When we think of SEO (search engine optimization) we first think of search engine submission. The top 3 search engines of course comes to mind; Google, Yahoo, and MSN. When you're deciding on the major search engine directories, don't overlook DMOZ (short form for Directory Mozilla). DMOZ is just another name for the Open Directory Project; this is a human-powered submission directory. The Open Directory Project was designed by a volunteer group of web editors and reviewers.

Successfully listing on DMOZ will get you into the Google Directory as well as into many other popular search engines. This is a backdoor way of getting into the major search engines without the hand wringing of trying to get your submissions verified through the normal channels. If you take the time to pick the closest category that matches your website and carefully write your description to avoid making a sales pitch, you'll make it easier for your submission to be processed.

Listing on DMOZ is free but before you submit your website to the Open Directory Project for review, you'll need to make sure that it's developed with DMOZ standards in mind. The personal touch of human review means that someone will be judging the visual quality of the site as well.

Take a little time to review other websites in your category that are already established in DMOZ.

Try and find your relative category; registering your site with DMOZ this way can be tricky because you'll need to be very careful in your description. I would spend a lot of time researching the categories before making a decision on submission. Look at the ones that are at the top of your chosen category.

It usually takes around two weeks to several months for your site to be listed on partner sites which use the Open Directory data, such as AOL Search, Google, Netscape Search, Yahoo Search, and hundreds of other sites. This method of submission is beneficial because the major search engines trust DMOZ because it is a community project and not a for profit endeavor. Many people don't understand the power of submission to DMOZ, now you know how to get to the major search engines through the backdoor.