Don't be "lured" into the affiliate programs that offer to exchange money for click-throughs (people clicking on ads) or impressions. The only folks this ruse is helping is the affiliate programs, not your site.

Site submission services
There is an entire business that has sprung up around Web site submission, placement and Internet search engine (and directory) placement. The concept behind these businesses are simple: if your Web site is not ranked high in the leading search engines, you will not be found. And basically, they're right. The art of search engine placement, ranking and page optimization (with an eye on achieving the optimum search engine placement) is an art form in and of itself. Chances are, you have already received an email from companies claiming to submit your Web site to 400 search engines and directories (or more)!

This I think is a topic for another time. All I will say is that you should be sure that your site is ready before submitting your URL to hundreds of search engines. Why? Because it is often more difficult (or in some cases impossible) to correct a bad or erroneous listing, and no listing might be better in the long run. In fact, next month, we'll talk about getting your Domino Web site ready for the leading search engines and directories. See you next month!

James D. Cimino, at http://www.bright-ideas.com, is the President of Bright Ideas Software, Inc., a Lotus Notes Business Partner who specializes in Intranet and Domino development. James is also the author of The Webmaster's Guide to Lotus Domino. You can contact him at ciminoj@bright-ideas.com.