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How_To_Get_Listed_In_Open_Directory_Project_The_First_Time
| How To Get Listed In Open Directory Project, The First Time!
There are more than 20,000 volunteers who make-up the Open
Directory Project’s indexing core. The criteria for getting
listed in the Open Directory Project is a little tight and many
of the pages submitted are not indexed on the first try.
However, if you use a little common sense and follow some pretty
basic rules, getting listed shouldn't be a problem.
The following are some guidelines to consider before submitting
your site to the Open Directory Project.
Your Web Site:
Is the site already listed in the directory?
Multiple entries within Open Directory are not very hard to get,
if your entry offers good content. However, the editor will try
to find the most significant category for the listing to insure
the URL is listed in the most appropriate category.
Significantly different and unique content is the key to success
for multiple listings. Does the site or page being submitted
actually exist?
This might seem obvious to most, but the facts are that many
URLs get submitted prior to the site being ready. When visited
by the editor, and they do visit your submitted URL, if it is
not found (404 Error), the submission may be rejected.
It is at the editor’s discretion whether or not to hold your
submission for a second or third look, or to look for typos in
the URL. Most are rejected on the spot!Is the site under
construction? Sites under construction are not acceptable.
Again, some editors will hold your submission for a few days to
see if this is a temporary problem.
Don’t count on it!
Wait until your site is ready prior to submitting.Does the site
present a high-quality professional appearance?
Shoddy or disorganized sites are not indexed. Your site must
present a well thought out plan. "My Hometown Pictures" personal
homepage probably wouldn’t get listed. Open Directory Project
only list sites that are of value to the general public.Does the
site contain a lot of typos?
Spell-check, spell-check, SPELL-CHECK! Too many typos will cause
your site to be rejected.
Are there any broken links?
Broken links present frustration to the visitor. Most editors
check for links that are broken.
This could cause your site not to be listed.
Do your graphics load reasonably fast?
If your graphics take a long time to load (say over 20-30
seconds), the site will most likely be rejected.
Tip – Don’t simply resize a large graphic on the page to reduce
its size. Work it out in your graphics program.
Remember it’s the size of the file that’s the problem with slow
loading, not the size of the graphic.Does the site content match
the meta-description and keywords? This can be a tough one for
the Open Directory Project editor and you. If it’s a judgment
call on the significance for a category, don’t forget that the
editor is the judge!Is the URL being submitted the domain’s
index or main page?
The thought here is that the site’s main page represents the
most important page. However, some editors will look at
submissions of lower pages, if the page presents significantly
different content for the viewer.Don't spam!
Because humans are doing the indexing, they get pretty testy
whenever you add needless workload. Most editors review the
directory's Spam List. Once you're on it, the list can be seen
by editors for any category in the directory.
Give the editor a break! : - )
If your site conforms to the rules, it will probably get listed.
Depending on the category and the number of editors assigned, it
can take up to 5 or 6 weeks to get listed. Be patient!
Your Title:
Generally speaking, Open Directory Project accepts the title of
the page or site as the title of choice for the editor.
Remember, the editor can change anything in the title or
description of your submission.
Don’t put any promotional information in the title. It will only
get edited out.Using AAA or A-1 or 111 in the title to gain some
sort of listing advantage will not get by the editor. Unless of
course, your company really is "AAA", as in the "American
Automobile Association".
Site Description:
Do not repeat the title in the description! You will just be
wasting copy, because it will get edited out.
Describe your site in functional terms, not the usual
promotional copy used for search engines.
If you don't give your description a lot of thought and be very
precise in your wording, the editor will re-word it to their
liking. Sometimes, this will lose many of your keywords and
phrases.
Look around in the category you want to be listed in and mimic
the general phraseology that's already listed. Most editors for
a category have a certain style that they like to see.
Eliminate the "We" terminology. Example, instead of "We offer
widgets", say "Offering widgets" or "Offers widgets". The idea
here is that the "We" implies that the Open Directory offers the
product or service, instead of the company represented.
Some editors will let this one pass.
Don't try to work in all of your keywords. It usually comes out
sounding like promotional copy.
Use your page's most powerful keywords or phrase, but keep it
toned down. Your first goal is to get listed and show-up on a
search for your main keyword or phrase.
Let your site do the selling. Keep in mind that...
Although keywords are important for search engines that use Open
Directory Project listings in their search results, keywords are
not as important at Open Directory Project. A good description
of what the content of your site represents is most important
here.
Don't try to get too cute!
If an editor see something like, "Providing a home based
business opportunity where you learn how to sell online and make
money on the net from selling on the web."
The editor might simply reword your copy to read, "Provides
income earning potential." So give your site description plenty
of thought.
Links:
Generally, links are a good thing. They show that your site can
relate to the rest of cyberland. However, they must work! Broken
links may cause you not to get listed in the directory.
Special Note:
Most editors will not list a site if it only has affiliate type
click-throughs. If all or most of your links are paid
click-throughs, your site will probably not get listed. What
they look for primarily is the affiliate's ID number in the link.
This is a dead give-away that the link is a paid click-through.
A good way to get around this problem could be to submit a high
content second-generation gateway page as your index.
How to Submit:
Do a search in Open Directory Project for your best keywords or
phrases.
Verify that the returns are suitable for your site's placement.
- Experiment with your search terms! Sometimes the best fit is a
secondary search term that will get you listed higher on a
search. In other words, checkout the competition for your
placement. It will pay you great dividends.
Find the highest level category that's suitable for your listing.
Then go for it!
You will notice that most of the higher level categories don't
have sites listed. - Drill down, if necessary to find the right
one. Click on the "add URL" link at the top of the page in the
category where you want to be listed.
Be sure to have a pre-written "URL", "Title" and "Description"
ready. - This is too important to wing-it! Use "notepad" or a
"text editor" and be sure to spell-check!
More and more, search engines like Netscape, Lycos, HotBot, AOL
and others are using Open Directory or some variation of it to
add to their search results. The exposure received, by getting
listed in Open Directory Project, makes it well worth your time
and effort to prepare your entry properly.
Follow-Up:
Once you have submitted your site, as mentioned earlier, it can
take a few weeks to get listed. Remember to write down and keep
the date submitted and category submitted to in a safe place for
easy reference.
If after about 4 weeks your site has not been listed, send a
cordial note via email to the category's editor, inquiring about
the status of your listing. You will find the Category Editor's
name(s) at the bottom of the page of your selected category.
Click on one of the names listed to discover their email
address. In your note, ask them whether or not there is a
problem you need to correct. You will probably not get a direct
response back. However, you would at least have gotten the
editor's attention and maybe this will expedite getting listed.
In your note to the editor, be sure to include your site's URL,
date submitted and the category to which you submitted.
If there is no editor assigned to your selected category, then
send the inquiry to the first available editor in the closest,
higher category that does have an editor assigned.
Wait one or two more weeks, and if you still are not listed,
re-submit.
Getting listed in the Open Directory is very important and
do-able!
Just follow the guidelines and you'll be fine.
Best regards,
Skip Akers
About the author:
Skip Akers is the webmaster at http://www.ideasformarketing.com
where you can get solid strategy planning information for
marketing on the Web.
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