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PT 90 OPEN DIRECTORY
The Open Directory (ODP) is a substantial target. The ODP has partnered with major players within the search landscape including AOL Search and Google. The list does not end there, the ODP boasts that an astounding 211 sites in total use ODP data. So what is luring all these sites to this single search directory? The ODP currently has 2.3 million URLs in its database, making it the single largest search directory today. Of these 2.3 million, 2.18 million, or 95% are top-level domains. The ODP is growing rapidly, at an average of 75,000 sites per month. While clearly this is rapid growth, ODP isn't interested in creating an "exhaustive" database. Rather, that users find enough results to be useful, while not being overwhelmed with data. And that is exactly what the ODP does. The ODP provides open source content, which serves as a solid backend to a variety of engines.
The list of the over 200 sites across the Web using ODP data includes such industry leaders as AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Direct Hit, Google, HotBot and Netscape Search. Obviously, getting your Web site indexed in the ODP increases your chances of having your Web site show up in another major search engine's results. Furthermore, there is no set time requirement for the partners to sync up with the ODP database. For instance, AOL Search and Netscape opt to update their content on a biweekly basis, while other partners may delay syncing up for months.
We construct Your Submission Carefully. Your submission is your site's application for admission to the ODP. As with a resume, spelling and punctuation count! You should keep in mind that a human is going to read your submission. It is important to write with clarity and to avoid ambiguity. In addition, include a safe number of keywords and phrases without overloading the submission with repetitive phrases. Take into account that the simpler you make the editor's job, the more successful you will be. Time should be taken to select the "single most relevant" category for your site, not just the first pertinent listing. Browse the directory! Look for competitors and similar sites. There is no maximum number of sites for a given category, so don't be intimidated by a robust index. The extra time spent determining where your site best fits could be the difference between getting listed and being left out.
The ODP encourages the submission of multiple pages as separate listings, if, and only if, the content is truly unique and is sensible for the ODP. Currently, the ODP has 33,000 editors. There is no set number of editors per category; editors seem to flow where needed.
There are an infinite number of reasons why a site might get dropped from the ODP, the final verdict is based on the decision of the editor. However, a sure way to get dropped from the ODP database is if your site goes down for an extended period of time. Tolles estimated that Yahoo!, the ODP's main competitor, has a dead link percentage of close to 10%.
Fredrick Marckini is the founder and CEO of iProspect.com, one of the country's leading search engine positioning companies.
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