Now known simply as, "Yahoo! Express", this service is sole avenue for commercial businesses to submit sites to directory, and it initially costs $299. But, as of December 28, 2001, there is a new wrinkle in fold. Yahoo! now charges an annual listing fee. Any commercial site submitted through Yahoo! Express service after December 28, 2001 will be charged an annual listing fee of $299. Simply put, if a commercial site doesn't pay annual fee, that site's listing is removed from Yahoo! directory. Commercial sites submitted before December 28, 2001 are off hook; They will remain in directory but will not have to pay annual listing fee.

So, now for big question: Is a Yahoo! listing worth paying initial $299 submission fee and annual listing fee? That depends. Are you confident enough that your site is of sufficient quality to be listed? Can you afford to gamble for a year to test whether your listing is paying off? Do you know how to get a good listing - one that will generate more traffic for you? Before even considering submitting, these questions need to be addressed and answered.

Because ODP is an Open Source initiative, listings and search engine software are freely available for other portals and search sites to use. In fact, ODP listings are used by over 200 other sites and directories, including AOL Search, AT&T WorldNet, Netscape.com, and to a certain extent, Google.com. This greatly extends possible exposure of a Web site with a listing in ODP, and makes it a must have listing for any site that's serious about building traffic.