The Importance of the Open Directory Project

Solicit every directory, society, search engine, reference site, and information portal
you can—if they’re free, all the better. But DMOZ is the undisputed king. . . .
www.dmoz.org
The Open Directory Project is a very unassuming Web site out there in cyberspace that carries
a tremendous amount of weight. Its unique selling proposition (USP), ironically in this technical
age, implies that it is human-powered and not software-driven. DMOZ doesn’t employ
spiders to scan the Web. Instead, it waits for you to submit your URL and then assigns an editor
to check your listing manually; then, assuming you’ve added yourself to the correct category,
you’ll be listed on DMOZ.
What’s the Point?
Very few users actually use the directory to conduct searches—why would they when Google
does it so much better?—so being listed is not going to affect your traffic levels. DMOZ’s data
can be downloaded for free, and both small and large Web sites use the data to improvetheir own sites—and one of those sites is Google. In fact, Google’s own directory is nothing other than the DMOZ data.
A successful listing on DMOZ creates two important links to a Web site—one from DMOZ and one from the Google Directory.
Both DMOZ and Google have a very high PageRank. Add to this the thousands of links created by all the Web sites that are using the DMOZ directory and it becomes obvious why a listing in DMOZ is so important. It’s often the case that a DMOZ listing alone will raise your Page
Rank by one or two places!
Patience, Dear Boy DMOZ’s strength is also its weakness. As it is staffed by volunteers, there is a huge queue of Web sites clamoring to get listed; since there are only so many hours in the day, it can take up to eight weeks for your URL submission to be translated into a listing.
Don’t send snotty e-mails asking for an update or complaining about the delay; just sit tight
and wait. If you’ve followed the instructions, your turn will come.

You guessed it: Make it your job this afternoon to get on DMOZ and submit your URL. Read
the submission guidelines and choose your category wisely to avoid unnecessary delays.