
    <script src="https://d2w6u17ngtanmy.cloudfront.net/scripts/my-buying-buddy.5.0.js.gz"></script>
    <!-- End Buying Buddy plugin -->
    
    <?php echo $propertyObj->og_tags?>
</head>
<body>
    <h1><?php echo $propertyObj->h1?></h1>
    <div id="MBBv3_SearchDetails">
        <?php echo $propertyObj->html?>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

SEO-Friendly URLs

HTACCESS Configuration

Create SEO-friendly URLs by setting up URL rewriting. This example redirects all /property/* requests to a single PHP file:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^property.*$ property.php [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -s [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -l [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^.*$ - [NC,L]
RewriteRule ^.*$ /index.php [NC,L]

Custom Search Pages

For SEO-friendly search result pages, you can create custom URLs like /city/denver or /price-range/500k-600k:

<?php
// Example: /city/denver
$city = "denver"; // Extract from URL
$filter = "mls_id:ca64+listing_status:active+city:{$city}+limit:10+order:create_dt desc";
$resultsObj = $mbbObj->getWidget("MBBv3_FeaturedGallery", array("filter" => $filter));
?>
<div id="MBBv3_FeaturedGallery" filter="<?php echo $filter; ?>">
    <?php echo $resultsObj->html?>
</div>

URL Parameter Handling

For pages that accept URL parameters, pass them to the widget:

<?php
$resultsObj = $mbbObj->getWidget("MBBv3_ListingResults", array("filter" => $_GET["filter"]));
?>
<div id="MBBv3_ListingResults" filter="<?php echo $_GET["filter"]; ?>">
    <?php echo $resultsObj->html?>
</div>

Widget-Specific SEO Implementation

Display Widgets (List & Gallery)

These widgets automatically generate SEO-friendly links when using the SDK:

<?php
$widgetParams = array( 
    "filter" => "mls_id:ca64+city:DENVER",
    "limit" => 20,
    "order" => "create_dt desc"
);
$listObj = $mbbObj->getWidget("MBBv3_FeaturedList", $widgetParams);
?>
<div id="MBBv3_FeaturedList" filter="mls_id:ca64+city:DENVER">
    <?php echo $listObj->html?>
</div>

Results Widget

For search results pages:

<?php
$resultsObj = $mbbObj->getWidget("MBBv3_ListingResults", array("filter" => "login-panel:false"));
?>
<div id="MBBv3_ListingResults" filter="login-panel:false">
    <?php echo $resultsObj->html?>
</div>

Foundation Pages Configuration

Ensure your foundation pages (results and details) are properly configured:

In Your Buying Buddy Account:
- Go to Widgets > Installation and Setup
- Click "Foundation Pages" tab
- Update page addresses to match your actual URLs
Page Structure:
- Results page: Contains only the results widget
- Details page: Contains only the details widget

Testing Your SEO Implementation

View Page Source: Check that meta tags are populated with property information
Test URLs: Verify that property detail URLs work without query parameters
Check Links: Ensure listing links in display widgets are crawlable
Validate HTML: Use HTML validation tools to check for errors

Next Steps

Widget Reference: See our Widget Implementation Guide for all widget types
Advanced Features: Explore custom form building and API calls
Office Features: Implement OfficeRoster with SDK for agent profiles

Updated on July 7, 2025

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