How to Get Listed in the Open Directory Project (DMOZ.org)

The Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org) is one of the most important places to get your web site listed if you want anyone to find it through a search engine. The ODP serves as the Google directory and is utilized by hundreds of other search sites around the web. If you want to be found, you need to get listed - the right way, the first time.

The good news - ODP submission is easy and free, every site regardless of budget, that provides unique content can get a "voice" and share information or sell products and service online.

The bad news - since ODP is run by primarily by volunteers (a small staff is employed for editorial and ontological oversight) and it can take a longer than express paid submissions to get reviewed.

Submitting to ODP correctly is easy, here's how:

• Make sure your site has no broken links
• Make sure your site loads quickly - 50k should be the absolute maximum page size. This is not an ODP requirement, but the faster a page loads, the less likely an editor is to pass it by and move on to another site.
• Make sure your site contains unique content, not mirrored content or loads of affiliate links; a couple are OK if they are not the focus of the site.
• Do an exhaustive search or ODP to find the absolute best category to submit your site.
• Read the ODP submission guidelines and to learn how to describe your site properly. Each category that accepts sites has a link to its own submission form at the top right hand of the category page.
• Refer back to your keyword marketing strategy and pick 4-5 of your top keywords or phrases.
• Compose an intelligible sentence that accurately describes the content of your site - not your business, but the content of your site.
• Your description should be no more than 25 words, 15-20 is more like it.
• When you write the description, try to use your most important key phrase first.
• Put your description on the home page of your site (not mandatory, but it can help to reinforce the perception that the listing you requested is indeed accurate).
• Check your spelling and make sure everything is correct on the submission form.
• Check your spelling again and make sure everything is correct.
• Submit and wait.

Once a site is listed in ODP, it may take up to a year to propagate through all the other sites that use the data.

Most any site that meets the editorial guidelines will get one listing. Sites that have a physical address and are appropriate for a topical category may get a regional and topical listing.

Is it possible to get more than two ODP listings?

It depends. A site with more than two ODP listings often receives what are called deep links. A deep link is any link that points to a section of a site that is not the homepage. Deep links are the exception, not the rule.

How do you know if a site is eligible for more than two ODP listings?

Ultimately you don't. It's up to the resident editor, but here are some guidelines:

• The page submitted for a deep link should contain unique content that is not adequately represented by another listing.
• The page should be a useful resource in and of itself. Can it help someone, does it inform, can someone learn something from it?
• Is it genuine? A sales pitch is not content, it is an ad, and is not a candidate for an additional ODP listing.
• Put yourself in the shoes of someone unfamiliar with your site and ask yourself, is this useful, is it really useful? If you can honestly say yes, then you've got a candidate for an additional listing in ODP.
• If "your site" is that of a huge conglomerate that offers products around the globe, ranging from gorilla snot to aerospace components, sections of the site are likely to get deep linked in appropriate categories.

What should you do if it's been a month or more since you submitted to ODP and the site hasn't shown up?

Patience is key, indeed a necessity, but if you are determined to try to speed the process, the following steps may help:

• Identify the resident editor nearest to the category where the site was submitted and compose a brief polite note inquiring about the status of the site submitted. Include the category, the URL of the site, and the date submitted if possible. Remember the editor is a volunteer and doing you a favor by responding to your inquiry.
• If that does not work, pay a visit to the Open Directory Public Forum. While no guarantees are made, editors are often present to lend a hand and provide information on the status of submissions.
• If necessary, resubmit the site, three times over a period of several months is more than sufficient. All submissions get reviewed. Repeated submissions will most likely extend the queue the site is already in.

How can you become an ODP editor?

Lucky for you, ODP is always looking for editors. The next section provides some tips on becoming an ODP editor. It's really easy to get accepted if you take the time to do the application correctly. Just remember the ODP is looking for editors, not site promoters. Learn how to apply to be an ODP editor here.