How to submit in Open directories?

[Master SEO]

Before you submit your site, go through your entire site and ensure that there are no missing graphics, no links leading to empty or non-existent pages and no "Under construction" symbols. Also, check for typos and grammatical errors. Furthermore, your site must provide good content. If your site simply contains links to various affiliate programs, you will find it difficult to get through. The Open Directory does not mind sites containing links to affiliate programs, as long as you provide proper content.

Now, we need to review the factors that AOL, Netscape and Lycos use to rank sites from the Open Directory. You should not be too worried about the ranking of your site in the Open Directory itself - not too many people use the Open Directory for finding information. However, the algorithm that the Open Directory uses is similar to the algorithm that Netscape uses, and hence a high ranking in Netscape generally means a high ranking in the Open Directory and vice-versa.

Before we begin reviewing the factors influencing the ranking of your site, you need to select the two most important keywords for your site based on their popularity. If you don't yet know the keywords which are applicable for your site, have a look at my article on "Choosing the correct keywords for your site", available at here In this article, I have mentioned that while selecting the keywords for your site, you should look at both the popularity of the keywords as well as their competitiveness. However, for the purpose of this article, don't worry about the competitiveness - select keywords only on the basis of popularity.

Broadly, here are the factors which influence your rankings in AOL, Netscape and Lycos:

i) Presence of the keyword in the Title and Description

If you want to rank highly for a keyword, the Title and the Description that you use to submit your site to the Open Directory should contain the keyword. Note that this Title is not the title that you have used in the home page of your web site and that this Description is not the description that you have used in the Meta Description tag of your home page. Rather, it is the Title and the Description of your site's listing in the Open Directory.

ii) Prominence of the keyword in the Title and the Description

"Prominence" means how close the keyword is to the beginning of the Title and Description. Other things remaining the same, closer the keyword to the beginning of the Title and the Description, higher your ranking.

iii) Presence of the keyword in the URL

Other things remaining the same, your site will get a higher ranking if a keyword or a part of the keyword is present in the URL of your site.

iv) Presence of the keyword in the Category name

In Netscape, other things remaining the same, if the keyword is present in the name of the Category, your site will get a higher ranking. Even if only a part of the keyword is present in the name of the category, your site will get a higher ranking. Note that this is applicable only in Netscape.

v) Number of sites in a category which contain the keyword in their descriptions

In Netscape, other things remaining the same, more the number of sites in a category which contain the keyword in their descriptions, higher the ranking for all sites in that category. Once again, this is applicable only in Netscape.

[slipknot_9]

Originally Posted by Master SEO

Before you submit your site, go through your entire site and ensure that there are no missing graphics, no links leading to empty or non-existent pages and no "Under construction" symbols. Also, check for typos and grammatical errors. Furthermore, your site must provide good content. If your site simply contains links to various affiliate programs, you will find it difficult to get through. The Open Directory does not mind sites containing links to affiliate programs, as long as you provide proper content.

Now, we need to review the factors that AOL, Netscape and Lycos use to rank sites from the Open Directory. You should not be too worried about the ranking of your site in the Open Directory itself - not too many people use the Open Directory for finding information. However, the algorithm that the Open Directory uses is similar to the algorithm that Netscape uses, and hence a high ranking in Netscape generally means a high ranking in the Open Directory and vice-versa.

Before we begin reviewing the factors influencing the ranking of your site, you need to select the two most important keywords for your site based on their popularity. If you don't yet know the keywords which are applicable for your site, have a look at my article on "Choosing the correct keywords for your site", available at here In this article, I have mentioned that while selecting the keywords for your site, you should look at both the popularity of the keywords as well as their competitiveness. However, for the purpose of this article, don't worry about the competitiveness - select keywords only on the basis of popularity.

Broadly, here are the factors which influence your rankings in AOL, Netscape and Lycos:

i) Presence of the keyword in the Title and Description

If you want to rank highly for a keyword, the Title and the Description that you use to submit your site to the Open Directory should contain the keyword. Note that this Title is not the title that you have used in the home page of your web site and that this Description is not the description that you have used in the Meta Description tag of your home page. Rather, it is the Title and the Description of your site's listing in the Open Directory.

ii) Prominence of the keyword in the Title and the Description

"Prominence" means how close the keyword is to the beginning of the Title and Description. Other things remaining the same, closer the keyword to the beginning of the Title and the Description, higher your ranking.

iii) Presence of the keyword in the URL

Other things remaining the same, your site will get a higher ranking if a keyword or a part of the keyword is present in the URL of your site.

iv) Presence of the keyword in the Category name

In Netscape, other things remaining the same, if the keyword is present in the name of the Category, your site will get a higher ranking. Even if only a part of the keyword is present in the name of the category, your site will get a higher ranking. Note that this is applicable only in Netscape.

v) Number of sites in a category which contain the keyword in their descriptions

In Netscape, other things remaining the same, more the number of sites in a category which contain the keyword in their descriptions, higher the ranking for all sites in that category. Once again, this is applicable only in Netscape.

i plead the fifth