How To Optimize for Ask (Ask.com) Search Traffic

Another question that comes up frequently is which engines should a client optimize for.  The obvious big three aside (Google, Yahoo, and MSN), are there other traffic sources that can drive business to your site?  The answer is a resounding yes... with some caveats.  The poster-child for these second and third-tier websites is ask.com.  They've recently relaunched their site with a new UI (announcement at the Ask.com blog), and there are some neat new features for casual searchers.  They've also taken serious steps to improving their search algorithms by aquiring other companies like Bloglines and integrating their data into their data stores.  How can you best get your site to the top?
We'll come up with a more exhaustive list, but here's a set for you to start with:

• Make sure that you're included in AskCity.  They're one of the local search leaders, and can drive traffic to your site.
• Make sure you're using an XML sitemap, and submit it directly to ask.com
• If you want your images to be included in the Ask Image search, make sure the keyword you want them included for is in their path, or better yet, the filename.

If you follow these little hints, it'll go a long way to improving the amount of traffic you get from these sites.