So we have looked at the guidelines set forth by the Search Engines. While the suggestions are numerous, many SEO experts will add another dozen or so.
To complicate things further there are things you will notice along the way. Your results may differ from what is espoused in the search engine guidelines or in the various SEO pontifications.
Be patient. It can take from one month to six months to get listed on the search engines. Also changes you make to your site today, might not have any effect for months to come.
It is a common experience to have a site ranked well on Yahoo and MSN but nowhere to be found on Google. Other sites may show well on Yahoo and Google but be absent from MSN. Keep in mind they are separate entities and have different algorithms they apply to the web.
Is a number one ranking on Google your only goal for your web site? It is easy to list out what you should and should not do in that situation. But if you want a fun and entertaining site, then you might not want to delete all your flash files and Javascript. If you want a large database driven site, you might not want to eliminate all your PHP or ASP driven pages. If you want an artistic site, you might not want to substitute all your graphics with text.