You can place a banner for an unregistered user in vBulletin easily following the below mentioned steps:

1. First you need to log in to your vBulletin administration area ( for e.g. http://mydomain.com/forum/admincp).

2. Then you need to go to Styles & Templates from the menu located in the left. Choose Style Manager.

3. Now click on << >> to collapse all options.

4. Then you need to choose where you would like your banner to be placed or located.

5. After finalizing on the position of the banner you need to scroll to the bottom and add the following code:
<if condition=”in_array($bbuserinfo['usergroupid'], array(1, 3))”>

Your banner code goes here in HTML
</if>
The above code would mean that if the user has groupid 1 or 3 the following code should be executed. By default 1 and 3 user group ids belong to unregistered and awaiting-approval users. If you have any further issues pertaining this you can contact the support staff for your Web Hosting Service Provider.

vBulletin is considered to be one of the most powerful forum application available. Its loaded with all the latest forum features with easy to use control system. Vbulletin provides a platform to perform various activities at the same time with seamless integrated experience, Multi-Roles Control Panels, Search Engine Optimization, Security, Flexibility and User/Member Management. vBulletin can be installed on any web hosting service like Linux Shared Hosting, Windows Shared Hosting and all the other services.

pros:

- user-based poll tracking is available for making it convenient;

- vBulletin is XHTML compliant;

- user logging is maintained;

- message drafts can be posted as and when required;

- tracking of topic participation can be done easily;

- very easy-to-use plugin installer is available for maximum utilization;

cons:

- slightly more expensive than other forum applications;

- integration with other applications would require additional paid modules;

- vBulletin does not support database engines other than MySQL;

- no attachments in private messages;

Most online users wish to start a forum of their own, but due to lack of detailed procedures they are simply stuck with the idea itself. Below are steps that would help you start with an online forum  with your own domain.First you need to contact your web hosting service provider asking to provide one of the forum softwares such as phpBB, vBulletin etc. Most of the reputed web hosts would offer an installing service called “Fantastico” using which, you can build your forum with comfort.You do not have to be a skilled webmaster to set up a forum on your domain.

Below are the Tips to set-up a forum:

Tip No. 1: First of all you are required to Register a domain name. A domain name would be the one that be an identity of your online website.
Tip No. 2: Now you need to sign-up with a web hosting provider for a package that would include phpBB, vBulletin or a similar forum software. A web hosting service provider is the one that would provide you an online web server space and the necessary softwares. This would allow you to get your forum online. A shared web hosting package can be an ideal option to start with.A web hosting service provider is the one that would provide you an online web server space and the necessary softwares. This would allow you to get your forum online.
Tip No. 3: Once your account is set up on a server,install your preferred forum software onto your domain. You can install the forum software automatically using Fantastico. PhpBB and vBulletin are one of the most preferred forum softwares available in Fantastico. To install, you need to first log into your web hosting account. Then select the  Fantastico in cpanel. Click on the preferred forum software, phpBB is great for a new forum and has some great features, vBulletin is easier to use and maintain. Choose the domain name you would like to install the board to. You can leave the “Install in directory” box empty in case you wish to have your forum as the starting page for your website (http://www.abc123.com). You can specify a directory, e.g forum, in case you want to have your forum installed at http://www.abc123.com forum.
Tip No. 4: Now you will need to choose the username and the password for the forum administrator.
Tip No. 5: Fill in the Site Name and the Short Description field that appears in the header of each page of your forum. Continue by clicking Finish installation. You will be lead to a page with the administrative panel of the board.
Tip No. 6: Here you will have to describe the categories/sub-categories of the forum.

Among most of the other ways of increasing traffic to website/s, forum posts or articles are a great way to increase traffic.It basically depends on the forums that you are using,the traffic varies accordingly.Forums can be a great way to fetch high traffic, also if you are successful in increasing the trust of others on the forums,you can bring high volume of organic traffic to your website/s.

Ofcourse gaining an authoritative position in forums takes sometime.Your replies and responses to others queries matter a-lot.It also depends on how well you are able to suggest solutions to others problems.Having good knowledge of your niche is of utmost importance to earn a level of trust in the minds of forum mates.

Its important that you have a professional signature in your forum.It should be designed such that people get curious to find an extra information onto your website by clicking the signature link. Inaddition to this, it is equally important that you maintain the atmosphere of the forums. One should posses an attitude of helping others at the same time try to add some humor to the conversation.Everyone likes a decent humor and can add a positive healthy mood to others as well. Bear in mind that you do not hurt the emotions of fellow forum mates while doing so. It is advised that you keep yourself aware of the conversation happening at the forum and make others feel your presence. This can add majorly to your reputation and the way others perceive your words.

As the time passes by, you will start earning a fair amount of traffic by the way you interact with others.

There are many forums present on the Internet that you can join or you can even start your own forum. For that you will need to order a decent web hosting package and install a CMS (Content Management System) such as vBulletin, PHP BB etc. You may ask the web hosting provider to get any such application installed on the server.

Some forums also allow you to link your blog to their forums, therefore as you might already be working on the Off-page SEO campaign by blog or article marketing, this provision can double your chances of fetching high traffic.

Both BB software are user friendly. Only the major difference is price phpbb is open source and you have to pay for vBulletin.
Both software are search engine friendly and has an active strong community for support and help. I would say it’s all your decision what you like or not coz both software strongly capable to do there jobs.

Here is the feature list for phpBB http://www.phpbb.com/about/features/

Here is the feature list for vBulletin http://www.vbulletin.com/features.php

Both Software not needed any special web hosting service , they can be run on any normal shared hosting package also.