The Open Directory - http://www.dmoz.org - will list your site only if it has good content. Since I didn't have any affiliate links up yet for the Yahoo! review I also submitted my site to the Open Directory at the same time.

The Open Directory is staffed by volunteers so the speed of service is not the best. To suggest a site to the Open Directory simply go to the correct category and hit the "add URL link". However, the category that best suited my site did not have an "add URL link" and when I went one category up the online form wouldn't work properly.

After three tries over three weeks I gave up and started emailing Open Directory editors.

All I said was that I was having trouble with the online form and that if he could list my site I would be very grateful. I supplied him with my site's URL, description, title and appropriate category in the Open Directory. The result - boomshanka! Two days later my site was in the Open Directory and it was now ready for all those money-making affiliate links.

Be sure to read the Open Directory guidelines and follow them when you make your submission.

The Open Directory can take months to list your site, and may never list it.

Inktomi and Looksmart [UPDATE: Ignore these.]

I paid $39 (via Positiontech.com) to get in the Inktomi search engine because it is one way of getting into MSN (now Bing).

I also paid to be reviewed by LookSmart just before it switched to a pay-per-click version. After carefully looking at my Site Build It! traffic stats, the LookSmart listing appears to be a waste of money.

[UPDATE: Inktomi was swallowed up by Yahoo! and disappeared. When you get links to your site, Google and Bing will find those links and thus find your site. You don't need to submit your site to them.]

NEXT: Affiliate programs: The magic links that make you money