eTrafficJams has an interesting search engine optimization service article that talks about "White Hat" SEO optimization.

Lurking in your website's HTML code can be many "do not enter" signs that you aren't aware of. These roadblocks make it hard or impossible for search engine spiders to fully access every part of your site.

That's a serious problem. Source

To fix it, their SEO optimization experts perform a thorough analysis of your site's design and HTML. They remove any spider traps they find along the way. One often overlooked area for optimization are shopping cart or database-driven web sites. These functions are usually prime candidates for better search engine optimization.

Examples of basic content techniques they use to make sites search engine friendly:

  • Title Tag
  • META Description
  • META Keywords
  • Alt tag attributes
  • Headings H1, H2, H3 etc
  • Body Text
  • Link Text (Anchor Text)
  • Link Title
  • Domain Names, File and Folder Names
  • Keyword Repetition, Proximity, Prominence
  • Page Size
  • Search Engine Friendly Navigation
  • Number of Pages on the Website
  • Website Freshness/Frequency of Updates
  • Number of Outgoing Links
  • Site Map

Formatting your content is only the start. The second part of the strategy is to keep ranking up over time through link building and constantly enhancing your content.  SEO firms like this offer a monthly maintenance plan which is vital to your long term success. They monitor your search engine rankings and analyze the progress of your SEO campaign. As necessary, pages will be re-optimized to sustain and improve your rankings in the major engines: Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.

Part of 'White Hat' optimization is doing the ethical, search-engine approved methods to enhancing your site. Black Hat optimization such as duplicate pages and white text links on a white background and stuffing pages with keywords is frowned upon.

Rely on an expert to optimize your site or else you may find yourself blacklisted from the search engines!