Why get listed
So you have read up on that monster directory DMOZ and have decided you would like a listing there. Well it is not quite that simple. Sure submitting your site for consideration is free. Sure DMOZ currently has a page rank of 8. Sure it is a trusted authority site in Google’s eyes. And sure the submission and review process is flawed.
Benefits of a DMOZ listing
The benefits of getting a listing are pretty obvious as DMOZ is an authority site with a high page rank. The links are also syndicated out to numerous other directories including Google’s directory. That means that a single listing on DMOZ could result in numerous additional links on other directories. Plus a listing in DMOZ is free.
Negatives of a DMOZ listing
Have you ever really searched the listings in DMOZ to see what websites are there? Just to come up with examples while I was writing this I went to their search function and put in the word “porn”. Feel free to do the same if you like, but I will not link to the results that came up because, well it’s my site and I don’t allow it in my directory.Â
I don’t allow links to “gambling” content either, but you know DMOZ will serve up a bountiful platter of sites when you use their search function.
Many people will say that these are legitimate industries and they are absolutely correct. Every site has its own individual editorial standards.
Customer Service
I would just like to mention, I have twenty some years experience with customer service and I have seen some companies that made some pretty poor attempts at serving the needs of their customers. Never in my experience have I experienced a company that provides such a complete lack of support on the scale of DMOZ.
They accept submissions and in some cases take years to review the site. When they do review the site they do not make you aware of the results. They do not provide a way of checking the status while it is awaiting review and they absolutely do not answer any queries on the status of your submission. If you get tired of the non-response and resubmit after a few months DMOZ considers it spamming and may ban your site for life.
I am sure one thing DMOZ would say in their defense is that the review process is run by volunteers. This is a ludicrous attempt to make excuses for abysmal service. There are plenty of organizations out there that are successfully run off the efforts of volunteers. Ask the Red Cross if that excuse would work for them. The complete lack of service on the part of DMOZ can only be attributed to a poorly managed company.
Steps to listing
Prior to submitting ask yourself if your site is list-able.  DMOZ does state in their submission guidelines that there are sites that they will not list.  Amoung them are sites with illegal content or spam.Â
Do a quick search and see if your domain is already there. If it is already listed, do not submit it again. That could cause your listing to be removed entirely.
Make sure to find the single best category to submit your site to. The category should match up with the content of your site.
Make sure to use the official name of your site when submitting and do not use sales speak in the description. Keep the description simple, descriptive, objective and void of marketing hype. Look to sites already listed in the category your interested in for examples.
Make sure to follow their submission guidelines to the letter. After that you wait and wait and probably wait some more.
No Guarantees
You should realize that after submitting to DMOZ there are no guarantees. The review process could take a week or it could take a year. In the range of 80 to 90% of all submissions are rejected. Problem is that they don’t tell you. You may get rejected an hour after submitting and never know about it. The best policy is to submit it and forget it.
Can I pay and editor to list my site
If you search around the internet you will find numerous accusations of corruption among the editors at DMOZ. I have researched and found no evidence of corruption other than accusations and innuendo. It probably does exist to a small extent but I don’t get the impression that it is any more widespread than any other company.Â
If you are thinking along this route be very careful. I think that you’re more apt to find someone who will tell you what you want to hear only take your money and run.
Conclusion
Because you can submit to DMOZ for free it is probably worthwhile to do so. Go ahead and submit while following their guidelines and forget about it. If it happens then it happens.
If the site required a review fee of any kind I would not bother with submitting to them. They have a good page rank and are considered an authority site.
To me the selections for inclusion seem more random than anything. Possibly based more on the actual submission process than the quality of the suggested site. In my searches of DMOZ I found numerous examples of what I consider questionable linking practices.
I have submitted the Authority Directory to DMOZ for inclusion since it is free. To this date I have not heard anything back which is not surprising. If I ever actually do hear something I will update this post. Good luck!
June 12th, 2008 at 3:54 am
I too submit my sites to Dmoz once and the n forget about it … i had just once checked my listings in it and had found one of my site from many i submitted.
But how much is it Still worth submitting and waiting for our listing to b approved …
June 12th, 2008 at 6:49 am
It is probably worth it to the extent as all it costs you is just a little bit of time. So many sit and dwell on if they are getting accepted afterward. After you submit it is all out of your hands.