Although the concept of search engine optimization (SEO) can be somewhat a headache, there are a number of basic search engine optimization techniques you can use to improve your organic search results. Keep the following in mind when trying to achieve top rankings for your website.

1. Meta Tags.

Meta tags are unseen lines of code at the top of each web page that gives information to the search engines about your page. Include the title tag, keyword stag, description tag, and robots tag on each page.

2. Build and update your site map regularly.

Building a site map is a effective way of giving search engines the information they need to crawl your entire website. There are plenty of free site map builders on the web that can help you generate a solid site map. Once you create a site map, submit it to Google and Yahoo and as many search engines as you can.

3. Ensure that all navigation is in HTML.

Way too often, navigational menus are in java script form. Though navigation technically still works in this format it is not optimized. build your navigation in HTML to enhance internal links throughout your website.

4. All images must include keyword ALT text.

Your image's alt text is crawled by search engines. If you don't include your keywords in alt text, you're missing out on a huge potential for improved search engine result placements. Label all of your images associated to that specific keyword.

5. Use limited flash content.

Content generated through java script or flash is a big no-no. Some webmasters like to use flash because of the presentation. If you must, use it sparingly, but only after your site has been properly optimized with basic search engine optimization in mind.

6. Make sure that your website code is clean.

Keep in mind when optimizing a web page crawlers are basically only looking at your source code. When programming your web pages, having W3C compliant code can make all the difference. Run your code through a free W3S validation program before promoting.

7. Place keywords in your page content.

Search engines crawl your website and web pages for keywords. Shoot for a keyword density of between two and seven percent. Google likes your page to be at the lower end of this scale and Yahoo at the upper end. So I put mine in the middle.

8. Submit your website to search engine directories.

It's always a good idea to let large search engine directories know that you're out there. Submit your website URL to directories like Google, Yahoo, and DMOZ.

9. Build links to your website.

Create one-way links to your website using articles or forum posts. All major search engines value the importance of your website based on how many others websites are linking to it.

10. Learn the basics of optimization.

Optimizing your website for search engines takes time. Apply these basic search engine optimization rules to your web pages and it will come, but you'll have to be patient. If you're new to website SEO, or even a veteran, start by prioritizing which pages are most important to you and go from there. Soon you'll find your website headed to the top!