About ODP
Advice on how to get your site listed in Netscape's Open Directory Project directory.
Submitting to DMOZ
As time goes on, the web gets bigger and spammy websites abound. In comparision to this, the number of editors at DMOZ has stayed basically the same, so it continues to get harder and harder to get a website into DMOZ. In fact, many experts have stopped advizing it because of how difficult it is, feeling they are too exclusionary. We still feel it is well worth the time and effort to get into. DMOZ is the directory behind Google, AOL and many other places. It is a good directory to work to be listed in.
Improving your chances at the ODP
Having a site that includes good content and is not blatantly attempting to sell without being informative is also key to being listed in the ODP. Make sure nothing is under construction or otherwise unfit for public consumption.
The title of the site as submitted to ODP should match the actual title of your website, within the <title>This is my title</title> tag in the code on the home page of your website.
Do make sure that your description contains keywords used within a complete sentence that makes sense, is typographically correct and accurately describes what people will find on your site. Don't use any promotional or competitive adjectives like "best", "cheapest" or "world's largest". Make sure your description will obviously still apply in a year or two. Describe it without using terms like "we", "they", "us", "I", and without stuffing in lots of keywords.
When submitting, give a real email address so the editor can tell you if you're disapproved and why. Don't worry, the editor won't send you any unsolicited email. Then after submitting, be patient. Each editor responds at their own pace, but if you haven't heard back in six weeks, try politely nudging the editor of your category by email. If that doesn't work, nudge the editor of the next category up, or try submitting to a different category.
How to get your site listed in Netscape's Open Directory Project according to an editor.
Here's some info about how to get into Netscape's Open Directory Project from one of the guides at the Open Directory Project, Beth. I quote from the I-Search newsletter on January 14, 2003:
From: Beth [beth@gunbroker.com]
I'm an editor for the OPD. We don't always check our categories every day.
Wait 2 or 3 weeks after you've made the submission and check it. If its not there, you can write a email to the editor of that category. The key is to be courteous and ask if they will be adding it soon. A polite reminder may get them to run over and add you.
Also, be sure you wrote a good description. A list of keywords won't work and they may leave your application in the unreviewed site section until they get around to writing a new one for you. This is a double edged sword as they may not write a description that is good for you.
If you write a short, objective, well thought out description that includes your keywords in sentence form, then it should be just a matter of the editor clicking on one button to get you added.
Thanks
Beth
Back to Directory Registration page.
Return to Top of Page.
