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Dumped from dmoz - consequences for Google ranking?

         

soapystar

7:47 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



having been in a certain dmoz cat for a while i asked to be moved to a more appropriate cat. Thsi was done. Now i find that the new editor has removed my listing. Im an affiliate site and i can only assume this was why. however the site is content rich, some of which is unique since i was a taxi driver in the area its a hotel site for and i can add information unseen by sites not even based where they are advertising for. anyway i would like your opinion on how this will affect me. Currently on google im number 4 for widget hotels. All other sites above me are listed in the widget hotels on dmoz. Currently google thinks im in widget taxis. I have about 400 inbound links with about 250 pr3 or over with keyword anchor text. Will i take a hit when google updates its directory do you think?

djgreg

7:56 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Having so many inbound links with keyword in linktext I wouldn't worry too much about a dmoz listing.
I have sites that are not listed in the dmoz and are above dmoz sites in the ranking only because of 10 inbound links from other sites. However it depends on how many inbound links your competitors have.

soapystar

8:18 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

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ok...so it wont help but the weighting isnt huge ..thats what u seem to be saying?

martinibuster

9:32 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



If you're not in dmoz, you're not in the G directory. That can hurt.

My client was a pr6 until an editor moved her out of her cat, and now she's a pr5.

I'm not sure where her listing is. This quote: editor :unquote moved her out of her cat and perhaps didn't have the decency to move her into an appropriate cat.

You know how these people are: Delete-Delete.

I've put her in the queue for an appropriate cat but so far it's the waiting game.

This client is highly reputable, with reviews in the New York Times, etc..

soapystar

9:46 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



GULP!

WebManager

10:29 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)



Having so many inbound links with keyword in linktext I wouldn't worry too much about a dmoz listing.

I disagree - you've simply *got* to be in DMOZ

djgreg

10:36 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I only can describe my experience. If it isn't a keyword with let's say 20 Million results you can easily get a goo position without a dmoz listing.

WebManager

11:41 am on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)



djgreg

I partially agree, but when I lost my DMOZ listing (due to a glitch on their part) it kept me awake nights!

My reasoning is strategic - the INet is an insecure business - there is always a risk, albeit a small one, for example of being dropped from Google for a month.

I see DMOZ, Yahoo etc. as "Gold Seals" on the INet - I feel secure, and good about my sites when they are listed there.

ann

1:06 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Read on another forum where a person with an affiliate pills site was denied entry into dmoz as they are no longer accepting affiliate urls.. the person was not sure if that extended to all affiliate sites or only to the medical-pills sites.

Ann

The dmoz link for more info:
[dmoz.org...]

Birdman

1:13 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

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Well I can say that a site I handle has been waiting for almost a year now and I've got that site good positions for top searches without their listing.

My advice to anyone "worried" about their DMOZ listing is forget about it. There is practically nothing you can do once you submit(or get moved). Just submit and forget. It'll be awhile.

They might as well stop taking submissions if they can't review them in a reasonable amount of time. (appologies to any editors here)

djgreg

1:19 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



WebManager:
I never saw it from this side, but I can imagine your point of view. And then of course it is bad being dropped from dmoz

SlyOldDog

1:30 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

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"I disagree - you've simply *got* to be in DMOZ"

Twaddle. I have a site ranking in Google on the 1st page in a very competitve category with 3 inbound links - none of them from DMOZ.

Bluesplinter

2:52 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



>> They might as well stop taking submissions if they can't review them in a reasonable amount of time. (appologies to any editors here) <<

You have to remember that dmoz editors (and I'm one) are volunteers... we each have different levels of experience and interests, some of us are more active than others, and some (not me!) make mistakes :)

I keep the cats I edit up to date... new submissions are often listed the same day. If a site is "down" when I try to review it, or under construction, I don't delete it... I set it aside for later review. If the site doesn't fit in that cat, I send it along to a more appropriate cat. However, if I personally don't have editing privileges in the new cat, it won't be listed in the new cat until another editor with proper privs lists it.

Sometimes in that shuffle, a perfectly good site is moved from a cat with an active, experienced editor, to a cat without an editor, or to one with a newbie editor, or an inactive editor. And, sometimes newbie editors make mistakes... sometimes they're too strict with what an affiliate site means. I've seen newbies in the editor forums question a good, unique-content rich site that has a single affiliate link on it. He was, of course, told to list the site, and he probably learned how to judge such sites from that discussion. But not every editor takes part in the forums, and another editor might see the same site, think "affiliate", and delete it. We tell new editors not to delete sites without getting input from more experienced members.

As for listed sites that "disappear", they usually aren't deleted. We are told strongly and repeatedly not to delete listed sites. However, for one reason or another they can be taken out of the public listing (if the site is down when an editor checks it, if another editor or more senior editor with privs in that cat feels the site should be elsewhere, etc). Just because a cat has a listed editor, that doesn't mean he's the only one who can unlist a site there.

Anyway, back to the point of reviewing them in a reasonable amount of time... some areas are heavily spammed, and those are a chore to wade through. Some areas don't have enough (or any) editors. The count of editors on the front page of the site has nothing to do with how many editors are actually active. We need more good editors... a lot more. But to stop submissions because some cats aren't as up-to-date would just penalize the cats with active editors... just because I stop getting new submissions doesn't mean I can automatically edit in other, more neglected areas, or that I would want to.

I'll say it again... we need more GOOD editors... a lot more.

Steve

ciml

4:05 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Back to soapystar's Google related question...

> I have about 400 inbound links with about 250 pr3 or over with keyword anchor text. Will i take a hit when google updates its directory do you think?

Unless you get most of your PageRank from the dmoz.org and directory.google.com links I'd say that their removal is unlikely to cause you a significant problem.

If the ODP category has a higher PageRank on dmoz.org and directory.google.com than your other links, and/or if the ODP title is better than the link text of your other links, then yes I think you may notice a difference.

soapystar

4:34 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



ok..thanks for coming back to my question!thanks god for the moderators....so your opinion is that dmoz and google directory links are not that different from other links..i thought google gave it more weight..like last month when a lot of guys were saying that they lost ground because of a lack of dmoz listing?

cjtripnewton

5:17 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



>> having been in a certain dmoz cat for a while
>> i asked to be moved to a more appropriate cat.
>> Thsi was done. Now i find that the new editor
>> has removed my listing.

Soapystar, it's possible that the editor used his dmoz tools to move your site to a different category, and that it is now sitting in the que awaiting review in its new category.

You can get an update at the open directory public forum.

If your site was removed, they'll tell you, and if it was removed because it's an affiliate site, you'll need to overhaul it, making it a content-driven guide. Affiliate sites are not allowed in DMOZ as a general rule. Here are the details: [dmoz.org...]

Good luck.

soapystar

5:36 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



well i've emailed the current editor and the editor who moved the site and i await a reply...the site is content rich having evolved from an information site to a hotel affiliate site..ive asked in the dmoz forum what to do and was told to contact a meta editor..but how do i find a meta editor?

Mike_Mackin

5:59 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



>having evolved from an information site to a hotel affiliate site

Looks like you may need a new domain if dmoz is that important to ya. I'm not so sure it is.

dmoz cats in that industry are abused on a regular basis. You asked for the change and caused another editor to review your site. There must have been links to at least 2 affiliate programs that are submitted to dmoz on a regular basis.

[a meta or 2 drop by this forum at least once a day]

ciml

6:13 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



soapystar:
> ...so your opinion is that dmoz and google directory links are not that different from other links

Yes, sometimes it looks as though it makes a difference but if so the difference is small.

soapystar

6:25 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



"Looks like you may need a new domain if dmoz is that important to ya. I'm not so sure it is. "

that was the point of the thread. Not a complaint against dmoz, just a question regards google. I get a lot of traffic from google. My main keywords are number 5 behind sites that are listed in the right cat. and all are affiliates, cross linking affiliates at that...i was wondering if i can stil compete without being listed in the right section. No. I am not looking for a new domain. I have a clean site with content. if dmoz wont list me because im affiliate then i have to live with that.

martinibuster

7:09 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



Looks like you may need a new domain if dmoz is that important to ya. I'm not so sure it is.

Soapystars whole point is that he's worried about his search engine ranking and traffic. He's worried.

"I'm not sure it is?" Where did that inference come from?

I think we should be less condescending about people who write about their issues and focus on the issue at hand: Will loss of a dmoz listing hurt his SE positions?

There's nothing to read between the lines here, and certainly no cause to make inferences like that.

Mike_Mackin

7:16 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



martinibuster

I'm sorry if my words didn't convey the message that I intended.

The point I was trying to make was what ciml said
"Unless you get most of your PageRank from the dmoz.org and directory.google.com links I'd say that their removal is unlikely to cause you a significant problem."

petertdavis

7:35 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Having a site with affiliate links makes it less likely you'll get listed at the DMOZ. I think there's too much inconsistancy in the way affiliate link sites are treated by editors. In a perfect world, the editors would look at your site's content, and not notice that there's affiliate links on there. However, I believe that it's often the case that the affiliate links are the first thing some editors notice, and in many cases they won't go beyond that point.

The good news is, as others have pointed out, that a DMOZ listing is not particularly important. If your site depends on that listing, it just points out a deficiency in your SEO plan. I have sites with listings, and sites without, and do not see a noticable difference in PageRank, search engine results, or traffic.

soapystar

7:49 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



ok, thanks for all the replies. I think my answer is that if everything else is ok then i wont miss the listing. But for those who are speculating that being an affiliate site meant i was dropped the point is this. MY site had been in a different cat. for a year. I asked the editor to move it to a more appropraite cat. the editor that moved it was the main editor for the city. It was placed in a subdirectory of the city, and i assume removed by a lower ranked editor. This is what surprised me. I always realised that being an affiliate site meant i had a chance of being removed.I didnt expect the main editor to approve it and then be removed by a the sub-cat editor after it had been placed in there section by the main editor.

europeforvisitors

8:05 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)



I disagree - you've simply *got* to be in DMOZ

And I disagree with your disagreement. :-)

My main site is in DMOZ, but a secondary site isn't because I haven't been able to get a long-outdated DMOZ listing changed. The secondary site has a pagerank of 6 (the same as my main site), is listed #1 in Google for its most important keyphrase, and gets a considerable amount of traffic.

A DMOZ listing is desirable, if only because it means your home page gets a plain-English directory blurb displayed below the Google text snippet. But whether it's necessary (or even highly beneficial) depends on:

1) The PR of the DMOZ category. (If it's 4, you aren't going to benefit all that much from it.)

2) How many other links are in the DMOZ category. (More links = less PR benefit for each linked site.)

3) How many other quality inbound links you have.

4) The size of your site. (If you have a site with hundreds of pages that are already placing well in Google for targeted searches, any PR benefit that a DMOZ listing may provide for the home page is likely to be unimportant in the overall scheme of things.)

Chico_Loco

8:14 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



In my opinion being in the ODP is important if your site will be listed in a high PR directory (near the root). Otherwise it might just as well be considered as just another PR4 / 5 link back.

But if the ODP continue with their SLACK attitude (not the editors) then the ODP won't be around for much longer anyway. The search engine on the ODP has not been updated since September, what good is that?

I can't see Google stickting with the ODP if this were to continue for much longer as it would be quite a kick in the ass for their Directory service.

petertdavis

8:26 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Deeper categories can actually have highre PageRank than ones closer to root. It depends more on how many other categories link to that category, than its proximity to root. But, yes, you are correct in your assessment that the PageRank of the category is the most important factor in your listing. Being one of 50 in a PageRank 8 category is better than one of ten in a PageRank 4 category.

soapystar

8:51 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



well the cat im talking about has 63 listings and pr4..but what about themes? doesnt being in the right cat mean you place higher because the theme is right?

petertdavis

11:50 pm on Nov 16, 2002 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Even better would be to find someone with a related site, with a PageRank of five, to do a link exchange. Far more benefit to your site, and much less frustration over the listing.

SlyOldDog

12:09 am on Nov 17, 2002 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



well the cat im talking about has 63 listings and pr4..but what about themes? doesnt being in the right cat mean you place higher because the theme is right?

I don't know of any evidence to suggest this. Theming is discussed a lot, but there isn't much empirical evidence to suggest it is being used. The only theme engine on the web today is Alexa who track users' web activity. The theory being that the next website I click on is likely to be the same theme as the last. Alexa use Google's results, but do Google use Alexa's? I don't think so.

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