For you newbies out there, here's a quick rundown of the basics of optimizing a site.
On-page optimization:
Focus on one or two keyword phrases per page. (Make sure to do your research first to ascertain what those should be). Make sure you include this phrase in your Title, Meta Description, a Heading tag, a bold tag, within the first paragraph of the body, and sprinkled 3-4 times throughout the body. Also, be sure to use a few synonyms for the phrase within the text. Also, don't forget to include it where applicable in alt tags. Whatever you do, don't make it spammy! Make sure the text sounds right when reading it. Don't just repeat the keywords over and over again.
Off-page optimization:
Get as many backlinks to your site as possible, preferably from theme-related sites, and preferably on pages that have good PR. Make sure those backlinks include your keyword phrase in the anchor text. Theme-related directories are a great place to start when your site is brand new.
Those are the basics. This will be a good start towards your search engine optimization goals. I'll delve into the more advanced steps in a future post.
