The value of a DMOZ link?

DMOZ, the Open Directory Project or ODP, has long been considered a valuable directory from which to get a link. The process of obtaining one is, in theory, straight forward; use the submit link on the most appropriate category, enter your site details and wait for your site to be reviewed by the category editor. And wait. And wait. And wait. Once your site is reviewed, if the content is unique, appropriate and deemed to be of value to the directory users it will be included.

DMOZ forms the basis of the Google Directory and there are many clones which means getting your site listed can lead to many on-topic back links. Understand that on-topic links are the basic building blocks of good SEO and you can see why webmasters are eager to be included.

So, in theory, it’s great. The problem is in the practise. DMOZ is owned by AOL and operated by a small number of paid staff and numerous volunteer editors. Because the number of submissions are so high, waiting for your site to be reviewed can take years. The limited communication between editors and submitters and the finality of editorial decisions can make it a very frustrating process. In addition, accusations of corruption, bribery and extortion taint the idea of even obtaining a link. Certainly, there are cases where some sites seem to receive preferential treatment; Wikipedia points to Topix.net, a site operated by ODP founder Rich Skrenta having over 10,000 listings.

Personally, I’ve had mixed experiences with DMOZ:

• I’ve submitted sites with informative, useful and unique content that have never been included (unless they are still waiting to be reviewed after more than 5 years)
• I’ve had sites removed from categories for no legitimate reason (i.e. a site being dropped from it’s regional listing when the bricks and mortar address hadn’t changed)
• I’ve had a site included in a fairly high level category in less than 24 hours. The latter was accompanied by a very helpful email from the editor offering praise and constructive criticism

Mixed experiences indeed.

So is it worth taking the time to submit? Yes. The process is straight forward and if your site is eventually included you’ve gained a number of valuable links and possibly some visitors (the ODP is, in places, an excellent resource). It’s certainly not worth stressing over though. Asking for status reports at Resource Zone, the ODP’s link to the humble submitter, achieves little and at the end of the day your site will either be included or it won’t; you’re better off spending your time looking for other links. Is it worth paying for a listing? I suppose that would depend on the category and the asking price. Obviously, the ODP are rigorously opposed to editors accepting money for listing sites but it stands to reason that it happens. After all, greed is a much older concept than the back link.

Update: In an interesting move, DMOZ have started a blog. The stated aims are to:

• Provide authentic messages about DMOZ and the efforts of their volunteer community
• Highlight enhancements, both current and future
• Allow editors to showcase their categories and describe, in their own words, why DMOZ is so important
• Recruit new editors

The first two points should have been available for a long, long time and, while they may provide some information of interest, don’t appear to directly benefit the users of the directory or those who submit to it. The third point strikes me as total and unnecessary self-indulgence. Perhaps for the fourth they could publicise the going rate for back-handers?