Google and DMOZ

when will the fascination end?

[jtoddv]

The DMOZ directory is crap in the aspect of a running web site. I can never get on the stinking site!

If Google is going to weigh the directory with such importance, then maybe they should start hosting the darn thing. I have to try at least 10 times in order to gain entrance to this piece o crap! And that doesn't always work!

Everyone knows getting into the DMOZ directory is essential to having a good Google listing, but if you can't even get onto DMOZ.org submit, is it really that good? Yes, DMOZ is a good idea and compliments Google searches, but at the same time if they are not updating their directory in conjunction with DMOZ.org then what is the use? It is a half a@@ed approach.

[rcjordan]

>Its the most important link that you will ever get, forget Google

Heh, heh, heh!

[g1smd]

>> i don't wholly agree. in some cases it can be essential to be in odp/the google directory, because google displays results from their directory first in the serps. <<

That is not completely true. There are lots of times when non google-directory results turn up in the first few pages, with some other google-directory listed sites being very many pages down the SERPs.

[rfgdxm1]

My guess is what is happening is that webmasters need an excuse to blame their site's sucky search engine performance. If they come up #86 on Google for a certain keyword search, then the reason MUST be that the ODP hasn't listed them. Never mind the real reason is poor keyword density, few inbound links with good anchor text, etc. It's all the ODP's fault.

[EliteWeb]

I enjoy how those who cant get listings or have it their way give up. DMOZ is a good link, especially for those who have sites that the industry leaders wont link to, ie: i cant get a selling site to have other selling sites to link to it. So dmoz is good for it, but realize there are other places to link, if its on the web the spiders will find it eventually.

[heini]

ODP is the one link I really want to have for every single site. All other stuff is neglectible and can be bought anyway.
Sure, it's only PR - which is on sale elsewhere. Sure you make it in every engine without.

ODP is the backbone of the web.

[paynt]

To sum up, directory listings are great as long as some editor goes out, finds my site, and lists it for me.- rcjordan

I couldn’t agree more RC. In fact the DMOZ would be a much better place if they no long accepted submissions and the editors were able to just build out their categories based on what they really like.

A DMOZ listing in through Google can help significantly for relevancy. I think the categories themselves are the key to the largest benefits we gain through the DMOZ and the Google directory.

[Mohamed_E]

> ODP is the backbone of the web.

I always thought that the backbone of the web was the web of links that we weave. Search engines seem much to me to be a better tool than directories for understanding that web.

I have no problem imagining a web with no directories. I cannot imagine one without crawler based search engines.

[rfgdxm1]

Crawler based engines and directories complement each other. Crawler based engines excel in that theoretically you can find almost anything with them. The key is that you have to be able to figure out the right search terms, and slog through a lot of irrelevant sites. Directories tend to excel that in if they are doing a good job, they may make it easy to find worthwhile content on a topic that tends to get buried in crawler based engines because it poorly SEOed, and possibly has few inbound links for Google. The main limitation of directories is that in most cases they won't have every worthwhile site listed. To find those will require search engines, with possibly luck on your side.

[kwngian]

Like cornwall, my site has never been able to get into DMOZ for pass months but I have no problem getting into Altavista, Yahoo and Fast besides the smaller ones. Cannot seems to get listed in Teoma. Zeal came to spider my main page but I can never find my listing in its index, wonder why?

Things seem to get easier once you're in google.

kwngian