Getting your site registered by
Open Directory is vitally important as far as search engine positioning is concerned. In order to see how you can do that, see my article on this topic. However, sometimes, it may so happen that try as you might, you just do not manage to get your site listed in Open Directory. Or, it may also happen that description under which your site is listed is not optimum.In this case, only solution is to become editor of category to which you want to submit your site. Here's how you should go about doing it.
First, go to any category of Open Directory and click on "become an editor" link at top of screen. If that category does not contain such a link, simply go to a lower level category which does contain such a link.
Now, read third paragraph, which says that Open Directory does not bar editors who have business affiliations with category. In practice, however, it will reject just about any new editor who has a business affiliation with category. If you scroll down page, you will find that Open Directory asks you whether you have any business affiliation with category. If you admit to having an affiliation with category, you will most certainly be rejected.
Now, you may think that you can solve this problem by not admitting that you have any business affiliation with category. However, Open Directory also asks you about your experience or interest in category. For a category which deals with business related sites, it is very difficult to project your expertise in it without admitting that you are affiliated with it.
Hence, your strategy should be to locate a category in which you can legitimately show some experience and interest without having to admit that you have any business affiliation. By far easiest way to do this is to become an editor of a regional category which deals with city in which you live. Once you can become an editor of one category, it is usually much easier to become editor of category to which your site belongs. This is because when an existing editor applies for a new category, Open Directory does not ask for his/her experience or interest in category.
Here are steps you should follow in order to become an editor of category applicable for your web site:
1) Start off by going to Open Directory. Click on Regional category, then click on continent in which you live, and then on country. In this way, drill down to category for city or locality in which you live. Now, scroll down to bottom of page and see whether that category already has an editor. If it does not, this is category for which you should try and become an editor. However, if this category already has an editor, don't apply to this category because Open Directory does not generally accept a new editor in a category which already contains an editor. In this case, select a category below current category which does not have an editor.
2) Once you have selected correct regional category, click on "become an editor" link at top of screen and fill in your first name, last name, email address, username and password. For "Describe your experience and interest in this subject area:" text box, just say something like "I am a resident of X.", where X is of course name of your city or locality. In "What is your Business Affiliation with this category?" text box, say something like "I have no business affiliation with this category."
The Open Directory now asks you for 2 or 3 sites which you would have added to category had you been an editor of category. The best way to do this is to let Yahoo! do work for you. Open a new browser window, go to Yahoo! and search for name of your city. Yahoo! will list several categories and sites for that city. Browse through these sites and categories and select a site which is applicable for category to which you are applying. Now, open another browser window, go to Open Directory's home page and type in domain name of site in Open Directory's search box and note whether that site is already listed in Open Directory, either in category to which you are applying or elsewhere. If it is not listed, then this can be one of sites which you should submit. If it is already listed in Open Directory, then ignore this site and select a new site and check whether that site is already listed in Open Directory.
In this way, select three sites which are applicable for category to which you are applying and which are not already present in Open Directory. Type in URL for first site in appropriate text box. Now, you need to select a proper title for site. The title that you choose should always be official name of site. If official name of site is not apparent from home page itself, browse around site and look at "About Us" or "Contact Us" pages (if site has those pages). Also, check out bottom of each page to see if site has any Copyright notice. Once you know official name of site, type it in correct text box. Now, choose a proper description of site. Here are rules for writing a proper description for Open Directory:
i) Make sure that description can tell a visitor what site is all about. Things like "Have a look at site" does not tell a visitor what site does.
ii) Avoid using ALL CAPS or exclamation marks. Phrases like "The best web site dealing with widgets!!" or "Offers BEST QUALITY, CHEAPEST WIDGETS you can find anywhere" are inappropriate.
iii) Don't capitalize every word in your description - capitalize only first word. Of course, if some of words in description are proper nouns, then you should capitalize them.
iv) Write description in third person.
v) Don't make your description too long - limit yourself to 15 words at most.
vi) Check your description for typos and grammatical mistakes.
vii) End your description with a period.
Once you have typed in URL, Title and Description of first site, do same for all three sites and click on Submit button.
