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What's The Deal With Zeal? Why is it that many (mostly well known) commercial sites getted listed on Zeal while many others (usually smaller sites)get rejected for commercial content? Do not understand this. What's the catch?
Took the test and passed it! Sent information content only and still rejected! While others sites I have seen listed on there had full blown commercial content!
Can anyone enlighten me on this subject? Thanks!
First thing, welcome to WebmasterWorld.
Second thing, your msg should probably have been posted in the Directories forum [webmasterworld.com]. There are a lot of other threads on Zeal and commercial content there, use the site search [webmasterworld.com] and you'll certainely find something.
And finally, to answer your question, a lot of the sites in Zeal have been submitted through LookSmart, where the submission is paid. Regular Zealots (i.e. who are not also employees of Looksmart) may not add commercial sites to the directory.
Hope that helps
Sinner
I had the same question and looked quite closely at it tracking back the 'contributed by' listings for a couple of my major competitors (full-blown commercial sites).
What I noticed is that Zeal, contrary to my expectations, doesn't appear to approve and list sites on a 'site' basis, but on a 'page' basis. I found quite a few sites in my area with many (sometimes a couple of hundred) *individual* pages submitted and approved. Content of each individual page *almost* fits the guidelines, I guess closely enough that the editors accepted them.
Of course, there's always the 'How the heck did these folks get in here?' sites that have been 'contributed by' somebody, including the major player, househould names in my segment, but, guess nobody or anything is quite perfect.
So, I did what you did. Took the test and passed and am now fixing up some pages for submission. Seems like you just have to play the game.
Jim
So their inconsistencies seem to be standard - it's nothing personal. Though, to have sites booted after being in their directory for a month or so didn't affect my bottom line, so I just chalked it up to experience.
For all the time I wasted on their @!#$!@#$ quiz, I would have produced a lot better ROI elsewhere as my time is quite valuable.
However, your milage may vary - I've heard others get a substantial ROI from the MSN traffic they get that is derived from their Zeal listing.
Think that's the best attitude to take when dealing with directories such as Zeal and ODP. There are and always will be inconsistencies in application and no matter how much we gritch and groan, well, it makes us feel better for a minute or so.
I'm going to pop a couple of pages in after awhile and see what happens. It can't hurt and I've already taken the time to take the test which, since I'm planning a localized directory, help me better understand some of the factors I didn't think of.
And just goes to show that there's always something to learn in even what might be termed a negative situation.
Went for another listing the other day and some Zealot with a million points seems to have gotten irked by an affiliate link and a bunch of editors all of a sudden started unpublishing everything even stuff w/o affiliate links, and the site doesn't offer any services or sell anything at all.
Oh well...........whatever.
If you look at it this way, it will depend if the Zeal listing results in you coming up high for desirable search terms. Hard to know if this will be true. If this happens, traffic can be large.
I've heard others get a substantial ROI from the MSN traffic they get that is derived from their Zeal listing.
Yeah the ROI on a free listing tends to be pretty good :)
The editors guidelines at Zeal are VERY strict though, Zealots are quite fussy about grammar and prepositions and stuff. ODP editors are more worried about the pile of unreviewed sites. Different cultures :)
ROFL. ;) I hadn't thought about it on that level. Although, if someone figures their time is worth something, then there is some cost in making the submission.
>The editors guidelines at Zeal are VERY strict though, Zealots are quite fussy about grammar and prepositions and stuff. ODP editors are more worried about the pile of unreviewed sites. Different cultures
I'm both a Zealot and ODP editor. Not really true. Zeal does have guidelines for the description which are more restrictive and narrow than the ODP. However, once someone knows the Zeal guidelines reviewing sites can be as quick at Zeal as the ODP. Just don't forget about that serial comma at Zeal. ;)
In the cat I'm eyeing, they have a site listed which was last updated in 1999, and is nothing but a collection of broken links. I'd like to just submit my page and sit back . . . hey, if they're going to index broken links, my useful, working ones ought to make the cut. But apparently I would either have to get lucky (won't happen, whoever maintains the cat doesn't care) or become a zeal <expletive deleted> myself.
And, that Zeal test isn't that hard.
Sorry to fire a question at you, but as a zealot perhaps you can answer for me if a .co.uk domain is allowed into a World cat. as well as the regional cat. it is currently in?
Rather like dmoz...
The regional has got us into regional msn, but not msn.com
As a general question, given the experience of skibum, and inconsistency of Zeal, if you get one listing is it just better to be grateful and call it a day than submit to another cat. and risk losing the lot?
TJ
All that matters is getting in...you won't see any traffic from the directory, its the SERPs that matter.
Thanks for the input.
I'm assuming it's my Zeal listing that put me in and up to #1 on msn.co.uk though (which obviously I kind of like). I get my nice Zeal description in my msn SERPS listing too - that's where I see the usefulness of being in Zeal.
Thing is, I'm nowhere in msn.com
So I'm guessing that if I get into a "world" cat, as well as my regional listing, I'll get into the .com?
My site is a hobby related site, but has very much a worldwide interest value.
TJ
I've yet to figure out exactly what the magic is that causes Zeal listings to appear on MSN.
I assume it's because Zeal = LookSmart, who provide data feeds to msn?
Anyways, I think it's worth the risk going for the World listing, I'll give it a go...
TJ
But the proper zeal description is nice to have, if nothing else.
TJ
