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BizXpress : Search Engines : Link Popularity : E-Zines : Beginners Check List

1. Search engines. Web surfers typically use the large search engines such as Google, MSN, and AOL to find the information they want. If you can manage to get a good ranking for some of your top key phrases, you can get a steady stream of traffic. Expect to invest funds for review/submissions, and possibly even for hiring an optimization expert or for self-education. A great site to learn about search engine optimization is Search Engine Watch.

2. Major indexes. Yahoo and Open Directory are two of the best-known indexes. Both of them can significantly increase your link popularity, and provide you with additional traffic. At the time of writing, Yahoo charges an annual review fee for commercial websites. Submissions to Open Directory are currently still free.

3. Pay-per-click search engines. With these search engines, you literally pay a certain amount of money for every click they send your way. The more you bid, the higher you'll rank for your search term and the more visible your link will be. The largest and most popular PPC SE is Overture. A list of PPC SEs is available from PayPerClickSearchEngines.com.