Getting Listed in ODP/DMOZ

Short for "Open Directory Project" on the one hand and "Directory Mozilla" on the other, these two acronyms hide an important fact: this directory is a key place to have a website listing. Read on to find out the ins and outs of obtaining an ODP listing.

What Is ODP/DMOZ?

There are several important things to know about ODP/DMOZ

• This directory is explicitly not an attempt to catalogue all the material available on the World Wide Web. Instead, it aspires to be a "highly selective" and carefully categorized directory of pages and websites that meet the criteria of being "useful to users." Focused on objectivity instead of promotion, this largest of the directories is edited completely by volunteers.

• There are two directories that webmasters are recommended to submit to byGoogle Webmaster Help Center Guidelines, and ODP/DMOZ is one.

• ODP/DMOZ listings are free, unlike the Yahoo! directory which has a cost of $299.00 for submitting a directory listing and $299.00 per year annual fee thereafter if the listing is accepted (and the cost is higher for sites with adult content).

What's the Value of an ODP/DMOZ Listing?

ODP/DMOZ is one of Google's trusted sources, and while not having an ODP/DMOZ listing won't keep you out of Google, having a listing increases your site links because of its many clones and may help your rankings by Google. Moreover, Google is not the sole search engine that depends on ODP/DMOZ listings. The fact is, the data from OPD/DMOZ is used by its partners who include:

• AltaVista
• AOL
• Lycos
• MSN
• Netscape
• Webcrawler
• Yahoo

But an another important point is that your submission is not the only way your site can get into ODP/DMOZ. So before you submit your site, check to make sure it isn't already listed.

What Criteria Does ODP/DMOZ Have?

Now we come to some of the aspects of ODP/DMOZ that sometimes give webmasters difficulty. First, ODP/DMOZ reserves the right to reject any submission that they don't believe belongs in the directory and to do so without notice and without providing any recourse. There are, however, some submission guidelines that they provide, and following them is likely to improve your chances:

• Your site must contain unique Content—they exclude mirror sites, redirected sites, and sites filled with affiliate links.

• You must not submit your site multiple times or this in itself may ensure that you are not listed. There is a separate update process for changes after acceptance.

• Your site must not have illegal content of any kind.

• Your site must be fully developed, so don't submit while the "under construction" sign is still up.

• You must choose the proper category for your submission, both in terms of language and for content, choosing the most precise category available.

More information about criteria is available at http://www.dmoz.org/add.html

How Does One Submit a Listing?

• Make sure you understand the categories, using http://www.dmoz.org/help/cats.html as a resource.

• Start at http://www.dmoz.org and navigate to the category you have chosen.

• Click "Suggest URL" on the menu. This takes you to "Submit a Site to the Open Directory."

• Read the guidelines and fill in the form. Pay special attention to the required formatting for the title and site description.

• Read the terms of agreement, provided at the end of the form.

How Can You Improve Your Chances?

A number of people give advice about getting into ODP/DMOZ, but they make only a few simple points:

• Follow the guidelines to the letter.
• Submit to the proper category.
• Avoid promotional language.
• Don't even think about trying anything sneaky.

Common Issues

The two frequently heard complaints about submitting a site to ODP/DMOZ is that it takes a long time and that there is no feedback and recourse.

• Timing: ODP/DMOZ says that submitters should expect the process to take from 2 weeks to several months.

• Feedback: Whether your site is accepted or rejected, you will not hear from ODP/DMOZ about it – you will only discover the fact by either finding it in the directory this article has all rights reserved and is copyright by 100 Best one day, or never finding it there. There is no accepted way to contact ODP/DMOZ for follow-up, and no way to get a second chance.