THE CURRENT VERSION IS SEY 2003

(2003 Overview)

DMOZ URLs

Main: http://dmoz.org/
Advanced search: http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?a.x=0
Submission URL: To submit your site, go to the appropriate directory and click "Add Site" at the top of the page.
Contact URL: http://dmoz.org/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi
License to use DMOZ data: http://dmoz.org/license.html
Submission tips: http://dmoz.org/help/submit.html (Also see getting listed in DMOZ)
Become an editor: http://dmoz.org/help/become.html

About DMOZ

DMOZ is a human-created directory that sends results to search engines. The human editors are mostly unpaid volunteers so getting your site listed at DMOZ might not be very easy. Keep at it though, because being listed at DMOZ is almost as important as being listed at Google.

Once your site is indexed at DMOZ, it will (in time) also start appearing on many other search engines. Google’s directory is taken directly from DMOZ. The search engines that use DMOZ data add their own tweaks to it, but there seems to be consensus that being listed at DMOZ boosts your rank at those search engines – especially the ones that take link popularity into account.

Getting The Most From DMOZ

Many webmasters make the mistake of submitting only their homepages to DMOZ. DMOZ does not have a spider that follows links from that homepage, so only the homepage is added to the directory.

But you can have many pages from one site in different categories at DMOZ.

As long as those pages:
· Offer real value
· Offer something that’s distinctly different from that offered on the homepage
· Are submitted to an appropriate directory

Having a couple of pages from your site indexed at DMOZ boosts your site’s link popularity considerably.

For more detailed information on getting your site into DMOZ, consider upgrading to the PDF version of the Search Engine Yearbook.

DMOZ’s Future

Recent discussions on search engine forums have touched on the subject of DMOZ’s future (or lack thereof). The volunteer editor model can make getting into DMOZ frustrating, so it is understandable that many webmasters have a negative attitude towards the directory.

One theory with many supporters is that some DMOZ editors apply to edit categories in order to get their own sites into the directory and keep competitors out. In my experience, directories like DMOZ tend to make enemies because they (have to)
reject many submissions. I have never edited at DMOZ, so I won’t comment on its inside workings.

From the outside however, I never once had reason to complain about DMOZ. Occasionally my submissions are rejected. That’s to be expected. Most of the time they get added within 2 to 3 weeks. That’s a great job. As far as I am concerned, DMOZ’s future is bright as long as
· the about 50,000 dedicated volunteers continue to carefully build and maintain the directory.
· Google keeps using DMOZ data.

(2002 Overview)

URLs

Main: http://dmoz.org/
Advanced Search: http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?a.x=0
Submission URL: To submit your site, go to the appropriate directory and click "Add Site" at the top of the page. Remember that you're submitting to a human reviewer. Polish your site first. Then submit.
Contact URL: http://dmoz.org/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi
Physical address: ?
Phone number: ?
License to use DMOZ data: http://dmoz.org/license.html

Notes on DMOZ

The DMOZ is a human-created directory that "feeds" search engines. It's fairly large considering that each site was reviewed and added by hand. For a current count of pages indexed, check the bottom of the DMOZ homepage.

Once your site is indexed at DMOZ, it will (after a while) pop up in searches on Google, Netscape Search, AOL Search etc. If you're new to this, it means that getting listed here is terribly important.

I'll say that again
Getting your site listed at DMOZ is terribly important
Getting your site listed at DMOZ is crucial

The search engines that use DMOZ data add their own tweaks to it, but there seems to be consensus that being listed at DMOZ boosts your rank at those search engines.

DMOZ & Google

Once your pages are in the DMOZ database, it definitely boosts your rank at Google. With so many sites & search engines using DMOZ data, the inbound links to your site increases dramatically once it's in the DMOZ database. That in turn pushes your site's "PageRank" score at Google.

Another plus is that the Google Directory is taken directly from DMOZ, so your site is added to it automatically.

Getting the most from DMOZ

Something that few people realize, is that you can submit more than just your homepage. Sub-pages will also be indexed, provided that they are relevant to the category and of a high value.