Questions about getting listed

Hi when I first started my website and didn't know much about websites and directories, I made a mistake in my submission, so I ended up resubmitting it again sometime afterward. And this was actually to another wrong category. This was a year ago. So would I be banned now for doing that?

So, now I know what I am doing, a few months ago I resubmitted my site to:

http://www.dmoz.org/Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Anxiety/Self-Help/ and I haven't heard anything since.

I should probably just forget about dmoz, it's probably dead. But I am tempted to apply to become an editor. Obviously I would add my site, but if I contribute for a little while, will this matter? Or should I just leave it?

Why is dmoz considered so important and have a high page rank? Surely if someone wants something they would use google, why would anybody visit dmoz?

Thanks,

 

DMOZ was founded on the listing of ones own links. If you do not believe me, then look up how many times TOPIX is listed. That's a site owned by one of the founders of the directory... though, if all you are doing is adding your own site, then that is only reserved for the top editors... you need to add other sites as well as your own, and worthy sites, as that helps everyone.

It's no longer needed for a high rank (PR or SERP) and it's importance is dropping more and more as time goes by.

The old saying still holds true...

Submit & forget
or
Forget 2 submit

Either way, best of luck on the listing, however it gets there!

 

Not unless you persist in multiple submissions. Once is enough. If the site was submitted to the wrong category, an editor will send it to the correct one.

And you will never hear anything, it will either be listed or it won't. Editors do not provide a listing service for submitters, they build categories for the web surfer. They do not want all sites, only sites that add unique content to the category itself.

Selfishness is not a good reason to become an editor, and why would you want to be listed in something you consider dead? What would be the purpose? Any good quality sites that grow the Directory and meet our guidelines for inclusion are still a worthy contribution, however minor, .

There are no quotas required from volunteers, so whether you add one site or 100,000 sites, it is still a contribution.

Because of a lot of sillyass wishful thinking by ignorant people, . The Directory is not a destination site, nor is it a search engine. It simply collects and organizes data using it's own criteria, and freely offers the results to anyone who wants to use it, including Google and many other search engines and directories.

A specific category could be linked to by many entities. A site that deals with water gardens could link to not only the Water Garden category for it's members/readers, but many other related categories that would be helpful to water gardeners, so that's one possible use.

The Water Garden category would hopefully contain some of the better, more useful sites on the topic and other related categories, but not every site that was available. The idea is to save the web surfer time by only listing sites with unique content, not 50 sites with the same exact information.

If there are 10 identical sites, only one of them would be listed, we have no use for the other nine. The fact that there are 10 sites with 10 different owners is meaningless, none of them have a "right" to be listed. The Directory specifically states that not all sites are needed, and that not all sites will be listed.

 

If you think DMOZ and any other directory is so unimportant, why do you have pages of them listed on your site under the heading: "FREE quality directories I use " ... you obviously find directories useful to use (otherwise why would you say that and link to so many?)

BTW, if I was a DMOZ editor, I would not list your site. Main reason being your site is so annoying with opening each link in a new window. Why would DMOZ want to send their visitors to an annoying site?

 

1. Topix was not added by the editor themself as far as I know. It was added later, as a filler site by the staff of the time.
2. Topix was one of the sites that was used by the staff of the time to help populate the directory.
3. It seems a common practice for other 'major' directories to choose to do the same thing (help fill categories) with similar sites (weather.com comes to mind often). In fact some other up and coming directories have been doing this still today with Topix. So it must not be a completely worthless resource.
4. Topix isn't guaranteed a listing, any editor feeling that a link is not providing relevant information for the category is free to remove it at their discretion.
5. Under todays guidelines and community opinions, automated 'filling' is not only unnecessary but would be greatly frowned upon. I can't foresee any instance where that (automated link placement) would be accepted by todays editors.

I think its debatable on how much importance it has ever had with regards to PR or SERP. At some time in the distant past though, it apparently was viewed with far too much importance. A DMOZ listing will never make money fall from the skies and its really no more important than any other quality link. So Submit and Forget is still the best advice.

As for Forget 2 Submit thats fine too, no one is forcing anyone to suggest a URL. Besides an editor may find your site anyway and might do so just as fast or faster on their own than finding your suggestion in the pool of other suggestions. Still though, its free and only takes a few minutes to find the best category and suggest a URL. So as long as you understand its not offering a listing service, suggest it and forget it.

 

Many sites are not the best, designwise, but that is not something we care about or judge, we're only interested in whether the site has some kind of unique content that will make the category itself more valuable to the web surfer interested in that topic or geographic area.

 

Thanks guys, I've really enjoyed reading your comments

 

I think dmoz is important for its value, but it is not something you want to lose sleep about. It takes a long time to get listed. I do believe that it's value will actually increase in the future as Google is banning many sites and directories that are selling links.

 

You've seemingly said that the automated listings are not only owned by one of the founders, but that such listings were not only inline with such an editor, but supported by the [paid] staff which are the very ones that approved the guidelines saying that the listing of affiliated sites is such a bad thing. You've also seemingly compared DMOZ to many other directories that do need filler....something that many other editors seemingly poke fun at when done by other directories. Likewise, when someone comes in to mention their own directory and that directory has empty spaces they also get mocked... so I take it that putting in filler to bloat numbers is more important that actually offering helpful links to the end user? I'll keep that in mind the next time empty categories are brought up. I'll tell them to just fill up their empty cats with automated listings full of syndicated content

 

DMOZ can be a great, but annoying resource for links. Links from DMOZ are great for improving your rankings for many reasons.

Firstly, DMOZ are a directory that DO NOT use the NoFollow Attribute.

Secondly, your link will be on a page that is related to your industry / theme of web-site.

Thirdly, you have some control over what you have for your anchored link.

Because DMOZ is edited and moderated so heavily, the listings in the categories are accurate and appropriate. Because of this, search engines like Google trust DMOZ, and give you credit for being listed in DMOZ.

 

The only control you have over that is your site name... if you have evidence of a submitter having ANY control, then I'd like to see it.

Have you visited it recently? Some categories have not been touched in years. Some are full of dead links, and some are full of sites that have little do with the category... granted some are spot on and can be fantastic resources. Most however fall someplace in the middle.

The Google directory has been known to go 12 or more months without bothering to update. The importance/trust of the directory is falling and has been falling for years.

 

Qryztufre,

Have a look at this: http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Marketing_and_Advertising/Advertising/Yellow_Pages/

The bottom Listing (That goes through to Creare Design) is very Keyword Rich. My colleague submitted that exact title, which they published. Granted in most situations, DMOZ editors change it to something more appropriate. You do have some control over your title submission, and from what I have seen, some editors leave what you have requested if it is appropriate.

Again good point, this is something that I should have mentioned, but like you said, some categories are spot on.

Fair Comment however it is one of very few directories that is worthwhile submitting to.

Do you not think?

 

One example out of how many? The ONLY control you have over anything about your listing is your control over the individual editor (as in being one yourself).

Yes, it's worth submitting, and then its worthy of being forgotten.