Step Five - Register with the Open Directory
The most important search engine to get listed in is the Open Directory Project at http://www.dmoz.org
The Open Directory is a human created directory of web sites, the contents of which are shared with tens of thousands of site across the web. Getting your website listed on the Open Directory will significantly increase your search engine ranking and improve the overall hits to your website.
However getting listed in the Directory is not guaranteed and can take some time and patience.
Getting Started with the Open Directory
Start by visiting the website http://www.dmoz.org and looking at the categories. You need to select your primary category for your website by searching for your two most important keywords.
Choose a Category
Have a look at the category that is listed for your keywords. If the listings are similar to your website then you are in the right place!
If the other listings are not the same as your website you either are using the wrong keywords, or you need to refine your keywords better!
Add Your Link
When you are confident you are in the correct listing click the Add URL link on the page. Make sure you enter all the information requested including an email address, I always suggest having a special email address for all search engine optimization, as this will reduce potential spam for your regular address and allow you to monitor search engine traffic.
What Happens then
Once you have submitted your link, an actual person (yes a real living breathing person) will review the submission and if they feel that your website is good it will be listed.
If you are not listed after three weeks
After three weeks if you are not listed and have not heard from the directory, go back and try submitting your site again. Sometimes a specific category may have an inactive editor, or they may even be a competitor!
If you still do not get listed in the category you first tried, try another category instead.
At the end of the day, your website must be of good original content and quality to get listed.
Don't forget to list your site in other categories
Once you are listed in one category, you can try getting listed in another related category increasing your search engine ranking!
