Invisible listing at Google directory?

[Papoloko]

I'm hoping that sombody had a similar problem before me and can give some light to it!

My site was listed by DMOZ early last year, long before they had the downtime, but it has never been shown in the Google Directory. You couldn’t find it If you go read the whole Google Directory ... That’s, unless you do a directory search for it.

A funny thing happened a few times that drove me to discover that my site is , actually, indexed in the Google Directory, even though nobody is able to see it. I’m still looking for the reason and logical explanation.

Mi statistic report showed that I had visitors coming from the page where my site would, supposedly, be listed at the Google Directory. When I follow the referral links, there was nothing displaying my domain or site title. I been going crazy looking for a logical explanation and the only one I could guess is that, the Google Directory indexed the listing from DMOZ but they didn’t bother to update the page for a physically listing. How could they make referrals to my site from their directory page otherwise?

Furthermore, if you search the Google directory for my site main keyphase:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...&cat=gwd%2FTop

they’ll list my site, at the top of that search result page, as being part of the directory's page but they won’t physically show it in the page. The downside to this is that, anybody browsing the directory won't be able to visit my site by clicking a link, the only way to find it would be by searching for my site main keyphase.

Why is this happening? Invisible linking? Maybe somebody here can come up with a better explanation!

[billybw]

It appears to me that the link you gave for searching the Google Directory actually searches the entire web. So I don't think your site is in the Google Directory, either visibly or invisibly.

My site was also added to DMOZ about a year ago, but still isn't in the Google Directory either. I'm starting to wonder if Google Directory will ever add any new sites from DMOZ.

[Papoloko]

Originally Posted by billybw

It appears to me that the link you gave for searching the Google Directory actually searches the entire web. So I don't think your site is in the Google Directory, either visibly or invisibly.

Billy, I did search for "ultra 150" from the directory search box. If you search from the directory, for that keyphase, you should see that all the others results come from the directory. That was how I discover it originally in my statistic report.

Check it out for yourself: http://www.google.com/dirhp?hl=en

Let me know what you think of it, people!!!

[Tony_V]

You mention that your stats show links coming from the directory though. How can this be unless it is physically there for someone to click on it?

[martty]

DMOZ produces a rdf dump weekly for its downstream users (~~3000 of them of which Google is just one). It is up to to the user when and how often they update their database from the dump. Google appear to be downloading the dump regularly to update their Directory search function (a lot of sites appear in the 'search directory' results with categories listed, but are not in the actualy category) and maybe use it for other purposes (eg maybe the search ranking algorithm). For some unknown reason they have not actually used the rdf dump to update the directory itself for some >9-10 months.

[Papoloko]

Originally Posted by Tony_V

You mention that your stats show links coming from the directory though. How can this be unless it is physically there for someone to click on it?

Tony V, that's exactly what I'm asking myself. Search in the directory and you'll see what I mean.

[Tony_V]

but when I search I do see it.. and I am able to click on it to go to your site.... so, I am confused I geuss as to what you are saying

[Papoloko]

Originally Posted by martty

DMOZ produces a rdf dump weekly for its downstream users (~~3000 of them of which Google is just one). It is up to to the user when and how often they update their database from the dump. Google appear to be downloading the dump regularly to update their Directory search function (a lot of sites appear in the 'search directory' results with categories listed, but are not in the actualy category) and maybe use it for other purposes (eg maybe the search ranking algorithm). For some unknown reason they have not actually used the rdf dump to update the directory itself for some >9-10 months.

martty, what you say makes a lot of sense but my visitor was referred from the Google directory. if the link isn't there, how could the visitor click to my site?... Do you think that, maybe, Google is using it in just their searching records?

Your explanation sound very good, though!

[RegDCP]

I did the search and http://www.ultra150s.com/ is listed in #1 and is clickable.

Reg

[chrisJumbo]

I searched the directory and Google itself for Ultra 150 and your site comes up 1st and I clicked on it.

I guess I don't understand the problem.

[Tony_V]

ok Papoloko are you just trying to get clicks to your site? lol

[martty]

Originally Posted by Papoloko

martty, what you say makes a lot of sense but my visitor was referred from the Google directory. if the link isn't there, how could the visitor click to my site?... Do you think that, maybe, Google is using it in just their searching records?

Your explanation sound very good, though!

A lot of other sites are reporting the same thing. I can not explain what you see in your refer logs, except to guess it may have been a referral from the directory search results.

[Papoloko]

Originally Posted by Tony_V

ok Papoloko are you just trying to get clicks to your site? lol

That comes as a side efect. :) :) :)

What I mean is that, yes, you can go to my site but right below the result title it shows the links from where it's coming from; Recreation > Boating > ... > Personal Watercraft > Personal Pages in the directory. If you click on the Personal Watercraft link, my site isn't there but, for the othes search result, they will show in the directory!!!

[billybw]

I think Martty is right. The Google Directory search box actually searches a DMOZ database. And the clicks to the site came from the search results.

[Papoloko]

Martty, that's right, it was a referral from the Google directory search results. When I click in the referral, it took me to the search result for the Google directory. That's why I called it the invisible link.

Analizing it, I can say that my site is in the Google directory search result but it isn't in the physical listing. Being that the search area is part of the directory... Is it in the directory or is it not? I have to agree to being there at least a 50%, even though it's invisible!

We need a Google rep to tell us how the directory referring work.

[activeco]

Originally Posted by Papoloko

The downside to this is that, anybody browsing the directory won't be able to visit my site by clicking a link, the only way to find it would be by searching for my site main keyphase.

There is no downside as almost noone search directories anymore (except editors & submitters), especially not so deep for:.../Top/Recreation/Boating/Power_Boating/Personal_Watercraft/Personal_Pages/, so you are very OK when coming first for the search phrase.
You are definitely in DMOZ and Google still have a full copy of it, although it shows only 14 instead of 38 in the listing (I think only PR4+).
But as I said, I don't think you suffer at all.

[sirius77]

I don't think Google has updated their clone of ODP since sometime in 2005. I suspect they are phasing it out because of legal issues.

[martty]

Originally Posted by sirius77

I don't think Google has updated their clone of ODP since sometime in 2005. I suspect they are phasing it out because of legal issues.

What legal issues? I have not heard of any. Are you making that up?

[phpkiran]

Some times it happens; even one of my client had the same issue. But after some time the referrals from goolge directory stopped

[Papoloko]

Originally Posted by phpkiran

Some times it happens; even one of my client had the same issue. But after some time the referrals from goolge directory stopped

I'm hoping the referral won't stop. I can live with it even if I don't see it. :)

[Manpasand]

Same problem is happening with one of my Indian travel site which was listed around 14 months back.

Google hasn't updated directory since 2005 but I am not worrying about it too much because site comes in Google Directory search.

[activeco]

Let me shorten my previous answer, as many didn't catch it:

Google shows (mostly) only PR4+ sites in category listings, but include everything in directory search.

Sometimes there are lower PR sites (there are even PR0 listed), but those are mostly previously high PR sites, which were redirected, expired, or for any other reason lost their PR value.

[Papoloko]

My site was PR4 until a month ago when it went down to PR3. I don't think that's the problem. There is a catch somewhere else.