My Tips for Site Submission’s

I find that a site that is submitted with a good title and description (with in the guidelines) is much more appealing to work on first. There is a better chance that the site submitted with a good title and description is going to be easier to review and list or delete.
Each category that has a Suggest URL link at the top (some categories do not accept new suggestions, and appropriate sub categories should be chosen) take you to an online suggestion form. On this form, it gives you an brief category description and encourages you to make sure that you have chosen the smallest, most specific sub-category for your site. Then will advance on to the site submission form. On the form is a link to the Submission Policies and Procedures giving more detailed information. Often times this is overlook or more often, simply ignored. Following the most basic suggestions and guidelines will increase the chances of a quick review.

My tips for a faster site review :

*These are just my opinions and should be considered as such. They are intended to provide some common misunderstood issues during site submissions that cause sites to be excluded or extend their review time. These are just opinions of one editor and do not, nor are intended to reflect those of all editors or the ODP.

Before Submitting

• Make sure you have selected the smallest most relevant sub-category. Sites submitted to the wrong category often spend a large amount of time in unreviewed, then are moved to the more appropriate category and sit in unreviewed again until someone has a chance to review.
• Do not submit multiple times. Multiple submissions of the same URL are considered spam and will be deleted rather than reviewed. Only the most recent submission will be retained for future review and in most cases that review will not take place immediately because all of the editors free time was just spent removing the duplicate submissions. One resubmission, for the purpose of correcting a category, URL or fixing a better title/description is not bad and will not be treated as spam.
• Make sure site is complete and functioning. Sites “Under Construction” cannot be added if there is not sufficient working content. Sites that have a wealth of dead links, links that are not functioning or are out of date will not be listed. Providing good location information is recommended as well. It is much easier (particularly in Regional) to list a site when there is a clear presentation of contact information showing actual location which includes address and phone numbers (where possible).

URL

• Use the “true” URL of the site. Do not use a redirect URL or a “Deep Link” of the site. A redirect is most commonly a vanity URL that when entered redirects to the “true” URL and”Deep Link” URL is a URL of a sub-page within the site. Both are not listed, only the actual URL (Homepage) will be listed.Submitting one of these will result in a longer review time, while an editor searches for the actual URL to list.
• Use the shortest URL possible. Drop unnecessary URL information such as /index.htm unless they are required to open the home page.

Title

• Use the actual name of the company, organization or individualthe site pertains to.
• Do not use any promotional or hype wording.
• Avoid using terms such as The, Homepage, Site, Our, My, or Best,Greatest, etc. in the title.
• Do not use all UPPERCASE lettering.

Descriptions

• Write brief, clear and concise descriptions for the category.
• Spelling, grammar and punctuation are a must and are required for descriptions to be accepted.
• They should not include any hype or promotional wording.
• Do not use repetitive words (key-wording) or repeat the category heading in the description. These are viewed as hype and will cause the editor to re-write the description.
• Do not use unnecessary capitalization.
• The descriptions should describe both the company, organization or individual and describe what the site offers.

Examples of acceptable descriptions
*These are just my opinions as to acceptable titles and descriptions. Other editors have
differing opinions as to what is needed. In the end, you must make the best description you can make and the reviewing editor will make any changes they see fit to make it listable in the category they are editing.

(Title: Description format.)

• Fictitious Construction: A local, family owned contractor foundedin 1952. Includes company history, rate information, buildingtips, customer testimonials and related links.
• Sample Family: Interests and hobbies of Joe, Jane and son Junior. Includes photographs, biographies, family tree, calendar of events and newsletter.
• Example Management: Offering residential and commercial rental properties. Includes on-line tenant application, property listings, rates, maintenance scheduling and contact information.

These are just some samples for types of information I look for and are by no means exact for all submissions. Do the best you can and the editors reviewing the category will make any changes that are needed. Since I have been an editor, I have yet to see a submitted site with a title and description that is perfect. In many cases, I have gone back to sites I added weeks ago and re-written their descriptions because I felt there was more that could be done with them.

This is just a guide to help in titling and describing submissions and should not be taken as literal. A good title and description DOES NOT and WILL NOT guarantee an inclusion of the site in the directory. It simply may make it easier for an editor to review thus giving it a greater chance for a faster review. Again, this is just meant as a guideline no promises are being made here.

In the end, you can be assured that if your site is unique and filled with good content an editor will come along and add a good description to it for its listing. You can help by keeping your submission descriptions and titles brief, hype-free and detailed with good spelling and punctuation.