Getting Listed in ODP/DMOZ
Jun 09, 2004

Submitting a URL to ODP is the easiest pathway webmasters can take to get into top engines like Google, AOL, and Netscape Search. This human-edited directory is free and easy to submit to, but there are a few things webmasters should know about the process...

What is the ODP?
Also called the Open Directory Project, or DMOZ, ODP is a volunteer run directory that lists submitted web sites by category. Each category has a volunteer editor that accepts sites for their respective category.

Why ODP is Important
Although ODP isn't the biggest or most important engine, getting listed at ODP can improve chances of getting listed at Google (and ranked higher) and getting listed on other major searches that are powered by the ODP directory including: Netscape Search, AOL Search, Lycos, HotBot, DirectHit, and hundreds of others.

The Cost to Submit
The good news- ODP is absolutely free to submit to (unlike Yahoo's directory). The bad news- it can take over a month to get a site listed in the directory- IF your site gets listed at all.

Getting IN
Once you have a good site built and ready to go, read their instructions for submission. Remember this is a human-edited directory. The editors don't want to waste their time on junk sites. ODP's goal is to have a quality directory, not the directory with the most sites.

Before submitting a site to ODP know in what category of the directory your site would best fit. (Submitting your site to the wrong category can make getting listed take even longer. Your site will be forwarded on to the right category and put on the back of the list again.) Once you've got in mind the best category, go to Dmoz.org and submit your site. It will be sent to the volunteer editor of your chosen category.

Submitting to ODP

Go to http://www.dmoz.org

Select the best category for your site

Submit Your URL

And Wait

Related Web Tools:
The Key to Good Title Tags