Is DMOZ still useful or should it be retired?

[johnegood]

Is DMOZ still useful or should it be retired?

DMOZ has a proud history. Currently, it's a messy situation. All the categories that I am familiar with are so badly kept up that it's useless for users.

My impression is that DMOZ only gets new submissions from seo types building links or newbies. What do you think?

It is my impression that DMOZ, despite it's proud history, has run thru it's useful life.

To keep this from becoming an abstract debate, please answer me this:

1. Have you used DMOZ to find anything in the last 30 days?

If the answer is that NOBODY is actually using it anymore to find anything (which is what I believe), then probably it's time to put DMOZ in mothballs and archive it.

2. Google use to weigh these links heavily. I suspect, given the rats nest that DMOZ has become, google counts these links the same way that it counts any spammy directory. In short, they could hardly count less.

What do you think?

[firecat]

I haven't used DMOZ ever, though I did try to submit my website some time ago. To be fair though, I've never actually used any directory (except in an attempt to build backlinks). I'd be willing to bet that most people simply use search.

[posylane]

Before looking into SEO I did not even know an entity named DMOZ. I would say very few people care about it.

[MarketingTide]

Originally Posted by posylane

Before looking into SEO I did not even know an entity named DMOZ. I would say very few people care about it.

Exactly. Trying to use it functionally is almost impossible...why not just search for what you need. I don't think hardly any typical web users know about it at all.

[searchbliss]

I receive maybe 2 - 4 hits a month from DMOZ...and I'm amazed when I see it. As far as SEO, forget about it. Yes, submit to DMOZ and forget about it...chances are you won't get listed these days due to the lack of editing interest. And yes, to this day, Google uses DMOZ for it's directory results...why I can't begin to understand, and at times they even use DMOZ descriptions for their descriptions in search results (which is why I use the NOODP meta tag). But as far as ranking goes, being in DMOZ carries no weight...maybe it used to, but that was many years ago. There are "bigger fish to fry".

[Supercops]

I never used dmoz..to fine anything ..nor i have seen it anywhere ...may be time to give her some rest

[Harveyj]

For SEO purposes, DMOZ is still one of the better directories to link from.
It's got a PR of 8, and it does get crawled on a regular basis, so a backlink to your site will get you indexed quickly enough.

It's got a fairly high rank from both Alexa and Quantcast, even though traffic has dropped steeply in the last 3 months.

That said, yeah, it's probably only being visited by SEO types and is useless as far as real internet searching goes. Fact of the matter is that I don't think anyone other than the academic world use directories anymore

[Myamsterdam]

I hate their way of editing.
I never use Dmoz for finding any kind of results from last 2.5 years down the line..

[jashmin]

SEO point of view, I think DMOZ is a good directory of pr 8 and give a good backlink.

[ericajoieake]

DMOZ is one the best directories avalable to help boost your rankings.

[zm21]

Originally Posted by ericajoieake

DMOZ is one the best directories avalable to help boost your rankings.

I dont think so. DMOZ is just a directory which gives you a PR8 backlink. That's it. If you can get any backlink from a PR8 website, that's pretty the same weight.

[Cindy522]

Originally Posted by zm21

I dont think so. DMOZ is just a directory which gives you a PR8 backlink. That's it. If you can get any backlink from a PR8 website, that's pretty the same weight.

Question (applies to any directory sites).
Does the PR of the top level of the site matter, or does the PR of the actual catagory page where the link will be matter?

Example --- dmoz.com is 8. Drill down into the catagories to, for example, men's shoes (where there are links to sites)... and the rank is 4. I would have thought the pr of 4 would matter, not the 8. (but, I really don't know)

[LOZ guy]

@anonymously If you think the system's achieving the purpose, that's fine. You don't have to please any of us (webmasters) who operate legitimate sites if you don't want to.

Good luck.

[anonymously]

Originally Posted by LOZ guy

@anonymously You don't have to please any of us (webmasters) who operate legitimate sites if you don't want to.

It's not personal one of the reasons for being human edited is that we make editorial judgement and that we do have to have an interest because we do not get paid. The editors of say Best of the Web, may be persuaded to edit areas they find boring because they get paid, you can persuade us sometimes to do that for the greater good of the directory, but if in the end we are made into robots then DMOZ may as well have had robots to do the work.

It is also about what one is faced with, on my editor dashboard, which represents the categories that I am actually named in (though I can edit anywhere) I have over 13,000 sites which have, according to the bots, gone down. They need looking at and new URL's chasing, others have responsibility in these areas too!!!.

So greater editor numbers means that we can stay more in control, but we can also list more sites and whether or not that is from the suggestions pool or editor find, it means we can hopefully categorise many more of the better quality sites, ie unique content rich which you refer to.

Perhaps if you ask yourself why you want your site to be listed, you may see things from where we are. Everyone wants their site where it will be seen and bring traffic, often that is seen as being in DMOZ because of the Google connection and its back links. We can't list everyone, we do not have the resources neither is it desirable, so we have volunteer editors to make editorial decisions and sometimes that means they get fed up with sites that come from the most pushy web masters, and by definition often with unsuitable websites and they go looking for the sites themselves. It's easier and gives better results than spending time wading through the suggestions when they are knee deep in unsuitable sites. They also initiate categories that they have knowledge or interest in and that often involves finding the sites in the first place. So, yes we do miss some good sites, but mostly one way or another we can find them if we have the editorial person power.

The way we operate may not be what you or others want to see as a credible directory, but this is not a new venture, it has not changed its ideals or style and people want to give their spare time in it and for it. What we produce seems to be judged by others as being successful because it is used so much and because over the years it has acquired a large corporate amount of knowledge. But to keep that momentum we do need new editors, but we do need editors who will also maintain a certain standard, so if you want to join the daft group that does this for fun you can apply on every page, but I recommend that you read my post with hot tips for application for being an editor on this thread before doing so. If at first you fail try, try and try again.

[swapw]

Treat it as an authority directory. It becomes a problem when I see too many people see it beyond just that. It is a very recognized directory, there's no dispute and it will continue to be. Trying to get yourself in there is right, however if you end up stressing out about your site not in there...that's when you know you're overboard. There are a ton of directory with great weight like aviva, they should be looked at in the same token.

- Swapw

[jabo]

well, if it is still as effective as it was before or not, it is still worth to give it a shot. it will only take a few minutes to submit a site to it like many other directories.

[Luckyman]

Feel proud if you are included in the dmoz. If not, don't waste your time in resubmission. Spend your time fruitfully somewhere else

[Alby]

Dmoz is a waste of time, you will find it very difficult to get in, if at all, no matter how much quality content you put on your site. I have tried over a period of 3 years with no success and from conversations on other forums, they all say pretty much the same thing, it's not worth the trouble !

[wdillsmith]

It is frustrating in that most people really only want to be listed because of the SEO benefit, even though I don't know any people that actually use it. I don't even keep track of my status (or lack thereof) in dmoz. Just submit it and forget it. If you happen to get listed, celebrate. Don't over do it though, I had one of my sites later removed by an overzealous editor, never to be listed again.

[nepalsites]

DMOZ listing helps because the major search engines tend to favor the title and description from the DMOZ listing at times.