In addition to banner exchanges, there are many other ways to advertise your website.

Search engines are probably the most effective way to promote your website. A website with a high ranking can get 90% or more of their traffic from search engines. Don't expect quick results though, just getting listed on the major search engines can take months. And getting a high ranking can take years. Before you try to add your site to the search engines, you should understand how they will rank your site. Just because you're listed doesn't mean you'll get traffic. There are many articles online that will help you get your site search engine ready.

Trading links is another effective way to bring traffic to your site. There are many websites that are willing to trade links with you. Trading links will also help with search engine ranking.