How DMOZ listing benefit your website

Can anybody tell me, how the DMOZ listing is going to benefit you as a webmaster? Has it any special advantage in Google|Yahoo|MSN searches? I have seen some website that listed in DMOZ, but not have any special weightage in google listing? It looks they treat the links in DMOZ as just another "external link". Is it right?

 

Yes, it's "just another link".

Some will say that the clones of DMOZ will help as well, but honestly, not as much as you'd think. The clones are all duplicate content.

The Search Engines have advanced by leaps and bounds since the ODP documentation has been updated, so such documentation is now outdated.

It is still worth submitting to the best category for your site, but once that is done, just move on to the next free directory.

 

It's not "just another link." It has no extra weight with Yahoo or MSN but Google it is a very big deal. The Google directory is based on DMOZ data but it is NOT duplicate content when Google weighs it. Google's algorithms are of course top secret but you can compare and DMOZ cat to dir.google.com cat and you will see they are not identical. The slight differences are enough for Google to weigh it again as a link.

And of the several hundred odd factors Google uses to weigh SERPs, a DMOZ listing is easily in the top 5-10%. Think: Why does Google bother to keep their own version directory? They use the data in a lot ways that are beyond the scope of the DMOZ data dump agreement. By keeping up a compliant version of the DMOZ dump they cover themselves legally, more or less.

But you must keep in mind that good SEO for the link from DMOZ still applies. That is something that most people forget when claiming a DMOZ link is worthless. A lot of links from DMOZ are worthless because their SEO stinks.

 

They can not hold it that high. They have removed most links to their own directory, have stopped saying that directory links are worth doing (specifically removing the ODP reference) and even have gone up to a year before bothering to update their clone of the project. The bulk of the hype about how much google likes them is based on outdated information...

 

If you get a link in DMOZ it is sent to other clones, those clones really don't help.
The thing that makes the difference is that you get a higher listing in search engines such as; Yahoo, MSN, and other small ones.

 

That's what I assumed but you should never just take my word for it, or assume with out careful investigation. Ideally one would test the DMOZ weight by seeing what the change in ranking is from before and after getting a listing. That's not very easy to manage. Another easier way is to go to any smaller cat, typically one you are interested in being listed in, and look at the sites that have the anchor text of the keywords you are interested in. 99% of the listings have bad SEO anchor text. That's because of the DMOZ editor guidelines. Of the ones that have a good key word or phrase as their anchor, I think you will be hard pressed to not find them in the top 10 position in the Google SERPs.

At least that's what I found. This hasn't changed since Google stopped recommending submitting to DMOZ. IMO that move was just a smoke screen.

 

I personally do not think dmoz listing will do any better. it is just another link, it is all hard work that matters and not a single listing in dmoz.

 

I think that means that DMOZ is not interested in how flashy your site is, or how well stuffed with key words, it is interested in unique content. Indeed many times we would be doing a service to anyone searching in an area where we find the sites that are not well built, may well not get good page rank but do have unique content and therefore may well be of interest in that area but not easily discoverable by search engines. That is more of interest to us than how well a site is built or how well it is keyworded. People find our sites categorised and described, usually when I use Google it throws up all sorts of rubbish with half sentences and dead links.

 

OMG do I see there again the '' unique content phrase '' ? hows come ? If my posts from resource-zone will not be deleted go there and check them I`m sure this is maybe just a mistake telling this on another public forum but I`m blinde there or I`m missing some cellbrains ? Do you really think this phrase with '' unique content '' is true ?

How's this : 2 days since i`m interested about browsing on ODP , finding on the category where I suggest my link two dead links ( one of the link expired since LONG time / other link pointing to godaddy parked page ) ; second day when I`m browsing on ODP , looking at another category just to check what's there (with intention to suggest one of sites developed for one of my customers ) , opened 3 links from this category 2 of them seems to broke this basic rules which ODP staff claiming they respect always . And things arent stop there , I just go on google and I look about one other site who's listed on first category its seems changed the '' propose '' of the site and content since its listed there .

Oh Yes I KNOW , I`m always welcome and free to report '' bad links '' to the editorial staff to be removed thanks for the feature and tanks for fact I wanted to do something useful for you guys *( and at the end of the day useful for the users who's browsing ODP ) , actually is same useful feeling like I had when I suggested the link to the first category you know ... same satisfaction I had when I got the mouse on my hand and I clicked it ! I swear!.

Do you or any other editor / ex editor or anyone from the staff from ODP can say yet the rules are always follow there? HARD to believe ... I`m not blaming you and I`m not blame anyone actually , but at least do not say false things which maybe innocent webmasters and users who actually use ODP think maybe they are true .

 

As you say we are always happy for users to tell us if something is wrong and it is usually speedily corrected. Also editors other than a listing editor often work on sites and sometimes they will remove the site because it does not comply with our guidelines, especially about unique content. We also have machines that will check on sites and then mark them to be reviewed by a human editor to see what is happening.

Sadly we cannot keep all that up to the minute spot on, we do not have the computer power or the human resources, so we do rely on users to report issues when they find them.

Some editors may also sometimes list sites that don't have unique content, but doing it continuously will almost certainly be discovered and edits checked out. Persistently doing bad editing will get an editor in trouble.

So in 5 million sites, does everyone work and have unique content. I guess not, but if a webmaster submits a site which is not unique content, the chances of being listed is low and is usually a mistake.

So what is my advice, ensure that a site has unique content before submitting and if it isn't don't seriously expect for it to be listed.

And please keep up the good work, we are volunteers, it is a free directory which has hours of devotion poured into it by hundreds of editors, and if you find a broken link, a site without unique content, a site that has changed its content or if you suspect that a site should not be listed or has been listed other than for its content, please help us and tell us. Many thanks in anticipation.

 

It's ok for the mods at Dmoz to say it's just another link, when there website is listed, and we can't ours.

 

And yet Google continue to use the ODP description for websites that have a listing. Now tell me, why would they make the webmaster put a noodp meta tag on their website to have Google ignore the ODP description? If they didn't value the ODP's input why would they utilise their descriptions of websites, as the default, in the first place? Are you sure they don't value them? Because the evidence here is to the contrary.

You've twisted the facts here. As per this post, both John Mu and Matt Cutts actually explain it quite differently. In particular Matt says

So what you've said regarding that is totally irrelevant, because you aren't a recognised Google representative, and Matt Cutts is, and his statement disagrees with yours.

The information might be old, but at least it is factual. Your opinion isn't. It is just your opinion. There is no solid evidence provided.

 

This machines probably sleeping since at least few months or they got no power anymore , Its just hard to believe within few months a machine was slowly than me within a hour , pointing out what I say on resource-zone ( lucky me one of so kindly and always helpful ODP officials closed the thread so I`m not anymore need to say same things over and over . ) Considering the unique content which is named there and the guidelines and the rules which we always follow happy something its just wrong on this way with serious issues . Yes I found broken links and links listed on ODP who's breaking the rules and guidelines , yes is true I`ve reported two of them , and was taken the measures necessary . Other links I`ll not bother even to report them due to answers which I got on resource-zone , you guys are covered by the rules and its normal to be but even if the community calling to be HUMAN edited its seems to be HUMAN managed , some other more interesting things make this '' mistakes '' possible like one of respected member of ODP said on resource-zone .

 

Sorry I think Resource-zone is a bit off the screen in Digitat Point, I don't frequent it or post in it, so I have no idea what you are referring to.