My experience is that DMOZ makes a huge difference in SERPs. I have sites that have made it in and like every one else, sites that didn't. The ones that make it are by far the most successful. But the criteria to be accepted may have something to do with success. Your site has to be unique to get in. If your content is the same as every other site with your keywords you will not get in. Generally sites with unique content are more successful on there own anyway. But DMOZ definitely shows results for me. However be aware even a good unique site might never be reviewed and make it in. It is a crap shoot.
So, 2ct7, if I understand you right you're saying that a DMOZ listing helps you in the SERPs, but maybe the fact that they are good sites in and of themselves with good content helped you in the serps, so therefore DMOZ helps you in the serps? Am I the only one cofnused by that logic?
Maybe DMOZ is just a good barometer of a sites overall level of quality. If it's good enogh to get noticed by an editor, than it's good enough to get noticed by the rest of the web?!?
It's not about quality though. If it were then the guidelines would be rules Then again, even as guidelines, it's still not a matter of quality. If that were the case my page would not have made it to the personal pages category, and there would not be so many sites from AOL homepages or Geocities Though, I do agree, that getting noticed by an editor can be nice...
Well I think it varies by editor. If the editor needs to build up the number of edits they have so that they can gain more categories then they may be desperate and take almost anything. Once they get over the hump and and have several cats they get a lot more picky I would think. As far as my logic - yes the two factors both weigh in having good serps but I think I have had a good site that was unique but did not get accepted to DMOZ and it just doesn't seem to do as well as similar ones that are listed. Also my logic may be a bit skewed as we have a newborn baby and I don't get a lot of sleep.
Here's a simple reason to keep trying to get your websites into DMOZ (also called the ODP, or Open Directory Project) — Google encourages you to do so. Quote: "Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites." (http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769) My take on that is, if Google is specifically by name recommending DMOZ (ODP), then I take that as a hint that Google gives it some considerable weight.
Only took me a couple of weeks for my link to be published in dmoz, so that's all good. That along with vbSeo, registering my domain for 10 years, continual article marketing, and onsite SEO, I'm hoping I can gain some better rankings (on the first page, but I'm still aiming for #1).
The problem with weight was that that answer was written back before they forgot to update their directory for over a year and a half, and back when you could search directory.google from the main page of the search engine. While they are once again updating (monthly I hear) I'm not all that sure the weight they give is as it once was... especially with all the other directory woes they seem to be passing out in other neighborhoods of the directory world. I'm not saying you are wrong, I'm just saying you may not be as right as your source (yes, even from google) seems to imply. Case in point, it also says to "Submit it to Google at http://www.google.com/addurl.html." which is something I've yet to do, but I've got pretty good serp on the big G from several sites, that I've never submitted.
Submit and forget as it usually takes time for actual submission in the DMOZ but it's important for the SERP purpose as all search engines give importance to this directory then any other reference.
I have only had a few sites listed in DMOZ. It really seems like a roll of the dice as some of the sites that they accepted, I personally would have rated others as having better content. good luck to you all.
I still haven't gotten in, what do you think is the best way to get a link actually improved? Could you submit to a section that "has no editor" even if you don't really belong there... or what?
If you really wanted to get into DMOZ you are advise not to put any ads on your site before the approval.
We gotta pay for our sites somehow and the editors can respect that. What they will not respect is greed. Having too many ads (MFA) sites are not allowed, either are affiliate sites... but one at the top, bottom, and maybe one on the side will not adversely effect your site in most instances. Besides, have you seen the number of Geocities pages? Those have popups, and then look at Topix, it has ads, and has well over ten thousand listings. In fact, one way to get banned I would imagine would be to take an adless site that get's listed only be become flooded with ads.