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The ODP is a directory. Also like Yahoo, it is edited by humans. However, ODP currently has more than 22,065 editors, and the number of editors is growing daily, as it is an all-volunteer project.
Submission is similar to Yahoo in that you will want to find the category where you think the submission belongs and click on the "Add URL" link at the top of that page.
You may also submit various pages of your site to the appropriate categories.
Be sure to give your e-mail address. Some editors will notify you that your site has been added, tell you about problems with site functionality, and, if you're not accepted, some will
even give useful feedback as to why. They will also email you if your site is selected as a "Cool Site."
Do not try to manipulate the title. When an editor catches an inappropriate title -- and eventually, one will -- you will probably end up worse off than you would have been had you
given either the company name or domain name as a title.
Do not use characters in order to try to get a higher listing. Most commercial categories require that you use the name of your company as a title. When in doubt, check out the other
listings in a category and follow their lead.
Use the actual Title of the website, not an advertisement. "Acme Rentals, real estate properties, houses, homes, property from realtors, for sale by owners" is not acceptable.
"Acme Rentals" is.
Do not use re-directs or aliases which lead to the same site. The ODP editors communicate extensively, and the last thing you want to do is get a reputation for this kind of trickery.
Description
Use a description which accurately and concisely describes what is on your site. If you load it with keywords, the editor will end up composing the description, and the chances that
you'll be happy with it are very, very small.
Do not submit a list of keywords, but include a 1-2 sentence description that is both clear and conveys what the site is about.
Do not repeat the site title in the description. If your company is called "Acme Computers," do not use the description, "Acme Computers - the biggest reseller of
computers, components, printers, monitors, keyboards, MMX technology, and more!" Instead, you want to describe it like this: "A Southern California store specializing in computers and components."
Using the same Acme example, you would NOT use "The cheapest, best quality computers in the world! Buy one stick and get two FREE!!! Starting at $9.98. We sell MORE!!!" First
of all, the editor is not able to verify that it is the cheapest or the best quality, and you would be surprised at how many claim to be THE cheapest, best quality, most well-known of whatever they sell.
Phrases like "Come on in and see our website" have no value in a description, and editors will delete them.
"Welcome to" and "Cumquat's Home Page" are similarly deleted as titles.
Most editors will not leave your pricing in the description. That is the function of the site, not the directory.
Remove the all capital letters and exclamation points. If you don't, some editor will. As a rule, you'll want to use grammatically correct, spell checked descriptions.
Limit your descriptions to a reasonable length. Remember that ODP editors edit for brevity as well as clarity.
Write descriptions in 3rd person. "We give massages on Sundays" may be true for you, and it has a place on your site. It is not true, for the most part, for the Open Directory
Project, which is where people are reading the description.
Identify clearly who and what you do. "Record store specializing in vinyl LPs" is preferable to "your one-stop music site."
If the subject matter of your site is very much specialized please give information on how the subject fits into a category. If your site is about Kerblabla Music, an obscure fusion of
polka and Gothic music which is sung in a Dylanesque voice, please include that information and under what broad categories of music styles it fits.
Sites should have site descriptions in the given language. If the site is in Polish, the descriptions should be in Polish. If you submit the description in English, an English-speaking
editor will go to review it and generally be unable to. It will then be moved to the Polish section where another editor will have to review it. That editor will then have to write a description in Polish.
A submitted site should have a working URL and not be under construction.
Make sure your site works. Check the navigation and readability before you submit it. An editor may fix things in a submission but cannot fix a badly done page. That is your job. In
such cases, many editors will delete the submission.
That includes sites too full of spam to find the content listed in the submission.
If confidential information is being requested, make certain it is a secure site. Most editors will not approve any site asking for confidential information without it being encrypted.
Remember that this is an index built by humans, not robots.
Using tricks that will get your website listed first in search engines will not work here and may keep you from being listed at all.
The official ODP AddURL link gives limited information as to how to submit.
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