Is DMOZ.org dead - You've got to be kidding!

People still ask me 'Is it worth getting into The Open Directory?' or 'How do I get into DMOZ?'

Some of these people are seasoned professional webmasters!

For those of you who are not familiar DMOZ.org or the (not so) Open Directory is a multi-hand edited website directory, siloised by category, hierarchically within regional parameters. Each silo has its own human editor.

Google has used it amongst other things as a basis for Google Web Directory (not serps) for five or six years now. It can be considered to be a directory of authority sites.

Why does Google like it?

Simple! it's hand edited and can be used as a basis for trust and assigned authority!

An entry into DMOZ tells Google that you are exactly what it says on the tin. There's no Spam in the DMOZ superstore, except for perhaps the odd site owned by the rogue editor.

So here's my take on DMOZ.

A listing is essential to establish credibility and authority quickly.
A listing will give you at least a Google 1PR extra, or its SERPS link juice equivalent, if you are a small site.
A listing will get you

Here's the paradox! Don't expect lots of traffic!
Why? Because from my experience not that many people use DMOZ directly for search or anything else much from what I can see, except for stealing data (page sucking or using API's) to create new directories, or for submitting new sites.

Given that, DMOZ still has an Alexa traffic rank of 764 today, which puts it within the most visited and most important websites in the world.

So you definitely need to be in it!

But how do you get into the Open Directory?

Submission
It's basically a lottery and depends upon the availability or attitude of the scrutineer (editor) of the chosen category that you must personally visit and submit to.
WARNING: Never submit more than once or you will be moving you site to the bottom of the queue!
Don't wait around for results you could be reading War and Peace and growing a beard before you might get listed. Submit and forget!

Be warned! Long established commercial or product specific categories are particularly difficult to get a listing!

There are alternatives....

1. If you offer a unique or unusual service where there is little competition you stand a fair schance of getting an entry by product or service category - as long as you submit to the right generic category!

2. Go Local!
Say you own a nationwide car insurance business but cannot get it listed under Insurance > Motor >.....
If your business is located in Swansea Wales try entering it under regional > Uk > Wales West Glamorgan > local business or whatever....

Any entry in DMOZ is worthwhile because even if you are not in your chosen preferential category, local listings will get you into the mix for the searches carried out over the DMOZ database for your keywords; assuming you've done the Directory entry bit right from an SEO point of view.
This includes searches by Google!

One of the major reasons that DMOZ is pure link gold is because many many directory builders and so called spammers, now suck data straight out of DMOZ and your links get spread all over the place - for free!

Beat The System