DMOZ description showing instead of meta description?

Why is my DMOZ description showing?

[synergy]

It seems that the descirption used to describe my site over at DMOZ.org is showing as the description for my site in the G Serps. What gives?

I've worked hard to craft a great meta description that spurs people to click my result, and now it's gone.

Anyone else seeing this?

[Nikke]

This happens, both with the title and the description when performing a search that will list my main page.

Since well over 95% of the searches will turn up other pages it wont hurt me, but it looks kind of weird.
Specially since this site is (involuntarily) listed in the blog section of DMOZ and thus shows up as

surname, first name - site title

[emomilk]

Google appears to be -only- listing my odp description or meta description. It changes between the two depending on the search term but I havn't been able to work out a pattern.

Even if the actual search term only appears in the body text it still will only shows one of the above as the snippet.

Looking at the Google cache it's indexed all of my content but every page is only ever listed with the meta description (or opd if it's the homepage) as the snippet. Are other people seeing this?

[lasko]

Site added to Dmoz less then 30 days ago.

Today we notice that Google is displaying the Dmoz title however when we check the google directory the web site can't be found by accessing the directory directly.

Another words we search in the google directory and the site appears in the results with the directly link below.

When we click the directory link the site doesn't appear even with a PR5.

Very strange but I don't think the change in the display of the title effects and rankings. Google still uses the title from the web page for rankings purposes.

The only problem is Dmoz didn't get our site title correct so why should Google take more notice of Dmoz then our own title - unless our title is too long! now theirs a thought!

If your title is too long and you're in Dmoz Google may use their version.

I only say this as our other sites have shorter titles, have a listing in Dmoz and kept our site title.

Just looking for a logic answer really?

[shaoye]

I saw this new thing today on 64.233.161.99
I created a new post but it did not get posted on this forum. Then I found this thread.

Yes the ranking is different, not just site description from dmoz......

[MaxMaxMax]

The only problem is Dmoz didn't get our site title correct so why should Google take more notice of Dmoz then our own title - unless our title is too long! now theirs a thought!

I'm the other way round. My dmoz title is longer than my actual title, and sometimes Google displays the former, sometimes the latter.

[shaoye]

actually my site is gone when google lists odp results
my site is on odp too but not shown on google....

[webdude]

I already had started a thread on this a few weeks ago, located at [webmasterworld.com...]

Different search phrases produce different results for me. One 2 word phrase will show the meta and another will show the DMOZ. Links from both go to the exact same URL. No page file listed. (both go to [mysite.com...]

Still trying to figure this one out. When I do a ...
site:mysite.com mysite.com
It shows the DMOZ description and goes to [mysite.com...]

It has been doing this for about a month and a half. The site has also moved from its #1 rank (past 2 years) to #3. Not sure if this is related or not but if there is any weight given to the description, this might be why.

[g1smd]

>> Site added to Dmoz less then 30 days ago. <<

>> Today we notice that Google is displaying the Dmoz title however when we check the google directory the web site can't be found by accessing the directory directly. <<

The ODP did not produce a public RDF dump between mid February and very late April. Does this mean that Google has already downloaded and used the new RDF file produced only a few days ago, or does it mean that it picked up this data by spidering dmoz.org directly?

[TesNY]

Ugh - just discovered a client site has both the dmoz title and description showing. They've been in dmoz at least 5 - 6 years. The title is their name and the description is based on the services they provided years ago - their focus has expanded since then. How frustrating! Google should realize that an up-to-date search engine uses up-to-date information, which the dmoz directory often is NOT. If they want to show dmoz directory results - then arrange a way for modifications to be fast tracked through the notoriously slow dmoz system.

[hutcheson]

I almost hesitate to mention it, but 'update URL' suggestions are fast-tracked. They are (at the urgent repeated requests of editors) listed separately from other site suggestions, because we felt they ought to receive a higher priority (after all, that's where the quality control issues show up.) Lately, a group of editors has been making a concerted effort to ensure that none of them were being overlooked -- that is, the goal would be to have all of them reviewed within "several weeks."

This is not an absolute commitment TO anyone -- by its nature, the ODP never can give such a thing. Nor is there any intent to lower the standards for ACCEPTING these requests -- as for all suggestions, the editor reviews the site and then categorizes, titles, and describes it in words that he alone is responsible for, and that he is responsible only to the community for.

But if there is a genuine error of fact, and if an update request doesn't jumble it up with other unreasonable requests, there is right now a good chance that it'll happen quickly.

[Lorel]

I noticed yesterday, after shortening my title to about 6 words (it was about 8 but still under 50 characters) that my position in the SERPs climbed for a 3 word phrase, but with DMOZ description--which has most of my main keywords.

I shortened my title because I heard that Yahoo will ranks a site higher for short titles--just experimenting, and I've seen short titles ranking higher in Google sometimes also.

[experienced]

I tried to add my sites in DMOZ but i did not see any listing of mine in Dmoz.org But I have seen 100 sites in the same cat belongs to the same company. I think ther is some thing wrong with tyhe editors in dmoz not accepting the sites even after they are quality sites belongs to different clients. IS thyer any way to get the listing in Dmoz.

Exp...

[hutcheson]

If there are multiple sites for the same company in the same category, that usually (well, nearly always) indicates a quality problem, and you should report it (using one of the "abuse report" venues -- and not prejudging, of course, who's the actual abuser.)

As for how to get a site listed, it is written (in "Zen and the Art of Directory Maintenance") that "if your website truly have the tao within it, it can sit on its server and watch the ODP listing carried by."

[wurzel]

For my preferred single word search term Google will return three company's on their first page that are in DMOZ with the remaining seven that are not.

I am one of the three that are in DMOZ and would prefer that Google didn't use the more boring DMOZ description as I preferred my own sales pitch.

I noticed yesterday that the other two companies had managed to revert to their own meta decriptions in the Google page ranking whilst my own was still stuck with the DMOZ description.

They are both still in DMOZ so does anyone know have they have managed this trick as my own click through rate has gone down since using the DMOZ description, despite still being ranked in second place for my single word search term.

[g1smd]

Its no trick. Google is experimenting. They serve what they want to.

[RS_200_gto]

If Google is in control of titles, they might as well control our websites, and at this moment Google controls our title and website on my expense and time.

[elsamoa]

Hi,

after the last google update, my webpage is having the same problem again. It shows Dmoz tile and descrition. Last time (3 months and half ago) changed again after 4 weeks.

Someone figured out why is that?

Thanks

elsamoa