SEO is about manipulating search engines — to an extent. Beyond that, the manipulation becomes something more scary and you run the risk of having your web site removed or banned from the search engine rankings completely. Here are a list of what you can do and what you can’t do:

You can:

• Create a web site that contains meta tags, content, graphics and keywords that help improve your site ranking.
• Use keywords liberally on your site, so long as they are used in the correct context of your site topic and content.
• Include reciprocal links to your site from others as long as these links are legitimate and relevant.
• Encourage web site traffic, through many venues, including keyword advertising, reciprocal links, and marketing campaigns.
• Submit your web site to search engines manually, rather than waiting for them to pick up your site in the natural course of cataloging web sites.

You can’t:

• Trick search engines by embedding hidden keywords in your website. This is a practice that will very likely get you banned by most search engines.
• Artificially generate links to your site from unrelated sites for the purpose of increasing your ranking based on link analysis. Most search engiens have a built-in mechanism that will detect this type of deceptive practice.
• Artificially generate traffic to your web site so that it appears more popular that it is. Again, these are safeguards in place to present this from happening, and if yu trip those safeguards, you could end up on the banned list for many search engines.
• Force your website to appear in search engine rankings by submitting the site repeatedly for inclusion in the rankings. A good general rule of thumb is that you should submit your site once and then wait at least six weeks before submitting it again. Submitting it repeatedly will, again, only lead to something nasty like being banned from the search engine.
• Expect search engines to automatically rank you at the top of your topic, category, or keyword as soon as the site is picked up. It could take a little time to build the status that you need to reach a high search engine ranking. Remember, SEO is a process.

These are just basic rules for putting search engines to work for you.  There are many more, which you will discover.

With a decent understanding of how search engines work and how people use those search engines, you can then focus on some more detailed information about these engines. For example, you know that all search engines are not created equal right? But did you know that there are different types or classifications of search engines?

Search engines can be broken, down into three different types (in the broadest of terms) primary, secondary and targeted.

• Primary Search Engines – it is the type you think of most often when search engines come to mind. Some index most or all sites on the web. For example, Yahoo, Google, and MSN are primary (also called major) search engines. Primary search engines will generate the majority of the traffic to your web site, and as such will be the primary focus of your SEO efforts. Each primary search engine differs slightly from the others. For example, Lycos has been around much longer than Google, yet Google is the most popular search engine on the web. Why is that? Most likely because when searching the web, Google provides better search results. The difference in those search results is all in the search algorithms used to create the search engine.
• Secondary Search Engines – are targeted at smallest, more specific audiences, although the search engines content itself is still general. They don’t generate as much traffic as the primary search engines, but they’re useful for regional and more narrowly focused searches. Examples of secondary search engines include Lycos, LookSmart, Miva, Ask.com and Espotting. Secondary search engines should be includes in any SEO plan. Though these search engines might not generate as much traffic as the primary search engines, they will still generate valuable traffic that should not be overlooked.
• Targeted Search Engines – sometimes called topical search engines – are the most specific of them all. These search engines are very narrowly focused usually to a general topic, like medicine or branches of science, travel, sports, or some other topic. Examples of targeted search engines include CitySearch, Yahoo! Travel and MusicSearch, and like other types of search engines, ranking criteria will vary from one to another. When considering targeted search engines for SEO purposes, keep in mind that many of these search engines are much more narrowly focused than primary or secondary search engines. Look for the targeted search engines that are relevant to your specific topic.

Getting an understanding of the search engines can help you see where you need to focus your SEO efforts at any given time. Once you have started SEO for your site, constantly monitor and update your SEO strategies and activities to achieve and meet your desired goals and results.