What You Need to Know About DMOZ: Open Directory Project
by Kristy Schnabel, VA

Want more Web traffic? Having more websites point to yours can really help your website's page rank. Consider submitting your URL (website address) to the Open Directory Project (ODP) or DMoz.

What's DMoz?
DMoz is short for Directory Mozilla also known as Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org/). Mozilla, a green lizard/dragon/alligator thing, is the mascot for the multilingual open content directory that's maintained by a community of volunteer editors. Editors, like myself, edit, approve, and reject website submissions to the directory based on editor guidelines. Ideally, editors seek out new additions to the directory as well.

I was surprised to learn that the ODP is owned by Time-Warner, but if you follow business acquisitions, it makes sense: Time-Warner bought AOL, which bought Netscape which bought the ODP from its creators.

Fast ODP Facts:

• Launched in 1998.
• Founders: Rich Skrenta and Bob Truel.
• Website submissions are free. (Yahoo! charges about $299 annually.)
• Submissions may take months to be approved, if ever.
• Directory size: over 4 million sites (Source: http://dmoz.org/ 1/6/2005.)
• Number of volunteer editors: 66,270. (Source: http://dmoz.org/ 1/6/2005.)
• Approximately 90% of editors are turned down. (Source: Wikipedia)
• Number of categories: 590,000 (Source: http://dmoz.org/ 1/6/2005.)

Put Yourself in Your Customer's Shoes
When you look for a plumber or an electrician, don't you look in your own home town first? I do. Even though people work virtually and don't need to be in the same town, state, or country, one has to start looking somewhere. That's why a directory that sorts geographically is so invaluable. For example, my website's listing is in this category:

Business>Business Services>Office Services>Secretarial Services and Virtual Assistants>United States>Oregon

Sure I get listed with my colleagues who some may call "the competition," but we offer unique services within our category and many of us are happy to cross refer. But do people really use directories much with the popularity of Google? I confess that I use search engines like Google over directories to do my research, but the great news is that a listing in the ODP increases my visibility and page ranking in Google (Source: Wikpedia).

If I do a search in Google for "Oregon virtual assistant," unfortunately neither my name nor business is in the top 10 listings. But the third listing (as of 1/6/2005) is Google's Directory which comes straight from the ODP category that I maintain and in which I appear.

Submit Your Site
Remember that it may take months for your website to get listed in the ODP after submitting it, so there is no time to lose. I recommend these steps:

1. Explore the ODP thoroughly to find the best place in the directory for your site.
2. Completely read and follow the directions for submitting your site to enhance being approved.
3. Wait.

Want to really increase your chances of your website appearing sooner? Consider applying to be an editor, if the job isn't taken, for the category in which you'd like to appear. To do so, you'll need to disclose any conflicts of interest you have and put aside any feelings of competitiveness. For more information about becoming an editor, look here: http://dmoz.org/help/become.html.

If you are a small business owner, consider submitting your site to the ODP today or asking your VA to do it for you. If you are a VA, you may want to offer this service to your clients as well.

Resources:
DMOZ Open Directory Project: http://dmoz.org/ (1/6/2005).
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Directory_Project (1/5/2005).