Web Site Optimization
1) The world of optimizing is in constant change. New webmasters can't be expected to learn it all in a short period of time. While there are consultants who specialize in making a site search engine friendly, these services are expensive taking some time in the forums for search engine specialists could benefit your site.
2) Take some of the keywords that you built your web site around and use them in various search engines to see what the successfully ranked competition did to achieve their placement.
Avoid duplicating other sites, since many try to duplicate the higher ranked sites structure, search engines are constantly changing how they rank sites.
3) It can take months to get your results. In search engine placement, patience is a virtue.
Basic Rules of Thumb for Optimizing and Submitting a Web Site:

The do's and dont's:
• Do use basic HTML.
• Don't use Java, Flash, use text links where you can.
• Don't use image maps for your navigation, Search Engines can't read them.
• Do complete your meta tags.
• Don't spam the description tags and the keyword tags.
• Do use your meta description tag to promote your site.
• Do use your main keyword(s) in your domain name also in the title tag.
• Do make sure that the opening sentence of your content reflects your description tag. Some Search Engines use this as your descriptive phrase.
• Do create different pages for different topics, make sure the meta tags for each page are different from the first page.
• Do put lots of content on your site. Use your content and your keywords to compliment each other.
• Don't repeat your content. Penalties for this include being removed from the search engine for up to 6 months.
• Do check on the competition.
• Don't replicate their content.
• Do target your website traffic.
• Don't try to do too much with one site, stick to one theme.
• Do submit your site to each search engine.
• Don't use auto submitters.
• Don't expect immediate results. It can take 3 to 6 months to get indexed. It can take years to get a well established site.
• Don't expect guaranteed results, even if you did everything correctly.
• Don't resubmit your site over and over. Once its indexed small adjustments can make the difference.
• Do submit your main domain.
• Don't submit the rest of the pages, most search engines follow the links on a site.
• Do build your ranking material into the site itself.
• Do budget to pay for some submissions.