Getting Listed on DMOZ: Complete Working Guide

You aren’t getting listed on DMOZ? Well, it’s not as easy as you think and it will take you a couple of tries before you get your sites listed. The easy way to this is becoming an editor of the specific category you want to get listed in which is also not easy but still, you need privileges to list your own website on this high authority directory. Briefly, DMOZ is a multilingual directory of links that is currently being maintained by a site and community known as the Open Directory Project (ODP). According to Wikipedia, This directory is owned by AOL but maintained by a community of volunteer editors.

Important Update

Unfortunately DMOZ shut down indefinitely on March 17 2017 and this tutorial isn’t relevant any more. This directory is apparently no more and no one has an idea whether it will resume operations in the future or not. When you visit their website, you should see a screenshot similar to the one below.

Certain categories on DMOZ haven’t been moderated for several years implicating it’s editors are definitely reluctant and won’t mind much about new submissions. All in all, getting listed on DMOZ is a bit hard but very possible. Good thing is your links are likely to stay for years without being tampered with because only relevant links are accepted in this directory. It’s free by the way! You don’t pay a single cent to get listed on DMOZ. However, Despite having editor privileges, you can easily lose your listing and privileges for good if you list non relevant websites in wrong categories reason why most people who succeed on getting editor privileges simply list their sites and hardly moderate any pending sites.

About my personal experience, getting listed on DMOZ wasn’t all that easy for me! If you are familiar with SEO then you should know how much weight a link from this directory carries and besides, who wouldn’t want a dofollow backlink from a 90+ Domain Authority and Page Authority site? This is so far one of the best backlinks you can ever get on the internet today. Actually, the link i got pushed my travel site from page 7 to second and first for over 5 competitive keywords in my niche which wasn’t a bad deal for me especially with the fact that i didn’t spend a single coin to get listed. I am going to show you how to increase your odds of getting listed on DMOZ (becoming an editor) and you probably will because my next tries weren’t so hard to get through since i already had something to base on.

Pretend to be a lady: This sounds weird but works fine. The moderators of DMOZ are likely to be sympathetic and helpful to ladies that men. So why am i saying this? Fact is your first attempt is going to be declined and even if it were successful, the ratio for success to failure in your submission is 10 to 90. Since we predict our submission to fail, we need reasons as to why we didn’t get approval but in most cases applications are rejected without reviewer comments. The screenshot below shows an email i received when i applied using a female account;

Out of the 10 submissions i made (9 male, 1 female) to become an editor, this is the only application that received reviewer’s comments and guided me on what i needed to change if i was to be considered. My next 2 applications earned me an editorial slot on DMOZ and i knew my website was finally getting listed on DMOZ since all i needed to do is add it then moderate it myself.

Apply to the right category: DMOZ tries so hard to maintain a relevant and high quality directory hence, emphasize so hard to see that their listings belong in the right category. You have to check extra with the category you are applying for! There could be small variations that could let you down.

Write correct English: Always endeavor to read through your application to make sure it has the best English with no typos. Try to be simple too when applying! Avoid being to broad because you can easily screw up.

Be ready to reapply: Like said previously, your first application is most likely to be declined unless you fall within the lucky percentage of applicants. It might take you over 10 applications but at the end of the day you are certain your listing will be online for decades.

Don’t same IP address for multiple applications: Of course multiple applications will raise your odds of getting listed on DMOZ but believe me, if you try it out using the same IP address, you will hardly get any response for any of the applications. Each application should have a unique email address and IP address.

Don’t mention anything related to SEO: Stay away from any talks related to SEO. In fact, pretend you know nothing about it and don’t mention it or say anything close to it any where in the application else they will know you are trying to get listed for the sake of improving your Serps.

Store your Work: Lastly, for each application you submit make sure you have a separate copy stored in a document. This helps in a way that if you get reviewer comments, you will know exactly what you need to change on your previous application before reapplying to get listed.

If you put all those guidelines in practice at the time of application, gaining editor privileges on DMOZ shouldn’t really be hard for you. Those were just guidelines to work within! However, the main process of application is what matters and i am going to take you through each step of filling in all the respective boxes until your final submission.

Now head over to the category you want to become a volunteer for, click on a user icon link on the right top of the page with a title that reads “volunteer to edit this category”, carefully read through the submission guidelines over and over again then proceed to the main application form. A form with multiple input fields will appear but i will only begin from “What is your internet experience” since the rest of the inputs are just basic fields that require personal information and credentials.

What is your internet experience: Here you have to talk about your experience on the internet in relation to the category your are applying to volunteer for. I am not going to give a broad example because each industry has separate experiences. The simplest example i can give is an accountant talking about his ability to use quick book software on the web or alternatively anything related to stock markets.

Why are you interested in volunteering to be an editor for DMOZ?: For this question, talk about how you intend to help DMOZ maintain a directory with relevant listings. Don’t mention anything related to listing your website.

Explain your interest in the subject of the category for which you are applying to edit: Here you have to talk about your experience in the field of the category you are applying to volunteer. It could be a professional experience or rather just a hobby. Just try to open up and be honest.

Sites with which you are associated: This part is quite tricky. I always don’t recommend mentioning sites you are associated with though DMOZ recommends it. Try to talk about sites you have promoted in the past if any then mention the achievements and drawbacks you got from the respective marketing campaigns / promotions.

The last part involves adding two or more sites in the category you are applying to volunteer for. Actually this is where most people screw up! If you list a site that doesn’t belong in that category then be rest assured that your application is going to be rejected. I recommend you spend at least 30 minutes searching entries that don’t exist in the directory but are suitable to be listed then enter only two of such unless you are sure about the third. Make sure the urls are correct and so should be the descriptions because your applications are reviewed by humans who even have capacity to view such websites to make respective clarifications.

After filling all the fields, enter the captcha code, submit your application then open the email address you included in the form to verify your submission using a link on the verification email that is usually sent after submission. If you don’t verify your submission then don’t expect any form of feedback on your application. After verifying your submission, all you have to do is sit back and wait for feedback from DMOZ reviewers which may take between 24 – 72 hours depending on your category. he first submission is likely to get rejected which shouldn’t make you despair. If you get rejected, fix a few errors on your submission form by retrieving it’s saved copy then keep reapplying until you get considered.

Are you listed on DMOZ? What strategies did you undertake to earn a slot in the directory? Did you first apply to become an editor or you submitted your listing right away and got considered within a short time? Please share your experience with us below.