Is a Physical Address Required?

Hi, all. I submitted my site to DMOZ some months back and I had a question that isn't answered (at least to my knowledge) on the DMOZ site. I run my small business from my home, and because I don't have a physical showroom and instead visit customers directly at their homes, I had previously only published the name of the town and state my business is located in on my site. I subsequently learned by reading on the Internet that the editors of Web-based directories, such as DMOZ, do not select Websites that do not provide complete physical addresses. I posted my address immediately. My Website provides both helpful and educational information internationally, as well as help promote my small business locally. Posting my home address is not really something I want to publish to everyone, just to my customers. I want to promote my services, not my home address. In the past few months, I've noticed that there are a few Websites listed in DMOZ that are very helpful and do not have physical addresses. So my question is, can I take my home address off my Website and still receive entry into DMOZ? Is there a policy that requires the address? Or, if not, do editors decide not to select a site because it doesn't have an address? Thank you in advance for your answer.

Generally, a site doesn't have the information necessary to qualify for a regional listing unless it has information about the location. (It's an issue because there are some businesses, not to mention real estate agents, that tend to be, um, creative in defining their "location.") It's not a hard-and-fast rule, but it USUALLY IS a major consideration. You'd be foolish not to expect that to be a problem.

We don't publish "helpful and educational" information, we publish "unique" information, which is a completely different perspective -- so the site might not be listable as an "informational" site if it seems to be primarily to commercially promote some business (yours or someone else's).

Thank you; for the quick answer! While I believe the information on my site is unique, a parent always views its child in the most radiant light. So thank you for your helpful answer; I am inspired to work on improving my sites uniqueness. As to the address issue, I can understand how companies like real estate agents, among others, would compromise this, but would I still not be considered if I publish my town and state info vs my complete address?

I am not promising the site won't be considered. But I think you should consider that very likely.

You shouldn't make a decision on whether or not to put your home address on a website based on what you think the ODP might do.

Put as much information regarding your location as necessary for customers to decide whether to use your services. It's more likely that an editor will decide whether or not a site is appropriate for Regional based on the business, not precise address. For example, if the business is a "come to you business" like cleaning or photography, just a town and state can be sufficient. But if the business is distribution or sales of another company's products, that is unlikely to meet the unique content criteria and wouldn't be listed anywhere.

The only time I won't list a site in Regional because of address, is when the site owner deliberately tries to hide their location, then I'll send it to Topical (if it qualifies), or I'll delete it.

I would prefer to see a full mailing address, but for placement purposes, city/state is all that's really neccessary, and we have ways of verifying the truthfulness of the location.

There are instances, such as bands, artists, caterers, DJ's, contractors, or as lissa said, service businesses which don't have walkin locations, (but just a private address) that still qualify to be listed.

If you don't use your full address. As an editor, I want to see your real name in your "About" page , and a real phone number (not an 800 number), if I don't then I'm going to investigate further, and if I can't verify your location, you're gone.

Thank you; this was very helpful! I've decided to just publish my town and state of business information since customers would never need to come to my home.

It's very rare that a business won't have their full address on their site, and it sets off all kinds of red flags for us, but, I do understand the security issues of owning and operating a service type business from your home.

There are thousands and thousands of small, legitimate businesses who have down sized to a one person operation (like my plumber has), or only operate it as self employment for themselves. They pay the same quarterly taxes, that my walk-in shop pays.

Regardless of that, Regional editors place sites by actual location, so the more you can help us verify that on your site, the better your chances.

Yes, and please resist the temptation to show you are in the next community to the left, as it is three times larger. If/when we catch people doing that, it not only raises the red flags, but causes them to flap in the breeze, and editor actions become both unpredictable and unpleasant.