SEO Tips for DMOZ

If you're seriously interested in knowing about SEO, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about SEO.

DMOZ is the directory where Google starts when it crawls the web, so getting listed in DMOZ is good for you. SEO with DMOZ starts with selecting the search terms you’re targeting, and then finding a directory category that includes them. This can be a time-consuming and difficult task. You’ll often find lots of matching categories. The trick is to find the most precise category and, if possible, a directory that does not have too many other competitors in it. You can hit a niche market simply by being placed in a category that has few competitors. DMOZ, of course, makes the final decision as to where your website will be located.

Don’t choose a category that’s too general for your site, as it might just get removed later on. Make your site stand out by using a unique, catchy description – one for people, not search engines. Remember, you will probably get a pretty hefty number of hits from DMOZ itself. When you are trying to get listed in DMOZ, don’t worry about trying to get a nice listing in the search engines that crawl here, worry about getting a good listing here. The search engines care more about where DMOZ lists your site than what you have to say about your site in your description; DMOZ cares more about how accurately described, how interesting, and how often visited your site is than where you are listed in the search engines.

A third feature to be aware of is the PageRank of the category, and the number of listings on the page. You’ll do better with more specific, smaller categories, especially if they have dedicated editors. A small category with a high page rank is the best situation that you can run into. Remember that a page’s page rank is split between the number of links that go out from it so if you run into a page with a rank of seven with seventy-five out links you probably aren’t as well off as a page with a ranking of five and ten out links. This is a constant for Google Page Ranks, not an exception for DMOZ. Your targeted keywords should appear in your site’s description, towards the beginning. Don’t put them towards the end, as the editor might chop them off to save space!

Remember that once a site is submitted to DMOZ, it’s very difficult to update its description. Give it a few days to think it over before you submit it, and be more vague about websites if you think they might change. Don’t write descriptions that could become out of date easily. If you are running a monthly special you shouldn’t include this in your description unless you say something to the extent of “low price sales monthly.” If you suddenly decide that you are going to completely transform your site into something completely different you will have huge problems with your listings. Keep this in mind before you start building your site if there are possibilities that you will choose to reuse the domain that you have purchased.

If you absolutely have to resubmit, you can submit a blank form that informs the editor of your former web site that your site has changed drastically and that you want the old listing deleted. From there you can submit a new form to any category (or categories) that you need to be listed on with an updated title, description, and key words.

Is everything making sense so far? If not, I'm sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.

Multiple Listings for the Same Site.

Some editors allow multiple listings for submitted sites, especially if they’re good quality sites that span multiple DMOZ categories. It’s always best to request multiple listings – you can use the text box on the submission page to justify yourself.

If you find a good category for a niche inform the editor as to whether or not this will be a specified category and then search for any other categories that are related. You may get a good deal of hits from your niche, but it may also be a small market for a reason. If there aren’t that many people who would be utilizing that particular category, you may want to submit to other categories that will provide you with more substantial results.

Being Patient.

Follow the submission guidelines and don’t exaggerate. If no-one seems to be reviewing your site after a week or so has gone by then you could post a question. Be patient, though: most of the DMOZ directory is edited by hand, and they’re very busy. In many cases it can take as long as three months to get added.

DMOZ simply wasn’t prepared for the sudden importance it had forced upon it. One of the biggest problems with the directory is that each site must be looked at by editors, so your site might not get indexed for no reason other than the editor not liking it, or even just losing it. 

There's a lot to understand about SEO. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

James Mahony is the founder of Search Engine Optimization Tips - A site dedicated to Search Engine Optimization

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