Can DMOZ Editor Abuse Affect SEO?
The Open Directory Project included a blog post a couple of days ago discussing editor abuse and what they do about it. It’s a good read even if you haven’t been a big fan of the ODP. But I wanted to address the search engine optimization effects of editor abuse at DMOZ.
Of course, the blog post went to great pains to define abuse. Not every instance of inappropriate editing is considered abuse. Like most forms of human behavior, there are a lot of gray areas. Abuse need not be but often does manifest as intentional behavior. Therefore, if an editor makes an honest mistake, that’s not abuse. On the other hand, if an editor makes the same mistake over and over again after repeated warnings then that won’t fare well for that editor.
Aside from natural editing mistakes, however, abuse can occur in several forms, which include:
These are just a few of the behavior patterns that are defined as abusive by the DMOZ editing staff. Note that all of these have some kind of SEO influence.
For instance, deleting a competitor’s website would lead to a loss of a valuable inbound link for that competitor, which might be a positive for the editor. If the competitor in question outranks the editor for a key term and the loss of the DMOZ link is a significant factor in that ranking, the editor surely would benefit greatly from that. In that regard, this is an egregious abuse.
On the flip side, while editors deserve to have their own sites listed in DMOZ as much as anyone else, an editor using his influence to tilt the deck in his own favor hurts everyone else. It’s just bad form.
Bribes, too, have a serious SEO effect. While this is an integrity issue, an editor accepting a bribe from someone to get a site listed in DMOZ is influencing SEO. Since all sites listed in DMOZ are looked upon favorably by Google and receive valuable link credit due to the ODPs high authority rating with the search engine, a bribe is essentially the same as buying a link. Not only should that editor be dismissed from his responsibilities, but any websites included in the ODP as a result of a bribe should be de-listed.
Many people still view the ODP as irrelevant, but as long as Google counts inbound links from DMOZ as valuable links, editor behavior – good and bad – will affect SEO.
4 Responses to “Can DMOZ Editor Abuse Affect SEO?”
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DMOZ is a directory that ticks me off! I’ve tried to get my blog (and many other legit sites) included in it for years, and have never gotten as much as a sniff! I submit my site the the appropriate categories and still nothing! Now to hear that their “all-powerful” human editors are potentially screwing with who they put in…UGHH
Hi Jacob – Sorry to hear that, but I am not surprised. DMOZ is one of the best and oldest directories on the web, but it can be tough getting a website listed. The recommendation that I always give is re-submit a website very 45 days until it is listed (of course, if the content is excellent and provides a great user experience!…thanks for reading and your comment!
I’m a Dmoz editor. I currently have 520 websites that have to be reviewed so if i’m going to choose a few guess which ones I’m going to edit? People all want their sites listed but no one reads the guidelines.
1. The title must be your website or blogs address. eg. If you site says http://www.domain.com the title must say “Domain”.
2. Allot…and I mean 90% of the websites are submitted in the wrong category. Eg. If the category says Kitchen and Bathroom designs most people with sites about remodeling kitchens submit their sites in that category. The category clearly states Kitchen and Bathroom Designs.
3. When I go visit your website to check out it’s quality I firstly look for content and then design. If a site has say more than 10 pages of informative content it’s allready a tick on my list. I then look for details. Remember that I have to write a description for your website. Eg. If a company from New York that designs and installs kitchens submits to Dmoz I will write a description as follows:
New York based kitchen company. Design services offered. Portfolio of work done.
Note that I’m speaking in the 3rd person. I also don’t mention the company’s name in the description. I do that in the title and only your websites name must be filled in there nothing more.
My advice..read the guidelines and you won’t have a problem getting in. Remember we’re all swomped with work so the quicker we can identify a quality website the quicker it will get listed.
Hi diy kitchen cupboards – Thanks very much for reading and your comment…your advice and tips are very helpful! Thanks again