DMOZ listing guide

[urvisoni]

can anyone give me guidance or link of an ebook on how to get listed in the DMOZ? I have tried lot but not able to do so

[Handsome]

Well my website is listed at Dmoz from last 9 years.. but the shocking thing is that i have not a single visitors from there. you get only backlink advanctage from Dmoz

just submit your web. wait 6 month then again submit if not listed

[Anonymously]

First thing
DMOZ is NOT a listing service, so that any site suggested to them will be reviewed b y an editor but it may take from a few days to a few years. An editors job is not to look at the suggestions lists and add as many as possible. The editors job is to build up the directory with quality sites, s/he may or may not use the suggestions list to do that, it is their choice. Some categories most/all suggestions are usable, some categories little or no suggestions are usable. So often how many suggestions are used depends on the category and the editor.

But if you want to stand a chance of being reviewed then follow the rules, read them at dmoz. (I don't have enough posts to give a clickable link, sorry.)

I underline
1. Make sure that the category you offer your site to is the right one, and only submit to one category*, look carefully at any category description and have a look at the other sites listed. If you offer to the wrong category, you might wait a year for a review, editor sees it is the wrong category and sends it to right category, where it waits again for another review.
2. Attract attention to yourself by actually reading up about how to title the site and have a description that complies with the information given in link above. This will make your site stand out in the list of junk and hype that puts editors off from using the suggestions list.
3. Only submit sites with unique content, if it does not have unique content it will not be listed. Certain other forms of sites are not listed either, so check those in the link above. We are not interested in how young (except a forum with 2 posts will not be listed) or old, neither how much page rank it has, neither how much modern building has gone into it....UNIQUE CONTENT is the criteria.
4. Don't re-submit not at one month or one year. Several submissions either in time or to lots of categories can get you banned as a spammer So submit and forget. Check sometimes to see if you have been listed. If the site is within our guidelines it will not get lost it will be awaiting a review by an editor and that might take years. Submitting again overwrites the old one and you can go to the bottom of the list. If it is not within guidelines it will be rejected when it has been reviewed, but we do not do site reviewes, so no point in asking and we don't send notices out if we accept or decline a site suggestion.
5. If you get a site listed please tell us if you materially change the site or if you start using a new URL for the site, add something to the old site to ensure that we only change URL's correctly and don't change it to someone completely different. Yes has been tried.

And if you find a site that is not working, has been hijacked or you don't believe is in the right place or should no longer be listed then we appreciate you telling us by using the update button.

All editors are volunteers, they work in their spare time no one is paid, except some staff who mostly run the mechanics, that's why it is free to submit a site for consideration, but please remember no site is guaranteed a place and it can take years to get a site reviewed. Thanks for all the help non-editors give in spotting issues and reporting them to us.

Hope that helps.

edit to add
* The exception to submitting to one category is if you submit to the topical section of the directory and your site has an actual base eg iuf it is a shop then you can also submit in the regional section under the locality where your shop etc is located, provided that address is on the site.

[hiren_mehta007]

How to suggest a site to the Open Directory

The Open Directory Project is a web directory of Internet resources. A web directory is something akin to a huge reference library. The directory is hierarchically arranged by subject - from broad to specific. The ODP is maintained by community editors who evaluate sites for inclusion in the directory. They are our experts, and all submissions are subject to editor evaluation.

We care a great deal about the quality of the ODP. We aren't a search engine and pride ourselves on being highly selective. We don't accept all sites, so please don't take it personally should your site not be accepted. Our goal is to make the directory as useful as possible for our users, not to have the directory include all (or even most) of the sites that could possibly be listed or serve as a promotional tool for the entities listed.

To keep the ODP running smoothly and to assist us in exercising our editorial discretion, we have set up policies for submitting sites for our consideration. We may reject, delete, or edit submissions that violate these policies or that we otherwise believe, in our sole discretion, should not be included in the directory. We may also reject, delete, or block other sites that we believe to be associated with a user who has violated these policies.

You should take a few moments to understand these policies and the steps to submit a site before you begin. Failure to understand and follow these instructions generally will result in the rejection of a submission.
Step One

Determine whether a site is appropriate for submission to the ODP:

* Do not submit mirror sites. Mirror sites are sites that contain identical content, but have altogether different URLs.
* Do not submit URLs that contain only the same or similar content as other sites you may have listed in the directory. Sites with overlapping and repetitive content are not helpful to users of the directory. Multiple submissions of the same or related sites may result in the exclusion and/or deletion of those and all affiliated sites.
* Do not disguise your submission and submit the same URL more than once.
Example: ODP - Open Directory Project and ODP - Open Directory Project
* Do not submit any site with an address that redirects to another address.
* The Open Directory has a policy against the inclusion of sites with illegal content. Examples of illegal material include child pornography; libel; material that infringes any intellectual property right; and material that specifically advocates, solicits or abets illegal activity (such as fraud or violence).
* Do not submit sites "under construction." Wait until a site is complete before submitting it. Sites that are incomplete, contain "Under Construction" notices, or contain broken graphics or links aren't good candidates for the directory.
* Submit pornographic sites to the appropriate category under Adult.
* Submit non-English sites to the appropriate category under World.
* Don't submit sites consisting largely of affiliate links.

Step Two

Do a quick search in the directory at dmoz.org (the home of the Open Directory) to be sure your site isn't already listed. This saves everyone time.
Step Three

Identify the single best category for your site. The Open Directory has an enormous array of subjects to choose from. You should submit a site to the single most relevant category. Sites submitted to inappropriate or unrelated categories may be rejected or removed.

Note: Some categories do not have "suggest URL" or "update URL" links. These categories don't accept submissions, so you should find a more specific category for your site.
Step Four

Once you've selected the best category for your site, go directly to that category on dmoz.org and then click "suggest URL." Follow the instructions on the submission form carefully. Descriptions of sites should describe the content of the site concisely and accurately. They should not be promotional in nature. Submitting a promotional description rather than an objective, well written description may significantly delay your site from being listed or prevent your site from being listed at all. Auto-submission software is (and always has been) a violation of this procedure. Sites submitted automatically are flagged and deleted after the submission is accepted, without notification to you. Persistent automatic submission may force us to ban you from the dmoz site, so we can provide resources to real human beings.
Procedure After Your Site is Submitted

An ODP editor will review your submission to determine whether to include it in the directory. Depending on factors such as the volume of submissions to the particular category, it may take several weeks or more before your submission is reviewed. Please only submit a URL to the Open Directory once. Again, multiple submissions of the same or related sites may result in the exclusion and/or deletion of those and all affiliated sites. Disguising your submission and submitting the same URL more than once is not permitted.
Updating Your Site

If a site has been accepted for inclusion in the directory but you are dissatisfied with how the site is described or titled, you may go to the category where it is listed, and fill out the "update URL" form. If you are dissatisfied with the category in which your site is listed, you may send an e-mail to an editor for the category explaining your disagreement. Be polite and civil -- threatening or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

If (but only if) you are dissatisfied with the editor's response, you may then use the "Feedback" link at the top of the page to "appeal" the editor's decision. Be specific concerning your disagreement (including why you believe the editor's response is inadequate). Comments made through the feedback link are reviewed by the ODP staff, who will make the final decision. Please do NOT send correspondence to Netscape, as that will only slow down and complicate the process. We take all feedback seriously and give it our thoughtful consideration. But please remember that we must exercise our discretion and make numerous judgment calls as to how to make the ODP as useful as possible -- no matter what decision we make, we may not always satisfy everyone.
Getting Your Site Into Portals and Search Engines Using ODP Data

If your site has been accepted into the Open Directory, it may take anywhere from 2 weeks to several months for your site to be listed on partner sites which use the Open Directory data, such as AOL Search, Google, Netscape Search, Yahoo Search, and hundreds of other sites. We make updates of the data available weekly, but each partner has their own update schedule.
Editorial Discretion

Please recognize that making the ODP a useful resource requires us to exercise broad editorial discretion in determining the content and structure of the directory. That discretion extends (but is not limited) to what sites to include, where in the directory sites are placed, whether and when to include more than one link to a site, when deep linking is appropriate, and the content of the title and description of the site. In addition, a site's placement in the directory is subject to change or deletion at any time at our sole discretion. You should not rely on any aspect of a site's inclusion in the directory. Please understand that an editor's exercise of discretion may not always treat all submissions equally. You may not always agree with our choices, but we hope you recognize that we do our best to make fair and reasonable decisions.

[Anonymously]

If a site has been accepted for inclusion in the directory but you are dissatisfied with how the site is described or titled, you may go to the category where it is listed, and fill out the "update URL" form. If you are dissatisfied with the category in which your site is listed, you may send an e-mail to an editor for the category explaining your disagreement. Be polite and civil -- threatening or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

If (but only if) you are dissatisfied with the editor's response, you may then use the "Feedback" link at the top of the page to "appeal" the editor's decision.

Please be aware that editors are discouraged from responding to any communication, some will respond but many make no response at all.

Also submissions can take several years before they get a review.

[HussainGardezi]

Still have value of DMOZ ? i dont think i have seen many websites which are not listed in DMOZ but have Smart Google PR.

[submitid]

i find this:

1. Submit your site to a proper category. Most of the sites submitted to Dmoz are rejected due to having submitted to improper or wrong categories, so you must find out the most relevant category for your site before submitting it to Dmoz. If you are unsure about which category you should submit to then just do a search in Dmoz for the sites similar to yours and note down the category to which they have been submitted to. If you have done this one correctly then you are having the most relevant category for your website. Now just go on and submit to the category you have got.

2. Make sure that your site has original and quality content. People nowadays are looking for more and more quality content and they get annoyed with the sites having nothing more than a bunch of affiliate links or sales letters. If your site lacks in content then you have no chance of making into the directory as the directories nowadays are looking for the sites which have a strong base of original and quality content, if your site doesn’t has sufficient content then make sure to add a few reviews, articles and other additional information about your services and products.

3. Get your web site professionally designed. If you have done the above two steps properly then your site is already deserving a listing in Dmoz and it adds more to your credibility if your site is professionally designed. You might have seen many unprofessionally designed sites making into Dmoz, so this not really a factor for your inclusion in the directory but as we know that the editors of the Dmoz directory are also human beings so a professionally designed site does make a good impression on them and thus increases your chances for inclusion in Dmoz.

4. Be sure to put your contact information on the web site. Now just putting an email address is not enough. If you are doing a business you need people to trust you by showing them your physical address, so that they don’t think that you are a run away business. Many times the editors reject sites if they don’t see any physical contact information on the site, so it is very much necessary for you to put up at least your phone number on your contacts page, also putting your physical address would be much better.

5. Check your site for broken links and spelling errors. Before submitting your site to the Dmoz directory make sure to check your website for broken links and spelling errors, though the editors are looking for quality but they are also human beings and will be annoyed by lots of errors and clumsily designed sites, so be sure to check and correct the errors if any before you submit your site to Dmoz.

[Anonymously]

What nonsense some of this is.

1. WE do NOT reject sites that are submitted to the wrong category, we send them to the right one. That may well delay an editor reviewing the site for a possible listing, so finding the right category is important.
2. Yes DMOZ looks only for unique content rich sites
3. We have NO interest whatsoever in the way a site is designed, its page rank or anything else, except unique content rich sites. A fancy site will not speed up or get a site listed in preference to other sites.
4. Many sites we list have no contact at all. But if you want a regional listing for, say a shop, then we need to be able to identify location.
5. We are not annoyed by clumsy sites, we do not bother about spelling errors, we do worry about broken links and sites under construction and usually do not list them.

[myPageo]

I've created and run an number of quality, highly visited sites and have never gotten a listing in DMOZ. I wouldn't waste your energy hoping they'll list you.

[Anonymously]

I would have thought that the few minutes one spends suggesting a site to DMOZ was worth while. May be a while before it gets reviewed, that must be better than simply hoping an editor finds the site. It's free, so no big bucks, just a few minutes. If it does not get listed, takes ages or gets a quick response, what did they lose and perhaps get a listing that many still see as more than useful.