1. Keyword Analysis
2. Onsite Optimization
3. Offsite Optimization
Keyword analysis is the process by which you analyze and select keywords based on traffic, competition, and relevance. If you are not selecting the proper keywords, then the rest of the optimization is really a lost cause. The text and theme of the site needs to revolve around these keywords and very much define how the site appears to both users and search engines.
Onsite optimization deals with changes made to the site itself. This involves making changes to the text content, architecture of the site, HTML code, and page layout. CSS design is often recommended when working to optimize a website as it helps keep important content at the top of your pages and allows for your pages to be easily and efficiently crawled by the search engines. This is the most commonly understood aspect of SEO, but only accounts for about 40% of a site's rankings. This is where your keywords are placed throughout the code to show the search engines what your site is about.
Offsite optimization deals with changes made outside the scope of the site. This mainly involves increasing the quantity and quality of inbound links to the site. Approximately 60% of Google's current ranking algorithm is based on inbound linking. Your goal is to maximize the site's exposure on the Web and get as many sites as possible to link back to your site.
from http://www.seo-news.com/
