do the dmoz search rankings count for anything

[jamie]

we find little or no correlation between quality of sites and ranking when using the dmoz search function.

the order is certainly different from any other engine, and although we are top 1 to 3 in google, fast, inktomi, altavista, we languish down at 52 in dmoz for our keyword ;-)

so my question is does anyone actually use / rate the search at dmoz, or is it (as i have read in these forums) mostly for editors to find categories?

thanks

[cornwall]

The DMOZ rankings are peculiar to DMOZ.

The number of end users who browse DMOZ directly is very small. Most webmasters on WebmasterWorld report very few visits from DMOZ.

Any other facility like Google, will put their own search criteria on the DMOZ listings - compare any category in DMOZ and the same one in Google Directory to see

Therefore your "rank" in DMOZ search is of little importance to you. Its the being there that you want.

[John_Caius]

"so my question is does anyone actually use / rate the search at dmoz, or is it (as i have read in these forums) mostly for editors to find categories?"

essentially just editors, no, yes. Don't let it concern you in any way.

[jamie]

thanks both,

am reassured!

Jamie

[g1smd]

The ODP search function is primarily for finding categories, not sites. If you search for widgets the returned results should all be categories about widgets. Look inside the category and you will find a whole load of widget sites. To imply anything else about the way search works or should be used would be overstating the facts.

[hutcheson]

>Therefore your "rank" in DMOZ search is of little importance to you. Its the being there that you want.

Yes, this is certainly true. "Rank" is rightly quoted, since the concept simply doesn't apply. Sites are displayed in "deterministic but indeterminate order" which certainly doesn't relate to ANY measure of relevance, and is probably based merely on something meaningless such as "hard disk address of database record containing listing parameters."