Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.org)

The Open Directory Project (ODP) is one of the largest databases that powers multiple search engines.

More and more, search engines like Netscape, Lycos, HotBot, AOL, Google and others are using Open Directory or some variation of it to add to their search results. The exposure received, by getting listed in Open Directory Project, makes it utmost important to for your site to get listed under the most appropriate category with the right description and title.

The criteria for getting listed in the Open Directory Project are a bit complex so and we follow all the necessary guidelines ensuring that your website gets listed successfully in the Open Directory Project.

Submission & Ranking Process:

Since ODP is powered completely on editors who are experts in their categories, everything indexed into ODP is done by people. No META tags, ALT image tags, HTML comments or image maps will help boost your ranking here. Your best chance on getting your site listed is to describe your website as accurate as possible. The final decision rests up to the editor who reviews your website so your website must impress them to be worthy of adding you to their database.

Submission Time: Getting listed in ODP can take anywhere between 2-16 weeks and even more. All submissions must be done manually and through the appropriate category.

Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com)

Getting listed on Yahoo! is by far the most difficult aspect of website promotion. Even if you pay the $299 fee for their Business Express submission option, Yahoo! does not guarantee that your web site is going to be accepted. In fact, they have often been known to reject sites even if they have paid the $299 fee. Furthermore, even if your site is accepted after you pay the $299 fee, there is no guarantee that it will get an optimum listing.

Looksmart (http://www.looksmart.com)

LookSmart previously allowed websites to be included in its commercial listings by paying a one-time review fee, through its "Basic Submit" and "Express Submit" submission programs. These have now been eliminated, replaced in April 2002 by a new cost-per-click "LookListings Small Business" program.

A LookSmart listing can be very important because its partner network reaches 77 percent of Internet users in the US.

*Media Metrix November 2001 Digital Media Audience Ratings.

LookSmart helps businesses of all sizes harness the power of Search Targeted Marketing to generate cost-effective sales leads. LookSmart search listings enable businesses to reach 77 percent* or nearly four out of five U.S. Internet users, through top portals and ISPs including Microsoft's MSN, AltaVista, Netscape Netcenter, Prodigy, CNN.com, Road Runner, Cox Interactive Media, InfoSpace (Excite, Dogpile, MetaCrawler, WebCrawler) and Ask Jeeves, and search services such as Inktomi, BTLookSmart etc.