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The Google Directory is a list of websites categorised by topic. These topics are varied, being both commercial and non-commercial. There is also a breakdown of topics by geographic location. Google's Directory used to be a well publicised link on their main home page, but now can only be viewed from their full Products page. The Google Directory's content is actually from another directory called Dmoz, full title being the 'Open Directory Project.' Google starting using Dmoz's data back in 2000. The Dmoz directory, unlike a search engine, is based on human approved content. There are a number of volunteers that contribute to Dmoz. The directory was owned by Netscape, now owned by Time Warner AOL. Google owns a 5% stake in this company. However, Dmoz's data is free under license, so many websites use it to form their own directories. Google says that it's directory uses Dmoz data, which is then 'enhanced using Google's own technology.' Although they do not reveal all of these enhancements, entrries in the Google Directory are listed by PageRank opposed to alphabetically as in Dmoz. Disadvantages of the Google DirectoryBy relying on Dmoz's volunteers to provide data, there is the problem of keeping the directory up to date. There are far more listings in the directory than there are people. That means websites that are out of date and not working can go unnoticed for some time. This is quite the opposite from Google's search engines that can update its listings of some websites within days, keeping web results fresh, up-to-date and relevant. This probably explains why the Google Directory dropped from Google's home page in 2004 when it re-designed the layout. It dropped even further from the public eye in 2007. Google has somewhat sporadically updated its Directory with Dmoz's data for the last few years also. So why does Google have a directory?Being human edited, the Dmoz can be trusted more than other websites because of its editorial content. It is also owned by a company they now well. Therefore, Google and other search engines use Dmoz's data to help populate their own search results and rank websites. In fact Google filed a patent application where editorial opinion was considered in its algorithm, specifically mentioning Dmoz. Here is some text from the patent:
The editorial aspect of Dmoz is what enhances it's PageRank, which is then passed onto your website if it is within the directory. How do I submit to the Google Directory?You can only get listed in the Google Directory by being in the Dmoz directory first, where Google gets its data from. For more information on submitting your website to Dmoz, see our article on Guide to listing on Dmoz. Google updates it's directory with Dmoz's data sporadically, so it may take some time to be listed. Will a Google Directory entry help with Search Engine Optimisation?Evidence would suggest that the Google Directory gives no additional weight to your website's rankings over the Dmoz entry that already exists. This is in line with Google's Quality Guidelines that does not approve of duplicate content. Since it is not publicised either, the Google Directory is rarely used and will most likely not provide any additional traffic to your website. The directory, it seems, is purely there as a an example of a website (i.e. Dmoz) that Google trusts for data.
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