Feb 13th 2009 5:31PM
Suggesting Sites: Finding the Correct Category
One of the most confusing steps in the site suggestion process is often the very first one: selecting the category to which you will suggest your site. Editor hiraeth has provided an excellent overview of how to decide.
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This post attempts to provide some help to anyone intending to suggest their website to the Open Directory for possible inclusion. To give your site a good chance of prompt attention by an editor, you should do your best to find the correct category to which to propose it. Many editors have permission to review sites in strictly limited areas of the directory. This means that incorrectly suggested sites may get passed from one editor to another, encountering delay on each occasion. Editors may also be inclined to review correctly submitted sites more speedily, in preference to those where the person submitting the site has not bothered to make an effort, though these will be sent somewhere more appropriate in due course. Here are some tips:
What language is your site in?
The English language part of the directory only includes sites in English or with an English version. For sites in other languages try World. Or look for the "This category in other languages" facility below the main headings.
Is your site of interest only to people living in one area or country?
The Open Directory has extensive cover of local and national sites under Regional. You can navigate in Regional to find the most appropriate geographic region for your site before looking for topical sub-categories. Do not worry if your locality doesn't have the perfect topical sub-category, it will still be the correct place for your site. You can try putting the name of your town or locality into the search box.
Is your site a business site?
Many categories in the Open Directory are for informational sites only. Most categories will have descriptions providing details of the kind of sites accepted. If business sites are not allowed, there is usually a list of related categories that may help, under the heading "See also". Shopping sites should be listed in the correct category in Regional if there is a physical outlet. Online retailers should be listed in the topical category for the area they cover.
Does your site resemble those already listed in the category?
When you think you have found the correct category, check the sites already listed. If they are quite dis-similar to yours, you may be in the wrong place. Read the "Description" of the category. Look at the list of related categories under the heading "See also". These may guide you to a better location.
Can your site be listed in more than one category?
In general, the answer is "No" but there are some exceptions to this rule. Some sites may be included in the main topical category as well as in the Regional category for the locality served. A site with versions in more than one language may be listed in several appropriate categories in World. Please do not suggest your site to multiple categories just because you have difficulty finding the right one.
Stumped?
It's not too surprising, the Open Directory has such a vast array of categories that finding your way around it is difficult, even for editors. Try the excellent DMOZ search facility, entering one or two key words. If you are sure the category you are looking for will be in a particular branch of the Directory, you can search while in that category, restricting the results to its subcategories.
- - - - - - - - -
This post attempts to provide some help to anyone intending to suggest their website to the Open Directory for possible inclusion. To give your site a good chance of prompt attention by an editor, you should do your best to find the correct category to which to propose it. Many editors have permission to review sites in strictly limited areas of the directory. This means that incorrectly suggested sites may get passed from one editor to another, encountering delay on each occasion. Editors may also be inclined to review correctly submitted sites more speedily, in preference to those where the person submitting the site has not bothered to make an effort, though these will be sent somewhere more appropriate in due course. Here are some tips:
What language is your site in?
The English language part of the directory only includes sites in English or with an English version. For sites in other languages try World. Or look for the "This category in other languages" facility below the main headings.
Is your site of interest only to people living in one area or country?
The Open Directory has extensive cover of local and national sites under Regional. You can navigate in Regional to find the most appropriate geographic region for your site before looking for topical sub-categories. Do not worry if your locality doesn't have the perfect topical sub-category, it will still be the correct place for your site. You can try putting the name of your town or locality into the search box.
Is your site a business site?
Many categories in the Open Directory are for informational sites only. Most categories will have descriptions providing details of the kind of sites accepted. If business sites are not allowed, there is usually a list of related categories that may help, under the heading "See also". Shopping sites should be listed in the correct category in Regional if there is a physical outlet. Online retailers should be listed in the topical category for the area they cover.
Does your site resemble those already listed in the category?
When you think you have found the correct category, check the sites already listed. If they are quite dis-similar to yours, you may be in the wrong place. Read the "Description" of the category. Look at the list of related categories under the heading "See also". These may guide you to a better location.
Can your site be listed in more than one category?
In general, the answer is "No" but there are some exceptions to this rule. Some sites may be included in the main topical category as well as in the Regional category for the locality served. A site with versions in more than one language may be listed in several appropriate categories in World. Please do not suggest your site to multiple categories just because you have difficulty finding the right one.
Stumped?
It's not too surprising, the Open Directory has such a vast array of categories that finding your way around it is difficult, even for editors. Try the excellent DMOZ search facility, entering one or two key words. If you are sure the category you are looking for will be in a particular branch of the Directory, you can search while in that category, restricting the results to its subcategories.
1. Could you please advice on a category for my blog. I've scoured the directory but still can't find a suitable category.
P/s: It is a blog discussing Web, Technology, SEO and E-Business. Thanks.
Posted at 6:20AM on Feb 15th 2009 by Rollins
2. Please Let me know, already added our site according to the dmoz guidelines, but still not listed with dmoz.
Posted at 2:58PM on Feb 16th 2009 by sharanyan
3. Good luck! We've been trying to get our site listed for six years.
Posted at 7:30PM on Feb 16th 2009 by Ian
4. Picked the right category and everything, and still not listed.
Posted at 1:52AM on Feb 17th 2009 by Anonymous
5. Have submitted two sites several times over the last 3 years, in the correct categories containing other similar sites. The outcome so far has been zero, with zero response from the Open Directory. Finally, I gave up....
Posted at 6:53AM on Feb 17th 2009 by Gautam Dutt
6. Please... Honestly, what is the point of posting an article which describes finding the right category to submit a site when it doesn't really matter. Like so many people before me that have tried... It won't go in no matter what category you put it in. After 5 years of trying to submit the odd site I make, nothing has ever appeared. Let's face it, DMOZ is dead.
PS To those people that are just posting their links on here. Forget that also... It has a 'nofollow' tag on every link so don't waste your time.
Posted at 10:16AM on Feb 17th 2009 by roger
7. Every time I try to use a contact form on DMOZ I get an error message. We've been trying to contact the editor of the Bead & Gemstone Directory or editors higher up for about 4 months now to find out why our site isn't being listed or when it might be listed... We resubmitted over 1 month ago assuming something had got lost in transit and now we're just confused.
We were recommended to try here & the category we're trying to submit to is
Shopping/Jewelry/Bead And Gemstone/Handcrafted Gemstone Jewelry.
If there's an editor here who could add us or chase it up to make it happen/let us know what's happening then we'd be *much* obliged.
We've posted this comment before but were ignored/not responded to... why don't the contact us forms via DMOZ work? - this question alone deserves answering. Thanks.
Posted at 11:31AM on Feb 17th 2009 by Frustrated9
8. The grating category is in desperate need of updating. Many websites, including our own, are not listed. We have been personally trying for to get our site listed for about two years. My request to be an editor for the grating category has been rejected. Paco is a member of the National Association of Architectural Metal Manufacturers (NAAMM). We would be fair and honest in updating this category. Please advise. Thank you.
Posted at 12:09PM on Feb 18th 2009 by Paco Corp
9. That site is so dead it is not even funny. I have been trying to list a ton of sites there. I cannot say when I first found it but it has to more than 5 years ago.
I think we all agree that everyone wants to be in it but they cannot get in, leaving a bad taste in our month.
Posted at 10:07AM on Feb 18th 2009 by Dan Kinchen
10. We have been trying to get our category changed to the appropriate one but are having a really tough time getting it accomplished. I've tried updating and resubmitting and yet nothing. You would think it would not be hard to do this day and age. Can someone please help?
Posted at 1:48PM on Feb 23rd 2009 by ats
11. I've been patient on trying to get my website updated into the correct category. I've tried the update and the resubmit options but that has not worked. Can someone please help?
Posted at 1:26PM on Mar 2nd 2009 by Andy Sellers
12. With this article DMOZ just mocking us.
"Can your site be listed in more than one category?
In general, the answer is "No".
Yeah... a few my competitors are listed in more than one category each! I've been trying to get listed in one category for years! Shouldn't DMOZ run some kind of automatic tool to find all duplicates? Looks like they are happy with what they got right now.
Posted at 7:32PM on Feb 23rd 2009 by acanom
13. Dear DMOZ staff!
This is a very good sites to have my sites displayed on. Please tell me how to get the best access to do that because I did submited many links to DMOZ but I got no news from you. My sites are about hotels and tours that could be useful for DMOZ's users who want to find the best place to stay when enjoying vacations.
Looking forward to recieving your responses.
Best regards!
Posted at 10:05PM on Feb 23rd 2009 by Tuan Truong
14. Thanks for sharing information and i appreciate it.Looking for more discussion and waiting for new topics here.
Posted at 1:23AM on Feb 24th 2009 by I kat
15. I submitted my URL several months ago, but I can not find my website now.
Posted at 1:54AM on Feb 24th 2009 by Stone Shi
16. I managed to include a couple of sites in DMOZ several years ago. IIRC, there was an option to suggest a new category during submission, but I didn't find it this time.
The aerial photography directory ( http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Arts_and_Entertainment/Photography/Photographers/Aerial/ ) has only five sections: Asia, Caribbean, Europe, North America and Oceania. My submitted URL would be better located in a "South America" category, but I couldn't find a way to suggest this new category...
I know that the editor can create a new category, but I believe that allowing the user to give a suggestion during submission would save everyone's some effort and time.
Keep up with the good work!
Posted at 11:22AM on Feb 24th 2009 by Ricardo
17. I've been trying unsuccessfully to get my website listed on DMOZ for the last three years doing all of the above! It's a content rich site aimed at pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and I've tried adding it to pages that other similar sites are featured on but with no luck! It's extremely frustrating...
Posted at 2:09PM on Feb 24th 2009 by BMums
18. I'd have to agree with the frustrations of the commenters above. After a quick perusing of my area of expertise, dating advice, I've found that the directory is a complete joke. Some of these sites are ancient and none of the best content websites/blogs in this subject is listed. It appears that DMOZ is simply a fossilized look at what websites used to look like in the early 90s.
Posted at 9:00PM on Feb 24th 2009 by Matt Savage
19. Nice information.
Posted at 5:45AM on Mar 5th 2009 by Bhuck Gorge
20. Is it that bad to get a directory listing on here? I mean three years or more? They say 2 weeks in the instructions to list. Must be really popular but worth the wait if you get in.
Posted at 2:54PM on Mar 7th 2009 by bartonseo.com