DMOZ (The Open Directory Project or ODP) is a human managed directory that sends results or data to search engines. DMOZ directory data is syndicated throughout many hundreds of websites and even Google Directory uses this data. DMOZ data is now used by the majority of major search engines on the net. This fact alone makes DMOZ the most important submission you will ever make. The benefits from a quality listing in DMOZ will eventually come from a ranking's boosts from other search engines than the DMOZ site alone. Google gives a large boost across the board to sites that appear in DMOZ. AllTheWeb gives a sizable boost to DMOZ pages/sites. AOL Search is a hierarchical Web directory, organized by subject. All AOL user-submitted Web content is maintained by the Open Directory Project or better known as DMOZ.. Hotbot and its parent Lycos also use's DMOZ data. Altavista also uses DMOZ data to power its site. Inktomi has used DMOZ data to purify their listings or you could say quality control. Netscape...and countless more. The above is pretty much the crème de la crème of the internet search engines. There are also hundreds of smaller engines and directories that use's the DMOZ data too. Every new search engine that comes along, starts with the ODP as a seed database. Teoma, WiseNut, and others like GigaBlast, started their crawling based on an ODP RDF dump. Other search engines like Fast, Altavista, Inktomi, and Google, have all used the ODP to seed their database at some point. Add to that the hundreds of smaller topic directories, link list, and many more Now can you see the quality DMOZ offers to the web community and the value behind a listing? The benefit of getting listed in DMOZ will result in hundreds of links pointing to your site from other directories and engines. As a result, your rankings will increase for that engine because of the perceived value of your site by the engines and directories This as we know is excellent for improving your Search Engine Rankings, Google Page Rank and of course Trust Rank. Hence as much as the "hear-say" unhappiness of webmaster with regards to getting a DMOZ listing, lets not forget the ultimate role that ODP is contributing. As for those webmasters, my personal advice: Submit - If Fail - Improve Site - Improve Submission - Success (Hopefully)
Another nice post, frederrick, thank you. I don't understand the kind of stuff you experts know about, but I just learned more than I knew, .
Well once in a while it nice to hear some good words for DMOZ, if only it were easy to get in I had a few quality sites submitted and well it almost been a year now So i guess for those who have not got accepted, it will still be a cursing object. Nice post
If you haven't submitted them in 2007, please resubmit those, we lost quite a few in our crash. If you're not sure, one more won't label you as a spammer. I don't edit in that area of the Directory, but, I imagine they get pretty loaded down over there.
I might not hold DMOZ to high value but i sure remember to submit my sites there to begin with any kind of link building. I guess I will resbmit some of my sites, thanks for the suggestion
Google gives a large boost across the board to sites that appear in DMOZ. Which recently updated, but their last update of the ODP clone was in 2005. Large boost indeed! AllTheWeb gives a sizable boost to DMOZ pages/sites. Does it? Its certainly not powered by DMOZ in any way, at least not according to it's submit page. Though they do offer a paid boost via their Overture® Pay-For-PerformanceTM AOL Search is a hierarchical Web directory, organized by subject. All AOL user-submitted Web content is maintained by the Open Directory Project or better known as DMOZ.. Is now powered by google with hardly a mention that they even have a directory. Hotbot and its parent Lycos also use's DMOZ data. Uses MSN or ask.com for their searches. Are those on the list? Altavista also uses DMOZ data to power its site. Is now powered by the fine folks from Yahoo. Inktomi has used DMOZ data to purify their listings or you could say quality control. Another fine acquisition from Yahoo. Netscape...and countless more. Is actually the funniest of all. They are the ones that own the ODP, yet I can't find a single mention of either DMOZ or ODP while searching their site. Though, heh, Netscape Search is now enhanced by Google So, to get this straight, the ODP is given high ratings by both Google and Yahoo? Google that lets its clone lapse for two years, and Yahoo that owns it's own directory? The only thing that closely resembles something useful would be Alexa, who you neglected to mention, yet is one of the actual few still using the ODP data. Well, the DMOZ itself can be helpful, in the right category... I'm not saying it's a worthless link, I'm just saying that it's not given the high status that many would make it out to have. It's a directory that's cloned, and for what it's worth, it's worth submitting too. And for those interested in reading the rest of your article here is a link: http://www.kosmoscentral.com/seo-articles/why-is-dmoz-important.php]
To be frank when i started my first site,i had no clue what google was, i did not start it cause i knew there was a thing called, dmoz either, so not all webmasters are aware of dmoz, or serp's etc etc. So, to be frank dmoz is not important to the entire web community, not many care about dmoz. If your site is nice, word of mouth will make ur site rank even without a dmoz listing. Cause if i tell my class mates that there is a thing called dmoz, they would say "what" and would continue posting on facebook yet !!!. Lots of really good and amazing sites never see a listing in dmoz, but can still be quite popular. Dmoz is not a magic spoon that makes ur site a success. Its ur own efforts that make ur site either good or bad.So, webmasters really need to start working towards making their sites helpful and great, instead of waiting for a listing at dmoz. So u should add this maybe too to your post, that dmoz offers lazy webmasters means to vent their frustrations upon.
I like that annalysis and feels to be very right. Webmasters do seem to beleive that an ODP listing will bring rewards unlimited. I am sure that good sites are a better solution and an ODP listing has limited value its not the answer to every problem of getting seen.
I couldn't agree more. Once upon a time many SEOs/webmasters seemed to think like the OP. They were convinced that an ODP listing gave a site a great boost in Google and other SEs. Was that ever true? Only in a way that no longer applies to the same degree. Google has constantly denied that it places any more weight on a link from Dmoz than one from any other site. (Why should they?) However the fact that many other sites use copies of Dmoz means that a link there generates many other links, as the OP says. So when Google's PageRank and other link popularity algorithms were in their infancy, this meant that all those links counted to boost a site's PR or popularity rating. But now? Google is able to identify duplicate content. It can filter Dmoz clones out of its index. Or place less weight on them. So nowadays I wouldn't count on a link from the ODP meaning any more than any other.
Assuming your site is worthy of getting accepted... The best way to speed up the process is to become an editor yourself to help reduce the overall queue. Aside from that you are waiting on the few editors that are left to get to your site. Though, I must say that your post in this thread is a bit off topic, and within the topic makes little sense *shrug*
1. Submit to the correct category, or as close as you can figure. 2. Submit an ODP compliant Title. 3. Submit an ODP compliant Description. http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/describing.html Do not submit the type of sites we don't list. http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/include.html Those are the only things you can do, other than becoming an editor for the category you submitted to. You are just one of a possible 40,000 - 50,000+ other site suggestions we recieve, so go find better ways to improve and promote your site.
The advice from crowbar is quite right, just to add that if you try and buy your way in your site can be banned for life. Also I think you have to read the above quote in context, that being that there is no short cut so go and find other ways of promoting your site after you have submitted in the way he rightly says. In other words follow the advice and go and do other things instead of worrying your head. It won't get you anywhere, except a headache.
Well my friend, its 2007 now and DMOZ is still a hot subject or issue being talked about in the NET. Regards.
Not sure that I quite understood this comment. Unless you mean we are saying the same things about getting listed, but its still the same old way.
I suspect that sarathy was referring to the original post, which seems to be describing the situation in 2000. The post by Qryztufre responded in detail, pointing out what has changed in search since then.
it is true , quite a majority of people use search engines to find what they want on the net , but there are also several people who browse through directories of worth and recognition to locate sites or a bunch of sites of the same genre . search Engine result pages continue getting contaminated by wrongful use , the same does not affect directories and especially directories like DMOZ. THIS is why DMOZ still remains important for the web community - not just webmasters.