In Part 1 of this 3-part series, I will outline the five most important things to consider when thinking about search engine optimization. View Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

Everyone seems to have the inside scoop when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. Some claim it is a science, a series of algorithms that must be accommodated to allow your site to show up at the top spot on Google. There are endless companies that claim to specialize in SEO, and charge a hefty fee with little or no promises of results. Why do they fail to give guarantees? Because SEO is not a science, it is a type of marketing that cannot be conquered overnight.

Some argue that a site’s page rank is relative to the domain’s age, but that is not true. Older sites tend to do well on search engine rankings because they have more content, more links and, most likely, a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

Here is a short list about how to give your site a jump-start in the SEO department.

#1 Content is king.

No doubt you’ve heard this one before, and for good reason. Having quality content that is relevant to your keywords and descriptions makes your site more appealing to web spiders. Although, it is not beneficial to overdo it with duplicate pages or large sections of copy-and-pasted text. Spiders are smart, so give them credit when it comes to spotting a cheater.

#2 Links links links.

A blog with no links will be just as search-friendly as a hand-written letter. Relevant links leading away from your page (along with trackbacks) let other sites know you’re there. Do not use ‘click here’ for your links, describe what the link is or where it is going.

#3 Incoming links.

If no one is linking to you, users aren’t going to find you. At this point, you can’t rely on search engine traffic so you have to generate quality, relevant links to your site. One of the most successful ways at doing this is to be active in your topic’s community. Post comments on blogs. With that said, do not spam. Blog authors will get very frustrated and likely delete your comment if it’s sole purpose is to generate traffic to your own site. Always write thoughtful, thought-provoking comments – not only do you get a link, but people may like what you say and decide to check out your site.

#4 Relevant titles.

This may start to sound repetitive, but use relevant titles for each page on your site. Each title is comparable to the title of a novel you pick up off the shelf at a bookstore – the more descriptive and accurate it is, the better indexed the page will be.

#5 Use flash sparingly.

This is usually number one on most people’s lists, but it is fairly common knowledge by now. Search engines cannot read the information in a flash site, banner or menu, so using it is highly frowned upon.