Listing Description

My site was just listed recently. I was wondering how the descriptions were created? The description given to my site isn't as descriptive as some others in the same category. Just curious if they can be changed or expanded to better represent the listing?

Thank you in advance

We will not change a description in response to a request here unless it's factually incorrect.

You can use the update URL function on the category page to request a change, but my advice is to make sure that the description change you suggest is compliant with the current guidelines. That will give you a better chance of having it accepted.

It is also worth noting that we do not look at "old" listings to try and provide equity. Many, many sites that were listed a long time ago have descriptions that are not currently compliant, and we update those when we can, but it is not a terribly high priority unless an editor is doing other quality control work within a category.

Within my personal experience, fewer than 5% of description change requests result in any edits to the description we have in place, and of those 5%, I'd hazard that none are accepted verbatim, but rather might result in the change of a word or two.

But you are still welcome to give it a shot.

Thanks

I just found it a bit odd that the description I submitted with my site was to the guidelines and identical in style and wording to over 90% of the category. When most descriptions are descriptive sentences and mine is a short 5 word non descript sentence I just got curious as to how they are created and why they are so random.

Thanks editors for the replies

The descriptions are the creation of the editor. They are supposed to represent what the surfer is likely to find on the site. Most submitted descriptions are more marketing oriented than the guidelines expect.

As I mentioned before, the guidelines have evolved over time, so what an editor wrote when listing a site two years ago, may not be acceptable now.

There is, within the guidelines, room for editor discretion and individual style, so no two editors will write the exact same description.

It is also possible that the editor was not finished writing the description, and inadvertently added the site to the directory. Post the URL and one or more of the editors here will take a peek at it to see if the description is guidelines compliant. What they will not do, though, is compare the description to other listed sites.

Here is the link

Here is the link to the site http://www.vintageswank.com

The link to directory listing is http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Antiques_and_Collectibles/Clothing/

The only real thing missing in our description which is kinda important is the 1920s-1970s date range we submitted. This gives people an idea of what is at our site, versus a generic reference to clothing.

Thanks for all the help

First, the caveat: I'm only one editor and this is my personal opinion. But within the editing community, I am probably close to the minimalist fringe of the verbosity scale. (I have to make up for it in the forums, of course.) So I think most editors would probably feel the same way on this issue.

If you submit a change URL request, adding only the date range to the description, and if you mention in bracketed comments to the editor that your store really doesn't sell (or hardly ever sells) clothing outside that range, and I could confirm that information from a site review, then I'd accept the change.

My line of reasoning would be: the addition of that information will keep some people from visiting the site (because they are looking for some other period clothing) and therefore makes the links more relevant (to the right audience).

What many webmasters want is a mention of the specific details when the site isn't specific to them: "clothing from the 50's, 60's, 1880's, bronze age IIB, and all other possible periods." That's primordial keyword-stuffing, and it gets excised with a rusty machete. But it doesn't sound like that's what you were after. This is pure speculation (I haven't looked), but I'm wondering if you may may have originally given the dates in a form that looked like PKS (1920's, 30's, 40's...), causing the editor to reach for the dull instrument.

Thanks

I submitted the change URL. All we were interested in was a description like "Clothing and accessories for men, women, and children from the 1920s-1970s." We want the users to know we do have more than women's clothing as well as the time periods we stock. Just think that is a bit more helpful to the directory.

Thanks for taking the time.