Is DMOZ listing important

[casper434]

I have heard a variety of thoughts on the importance of directories such as DMOZ. Any thoughts on this subject from the perspective of google search rankings?

[AlanMosley]

Others will yes its a great link. I can only give my opinion, i would not dismiss it but I think any listing for listing sake has to be doubted in value it provides search engines.

I tend to look for directories that have some sort of relevance, relevent too your location or relevant to your niche.

If i was you, I would be looking for Realestate directories and local directories for British Columbia.

If you were a google bot and you see that a RE agent is listed in Dmoz, what conclusions would you make, the owner has got it listed, it is reviewed so they can assume that the site is of some level of authenticity, oppsoed from a relevant site it can say that this guy is about reale estate and he is in the Courtenay, British Columbia area and is also reviewed. I think the latter is of more importance.
there has been a few easy ways to get links in the past, article posting, blog comments and directories. i have seen Matt Cutts state that out of the 3 local relevant directores still carry weight when mixed with quality links. 
My tip is to concentrat on relevancy, not quantity or page rank, if you can get PR and quantity wheile being relevant thats great.

[RyanKent]

Is DMOZ listing important"Important" is a highly relative and variable term. A DMOZ listing can be helpful and add to a site's credibility, therefore it is desirable to obtain if you can. The process of applying is relatively simple and should involve under an hour total effort. Sometimes you will apply to a category which has a response editor and you can be accepted quickly. Other times you will apply to a category with a bad editor where you can't get in at all, or the process can take 6+ months. You have absolutely no control over the process. Even if you get in, your link may be on a page which is not crawled because it is buried so deeply.

Summary - if you offer a quality website, I would always apply for a listing in DMOZ. Once you apply, I wouldn't recommend spending more then 5 minutes per month checking on the application status. Just apply and move on.

[evolvingSEO]

Take it from Google themselves!

http://youtu.be/KCY5pbAuYpk

http://youtu.be/rej2TkVEehg

-Dan

[casper434]

very helpful responses. the video was particularly insightful. thanks again for the answers