Forum Moderators: open
I am currently listed in just one category of the open directory project (www.dmoz.org). Is it advisable to be listed in more than one category? -would it save the maintainers work to tell them that I am already listed in category soandso?
Skirril
Can you be listed in more than one category? Weeeellll, yes but you'd better have a dang good reason.
One of my sites is listed in more than one category only because a subsite of ours is completely unique and can be found nowhere on the web. If you have a particular page/ section of your site that might be good in another category, plead you case to the editor of that category. The way you need to make the arguement is to say show how it will help the end users who use DMOZ and other directories who pull information from DMOZ.
Also, do your homework on which category gets pulled up in the search results the most on the keywords. Make sure you also research the directories that pull information from DMOZ. That, obviously is the category you want to be listed in.
Good Luck, and let us know how successful you are!
-G
Can you submit a bunch of pages, each to a different cat? Probably not. But if your site can be sorted in to distinguished separate sections, submitting the front page of the subsections seems to be OK...
I wouldn't try getting listed in more than two (max 3) categories though. It wouldn't be worth the risk of getting all your listings booted.
Actually, since I have a regional site, I ended up with three total listings, because I guess their new policy is to list regional businesses both within the top level business category and the regional business category...
I later submitted our site's informational section to the top-level non-business category, and it was accepted.
Theoretically, each submission is judged on its own merit. In fact, however, since the editors are individual human beings, that is not always the case.
That being said, I will mention that many sites have more than one listing. You will have better luck if your submissions are diverse. You will also probably want to submit the page (not the site) that is appropriate for the category. And, of course, you will have better luck submitting to a category that is sparse and in need of being "fleshed out."
It is against policy to delete listings from a site because it has been submitted too many times, but you want to be reasonable. In other words, if you have yourdomain.com listed in one category and yourdomain.com/something.html listed elsewhere, your submitting yourdomain.com/something_else.html will not cause the first two to be deleted. If you submit 50 a day, you run the risk, however, of gaining yourself a bad reputation, which will be to your detriment.
Well, usually. This assumes that the site has some sort of regional nature, which many (perhaps most) do.
If, however, you have site which is strictly a one-man-shop sort of online store which sells baby buggies, it would not be eligible for a regional listing, since there is no regional aspect.
On the other hand, if you hire from your locality to staff the business, or if you are a brick-and-mortar as well, THEN you have a regional presence.
Thanks all for being so helpful ;)
Skirril
If you have a multi-lingual site, you are eligible to multi-list in World as well.
For instance, if your site is in English but also has a link to the German version, you can submit to the appropriate category in World/Deutsche.
If I have a brick and mortar selling nationwide, I am a business that has been traded, and offer my site in, lets say three different languages, then, essentially, I can get listed in Regional, Business (related subcat), Business (Bus. traded to Bus) and the three world subcats? This may be a little extreme, but I have run across sites like this so I am just curious.
CoastalEditor
It's not guaranteed that you will get the listings, but you are following the submission guidelines when you submit to them, yes.
Whether or not you get listed is, in large part, related to how "needy" the specific category is. Clearly, since it is a US-based directory and the non-US trees are always looking for listings, you would be very lucky to have luck there.
Online shopping, of course, is very crammed full, so it depends upon the editor and the category. Same goes for Business.
I'm not trying to be evasive or vague. I just don't want to tell anyone that it's a sure deal, nor do I wish to have my post interpreted that way. :)
Great answer Laisha, and I understand your reluctance to post a 'hard' answer to my above scenario. It makes sence that it would be possible to get a site listed in those cats for those reasons however subjective it may be. Thanks for the clarification.
CoastalEditor
