Google + Dmoz?

google puts so much emphasis on dmoz

[gilmit]

Googleguy,
There is no question that google (especially in this update) is placing so much importance on dmoz listings - not just on the fact a site is listed or not but also on the category and the "title". This is really unfair to all sites which can not get listed in dmoz. That is so because 1) a vast majority of dmoz categories do not have any editors 2) categories which have editors (a lot of them) are there to promote their sites and remove competitve sites - everyone knows this. If you report to dmoz, even of blatant violations, no one even takes notice. 3) Most sites are listed in one category but a lot of large sites have several sections and it matters a great deal as far as google ranking is concerned, which category of dmoz a site is listed when someone searches and if the query matches the category the site seems to get a very high ranking and the rest don't. If you query a subpage, subsection of a site already listed dmoz, then it does not matter and only other sites listed in dmoz for a matching category will show up on top.

Why is google putting so much emphasis on dmoz? I think you (Googleguy) are probably going to say that it is not true or no comment, but in this update it is very clear and a lot of us want to know why so much importance or dmoz or even yahoo - why put any importance on these directories? A site got listed in one of these directories does not mean much at all and a site that did not get listed may mean a lot - why not focus on the actual content of the page when delivering results?

Thanks and awaiting your response.

[Marcia]

>>why put any importance on these directories?

gilmit, I'm not GoogleGuy, though I've had mail suspecting it :) but I do have a personal opinion on this.

The system isn't perfect, and it changes from time to time, but though it may be difficult at times, lack of an ODP listing can be overcome. Particularly since this last update, it's entirely possible to be in the top spot for a search without an ODP listing, ahead of sites with one. From admittedly a small sampling, I've seen the value of the ODP listing being outweighed by other factors. For one search a site with PR6 and close to 1500 inbound links, though on topic and having an ODP listing, got bumped down to the third page of listings and the first four spots are occupied by two sites with no ODP listing, both PR5 one with around 100 links and the other with less.

Google uses a great number of criteria for scoring, and the directory listings, while a part of it, are not the whole thing by any means. There are a lot of sites that are not "optimized" at all, and being listed in ODP helps establish what those sites are about.

imho they're important because the vast msjority of sites in the directory are exactly on topic for where they are; they help establish relevance for sites.

[martinibuster]

Sigh...
Will they ever learn?

(Shut up, you were once one too.)

True, but at least I knew enough to know that Google had better things to do than answer my little questions.

(Hush up, I said!)