Beware of those who say they can get your site listed first - its a trick or money. One such trick is to have you embed rare or non-dictionary words on your home page. Banner Advertising at related sites. The effectiveness of this can vary greatly - basically you'll need to try several sites and several banner designs. Another thing to avoid is excessive flashing.
Some animation is good for catching the eye, but too much can be irritating.
Newsgroups and Email. If you absolutely must, be savvy. Spamming is hated by almost everyone and will eventually backfire on those meatbrains who do it. Meanwhile the rest of us are getting angrier and angrier. It's a sad reflection on the mentality of the spammers or those who believe them.