How to tell Google which category/industry a website belongs to?

[OutdoorMan]

Hi.

I have been told that getting a website listed in the DMOZ directory, in some extend should help Google figuring out what the website's main theme is all about.

This should apparently have some kind of possitive effect on SERPs listing in Google, or so I hear.

However since DMOZ is still suffering from a longterm blackout -- and since I'm not even listed in DMOZ yet -- I would like to know if I somehow can tell Google which category/industry my website belongs to?

Another (by Google) trusted directory maybe?

Thanks.

[Tinus]

A DMOZ or Yaho directory link alone wouldn't be enough.
A lot of inbound links from authority sites in your field would do the trick ofcourse but it might take some time.
Outbound links to sites in your field will be helpfull as well.
And ofcourse your anchortext (the words in the textlinks within your site)

[edited by: Tinus at 10:28 am (utc) on Dec. 6, 2006]

[abacuss]

In the Matt Cutt video he clearly mentioned that a site listed in dmoz gets a preference only when the sites description are in line with the dmoz description. More over a link from these directories helps you coz these are authority sites and and have lots of links.

[OutdoorMan]

Outbound links to sites in your field will be helpfull as well. And ofcourse your anchortext (the words in the textlinks within your site)

Tinus > My website is in a very small field (a niche) and there's only a few sites within the field that I can make usefull links for -- no authority sites within the field at all.

Also the sites/webpages I'm currently link at is kind of 'out of the field' but still relevant for my content.

Can you explain to me what you mean by "and ofcourse your anchortext" (I know what an anchortext is, but I'm not sure of what you mean -- exactly).

In the Matt Cutt video he clearly mentioned that a site listed in dmoz gets a preference only when the sites description are in line with the dmoz description. More over a link from these directories helps you coz these are authority sites and and have lots of links.

abacuss > So if/when I one day gets listed in DMOZ, then I should have the very same meta-description as I have described my website when I submitted my site at DMOZ?

Thanks.

[Web_Savvy]

Can you explain to me what you mean by "and ofcourse your anchortext" (I know what an anchortext is, but I'm not sure of what you mean -- exactly).

What abacuss probably meant - and what I and many others would recommend too - is:

1. Make sure (at least some of) the links pointing back to your home page from the internal pages/sections of your site contain the industry/category name in the anchor text and

2. Do the same for external inbound links pointing to your site.

[Web_Savvy]

So if/when I one day gets listed in DMOZ

I'd not hold my breath waiting to get listed in DMOZ.

Nor would I bank my business plan on it ;-)

[abacuss]

OutdoorMan - Dmoz editors always make their own description and put it up there which they feel are inline with the site.

Matt Cutt said if the description provided by Dmoz and that of site are similar then you may probably get a boost in the rankings.

[mattg3]

DMOZ is so broken. Only page we have in is a 9 year old domain that is homepage only .. with 2 links.. anything of higher quality gets rejected by the resident (in loosest sense of the word) "editor".

[Web_Savvy]

Dmoz editors always make their own description

This is interesting.

We have people on our staff here who have been DMOZ editors for years (starting from year 2000) who often discuss their experiences about DMOZ but I didn't know they always make their own descriptions.

Would you care to elaborate upon this a bit further?

Edited: I think I'm getting a bit off-topic here. My apologies.

[edited by: Web_Savvy at 4:09 pm (utc) on Dec. 16, 2006]

[fishfinger]

I think that any ranking benefits which might accrue from letting Google use the DMOZ description would be negated by the fact that they're usually so 'unclickable'.

'Features gallery and contact form' - hmm that's just what I want searchers to read when considering whether to click my link in the SERPs.

[abacuss]

If not all the time I think most of the times Dmoz editors change the description. I am not criticizing the fact that they do change it. It may happen because either the site was not having a proper description or may be the site description was not at all present.

[OutdoorMan]

Matt Cutt said if the description provided by Dmoz and that of site are similar then you may probably get a boost in the rankings.

abacuss > So when my site finally is listed in DMOZ, I should always keep my DMOZ-description updated, right?

[harrysmit]

Outdoorman : just don’t care for DMOZ rightnow instead concentrate on building relevant backlink, build unique contents and all… DMOZ is not only the directory you can trust, submit at other high PR directories this will definitely help you.
ATB…

[OutdoorMan]

DMOZ is not only the directory you can trust, submit at other high PR directories this will definitely help you.
ATB…

Any directories you can recomend?

And does it matter (to Google) if I submit to international directories when my website isn't international -- my website is written in danish language...

Thanks.