Adding the ODP tag

Do I benefit in adding it?

[moishier]

I am considering adding the ODP meta tag to block google from using the ODP title and description.

I have noticed the google will alternate between your title or the ODP's title for the smae page, depending on the search term: if the search term includes a word from your title then it shows your title; if it does not but the ODP title does have the search term then it uses the ODP title.

So this is my debate:

A reason to block it would be because if I chose my title deliberately why would I want the ODP title which relies on some editor that may not know my site as well or be SEO'ed?

On the other hand, isn't it better that have the term highlighted in the SERP (if he used a term not found in my title but in the ODP title it is there)?

Comments, please.

[Quadrille]

The search term is highlighted because it appears in the title or description; if you have a search term that does not appear in the title or description, then Google may take a snippet from the page that does include the search term, eg

pubcon.com/" target="_top">WebmasterWorld PubCon exhibitor:<br><img border=

This is probably more likely if Google does not have the option of using the ODP info.

[garyr_h]

Matt Cutts stated that it doesn't have any affect on SERPs.

So whether you want it or not is really a matter of preference, CTR, etc.

[Quadrille]

It does not have an effect on the serps, but it will affect the way your result is displayed (that's the whole point of it!) :)

[moishier]

How does what you say corroberate with what people say that when they added the tag they saw an increase of 20% more traffic?

Are people clicking more since they got a better title and description displayed, over what ODP had?

[tedster]

Exactly -- that's one of the main reasons I use the NOODP tag.

[moishier]

But why would people be more likely to click if it does NOT have anything highlited, since that is the reason it took it from the ODP in the first place? Does the highlighting not have as much of an impact as compared to an SEOed title/description?

Seems interesting...