With all of the recent turmoil surrounding Google’s recent removal of it’s recommendation of submitting your site to DMOZ.org, I thought that it was particuarly intersting that DMOZ is still being used in the Google Serp results.
Here are some examples of How Google is still using DMOZ data:
When no meta description is given for a page:
Site: www.bbcamerica.com
Title: BBC America – Home Page
No Meta description or keywords
DMOZ Entry:
BBC America – The best and the latest of British television in the United States. 60% of the programming on this new US cable channel is original to the American market. The rest are the British cult classics everyone loves
Query: bbc america
Returned Serp Title and Description:
The best and the latest of British television in the United States. 60% of the programming on this new US cable channel is original to the American market.
Alternate Query: birthplace of american tv
Returned Serp Title and Description:
Birthplace of American TV. If the new falls shows are giving you déjà vu, do not fear… Watch marathons of of your favorite BBCA hits!
In this example, see screenshots here, we can see that since the BBC America site has not added a Meta Description for the page, Google is using what it feels is relevant information to fill in the gap. In the first query, it is returning the description from the DMOZ entry for bbcamerica.com. In the alternate query for [birthplace of american tv], that phrase exists on the page, which is why it is pulling the description directly from the page itself.
I might presume that BBC has opted not to provide a description because they reguarly update the content and want Google to dynamically grab information from their homepage to provide a description, either that or their web-master/ SEO guru is asleep at the switch (Additional Proof of SEO issues…on the Tv schedule page http://bbcamerica.com/tvschedule.jsp the description reads “sudhakar is great”…hmm thats some mighty fine optimization! )
Title and Description are replaced by the Title and Description of the DMOZ entry.
Site: www.EdGate.com
DMOZ entry
The Copernicus Education Gateway – Online directory of websites offering educational resources.
edgate.com
Actual Meta Title:
EdGate – Analyze, Assess, Adjust, Communicate
Query:
Copernucus education Gateway
Returned Serp Title and description:
Online directory of websites offering educational resources.
Alternate Query:
EdGate Offers a suite of Web-based learning
Returned Serp Title:
EdGate offers a suite of Web-based learning solutions that are secure, flexible, practical, user-friendly, and aligned to teaching standards. …
In this example, see screenshots here, we can see that the query that utilized verbiage from the DMOZ entry prompted Google to return the entry as the Title and Description rather than the actual Meta Title for the page. This happens for any variable of the terms in the DMOZ entry. But when the query is altered to something else, it pulls the actual title and description from the site.
Google Ignores NOODP TAG
Below is the most troubling example, it is a case where Google is ignoring the NOODP tag and displaying DMOZ information for some specific search engine queries in spite of the fact that this site has implemented a specific meta tag to block use of DMOZ information.
DMOZ Entry:
Pat Haddad – RE/MAX Preferred – Full service agent assistant buyers and sellers. Includes MLS search, profile with biography, virtual tours, and related tools and links.
Query: Pat Haddad
Returned Serp Title and Description:
Carmel, Noblesville and Indianapolis real estate services provided by Team Haddad. Easy property searches and useful buyer & seller information for the …
Alternate Query: noblesville real estate
Carmel, Noblesville and Indianapolis real estate services provided by Team Haddad. … Noblesville Real Estate and Homes For Sale on the MLS. …
This site has the NOODP meta tag on it, and yet Google still is pulling data from DMOZ. This also underlines why this issue is important…this agent has changed offices and is no longer with RE/MAX preferred! Google is now replacing her relevant Meta Title with an improper title, DESPITE her request for Google not to use DMOZ! Be aware of your DMOZ entry!
8 responses so far ↓
Eric Hundin // October 6, 2008 at 10:48 pm |
I found your blog on MSN Search. Nice writing. I will check back to read more.
Eric Hundin
Palapple // October 7, 2008 at 5:04 am |
Thanks for sharing. Search engine optimization is indeed one of the most crucial areas in Internet marketing, it is a perfect bridge between technology and business.
Dante Monteverde // October 7, 2008 at 8:14 pm |
Very interesting that Google is still using DMOZ. What happened to the rumor that Best Of The Web, botw.org was acquiring DMOZ?
Adam Moro // October 8, 2008 at 5:44 pm |
Thanks for the report, Jeremy. Interesting finds although personally I think it may just be too early to know what’s really going down. With what I’ve read to date, my guess is that this is merely an attempt to shift the mindsets of future SEOs and webmasters. You and I both know how long things take to happen at large organizations, maybe they’re just finally getting around to cleaning up their contradictions.
I assume you’ve read the whole GWC thread? Take it if you want but my advice, don’t put too much faith in SE Rountable’s (specifically rustybrick’s) interpretation of Googler comments. There’s nothing scary about JohnMu’s comment. It’s a typical Googler approach to answering sensitive questions and a smart person would know you can’t definitively determine anything from them (aside from assumptions about whether or not what the Googler is saying is even true or just infamous Google propoganda, of course). I can only assume the fear is within those who rely entirely on directories for their SEO. If you’re a true professional/expert/whatever SEO, you know that incorporating directories into your link development strategy is almost always a waste of time (and/or money). If you want to know my interpretation of JohnMu’s second post in that thread, any assumed devaluing of Yahoo links has already taken place (relatively long ago) and therefore the statement, “I wouldn’t necessarily assume that we’re devaluing Yahoo’s links, I just think it’s not one of the things we really need to recommend” is 100% not scary, just confirmation of prior assumptions.
jeremypenguin // October 8, 2008 at 7:40 pm |
“With what I’ve read to date, my guess is that this is merely an attempt to shift the mindsets of future SEOs and webmasters.”
I agree that this is a move that is targetted to webmasters now and future who are looking to the guidelines for ..well guidance.
After reviewing Google serps for it’s behavior in terms of DMOZ entries, I beleive that Google may be seeing the failure of DMOZ to remain a relevant source of information. The turn around time for the editors of DMOZ continues to grow, and requests of revisions of submitted information being ignored for long periods of time can be damaging to website owners. I think this may be the first step for Google to divorce itself from DMOZ in the future…
seoweb2 // October 13, 2008 at 8:25 pm |
I realise that such a tip is not necessarily a ‘basic’ one, but it is a very important one
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