Name of your website?Nomoz.org Web directory
Your name?
Joe Rahman
Your Location (city, etc)
Ottawa
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Nomoz is a new and innovative web Directory. Nomoz allows webmasters and site owners the opportunity to list their websites, feature them, and edit them any time they like. All new listings are automatically locked, and can not be removed. Webmasters can also delete their competitor's existing (unlocked) listings in the same category.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
The web site was started as a direct response to all the frustrations that webmasters have with the famous Dmoz web directory. We tried to understand the problems and short-comings of Dmoz and fix all these problems as we build the new Nomoz Directory. The one most important factor is to give webmasters a fair and equal access to get their websites listed.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website (which no longer exists) was a personal site launched in 1996. Since then, I've launched many other websites, some I still own and a some were acquired by other companies.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
The whole Idea behind the Nomoz Directory is to be the new Alternative to Dmoz. So the name had to reflect this fact. We've chosen Nomoz which is a play-on the name Dmoz replacing (D) with (NO) which implies rejection of the old Dmoz due to all its problems. Also Nomoz has a similar pronunciation as (no mas) which fittingly means (No More) in Spanish.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Nomoz's mission is to eventually replace Dmoz with a brand new equitable and open web directory. We aim at revamping all the listings, changing titles and descriptions and allowing webmasters control over their listings which adhering to some guidelines to keep the directory usable and informative. The reason we allow link owners the opportunity to remove their competitor's links is the fact that Dmoz editor's are notorious of stuffing the directory with their own and their client's links. This will serve to clean up directory from those links. Of course anyone can submit a link, that is why we've implemented a fee based directory to eliminate all the spam and abuse.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Nomoz.org is still a new Directory but the response has been overwhelming We spent a lot of time and money making sure the Directory is optimized for the benefit of both the Directory and all the webmasters who will be utilizing it to market their websites. We have only been opened for a couple of weeks but we are being indexed by all search engines. Example, as of today, Google has already indexed 258,000 pages from Nomoz. We've also had a tremendous response from webmasters and site owners in terms of utilizing the new directory and the many encouragement messages that we've received.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
We would keep adding features and resources to help webmasters and site owners better market their websites online. Many of those good people make their living from their online ventures and we would like to be their for them.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
We have been fortunate to have a quick acceptance and positive response from our target audience so far. But it is not to the point that we could not handle it. We do have plans and code in place to expand and roll out more servers if/when the need arises. We hope that this will be sooner than later. We are ready for it.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
So far, we've been really fortunate not to face any major or unexpected problems. The only problems we've had were a few bugs that showed up during development and testing but those were taken care of quickly. We're now working hard on new features received through the feed back from webmasters. This means that we will not be resting any time soon. Some of the suggestions will be rolled out as new features as soon as we are done testing them.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was rolling out the directory. Different technical issues kept surfacing during development and testing that forced us to postpone the roll out a few times to make sure all the bugs were taken care of. We are still working hard to test the existing site further on the development server. as we also implement new features.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I believe that the most important step in promoting any website, is to design it right from both Search Engine and visitor perspective. Visitor should find it easy to navigate it, while search engines find it easy to index it. The Search engine Optimization plays a great role in bringing in the organic traffic from all search engines. We are also promoting the site through the usual marketing venues (ppc campaigns including Adsense, link building, directory submissions etc..) But to date nothing beats a great web design that attracts visitors through organic search traffic.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
This website is still new, and although it gets stressful at times, it is still a pleasure to work on it every day. We've also launched many other websites and the role of thumb is that you have to LOVE what you are doing otherwise you get bored quick and the websites will suffer.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The website has been in development for over a year, and has only very recently been rolled out. We have long term plans for it, and those plans do not include abandon it any times soon no matter what happens. We do not expect to be profitable right away. so that is not a factor at this point. We aim to provide a great and usable resource directory to our visitors and a fair promotion and marketing venue to all webmasters.
Could you explain why you decided to charge a fee for listing websites at Nomoz.
The fee charged by Nomoz (about $9.00 for a new regular listing) is a small token fee in comparison to the fees charged by other web directories. This fee is also for a permanent listing and not a yearly reoccurring fee.
The reason behind most of the problems with Dmoz is that the directory is free. Any time you see a successful website SPAM will sure to follow. Dmoz directory's number one complaint was SPAM. By charging a small fee for inclusion we have eliminated the biggest hurdle that faces most free web directories, Spammers tend to stay away from web directories that will NOT list them for free.
The second major reason for charging a fee, is to make sure that the directory will generated enough money to support the maintenance, enhancement, and development of new features. This will mean longevity and adaptability to any new technology and online trends.
What is your website address?
Nomoz.org Web directory
