Google ranking factors

There are "over 200 SEO factors" that Google uses to rank pages in the Google search results (SERPs). What are the search engine optimization rules?
Here is the speculation - educated guesses by SEO webmasters on top webmaster forums. Should you wish to achieve a high ranking, the various confirmed and suspected Google Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Rules are listed below.

FORUM & BLOG PARTICIPATION

An easy way to gain incoming links, though those of questionable value, is to participate at related forums and blogs. Almost all blogs and most forums allow posters or commenters to leave a website link or have signature links and you can gain direct traffic through these links in addition to gaining link popularity.

The key though is to participate in a real fashion. There is software or services out there that will automatically post rubbish at forums and blogs to get you links, this is spam. There are also people out there that'll do such posting manually but only achieve a level of quality a sliver above the posting robots, and that's still spam. You need to participate, not just post. You cannot simply say, "Yes, I agree" and hope to not be perceived as spam.

The best advice I can give in this regard is to try not to post anything you wouldn't post if you weren't trying to get incoming links. The idea of gaining links from forum signatures and blog comments should be more about getting some links & traffic for an activity you'd do anyways, rather than an activity you're only doing for the links. Blog & forum owners tend to be savvy to this sort of behavior and may end up banning you for it if you're not being genuine.

Also, remember, the more helpful you are the more people will respect you and the greater exposure your links will get. 

INTERNAL LINKING FUNDAMENTALS

There are two issues you need to be concerned with in regards to your internal site links. The first, and most evident issue, is that internal site links are conduits for PR to travel to your sub-pages from your index page and vice versa. The second issue is that the benefit that any single page receives from an incoming link is highly dependent on the context of that link - specifically the anchor text (text used within the link itself) for the link. 

Best Article Sites

You won’t benefit from the long tail effect of submitting to the other article directories available, but you will at least hit the big ones with the highest Alexa and Google rankings.

1. EzineArticles -The big daddy of article directories.  If you could only choose one place to submit your articles, this would be a good choice. PR6
2. Submit Your Article -This started as an article submission service, but has also turned into a high-quality article directory over the years.  PR4
3. Suite101 – Another monstrous article site.  PR7
4. Helium – An up-to-date article site.  PR6
5. ArticleDashboard -Another staple in article directories.  PR5
6. ArticleBase -This article directory has grown to a PR6 with lots of content and praise from article syndication experts.
7. GoArticles -This one claims to be the largest, but I’m pretty sure #1, #3, and #4 give it a run for it’s money.  PR4
8. WebProNews -You have to be selected to get into this one but it’s well worth the trouble.  Old and respected.  PR6
9. SearchWarp -Free to submit and serves a lot of articles.  PR5
10. Buzzle -A strong article directory.  PR6
11. Isnare -Also a submission service, iSnare is another strong article directory at PR6.
12. American Chronicle -Actually part of a network of article sites.  PR6
13. ArticleCity -Pretty much your standard article directory.  PR5
14. IdeaMarketers -A giant, this is much more than a simple article directory.  It is a newsletter builder and management system as well as a “home base” for authors.  PR5
15. Site Reference -This is a content portal with article submission built-in.  PR5
16. Article Alley -A standard article directory.  PR5
17. TheWhir -Another strong article site.  PR6
18. Articles Factory -Mid-level article site.  PR4
19. SelfGrowth -Won’t find this one in auto-submission software.  Must become an “expert” first to then get access to submit articles.  PR6
20. Amazines -Pretty standard.  Nothing fancy here.  PR3
21. Article Snatch – It’s pretty popular, but is a “no-follow” directory.  PR5

KEYWORD PROFITABILITY

Another aspect to consider in your keyword research is how profitable having a site based around the various keywords can be. The fact is some keywords or site topics can pay vastly more than others.

LINK BAITING

Link bait or link baiting is a relatively new term that can have a variety of meanings. There has been a movement in recent years away from manipulative or artificial ways of building links and instead to focus on creating very compelling, interesting, or viral content so that people link to it naturally.

There is another side to link baiting though, and that is the publication of false, misleading, or purposefully controversial information to gain links, or the fabrication of articles around topics that appeal to people in a viral way, but do not necessarily have anything to do with your website.

Creating good content is one of the most important things that can help you gain long term success as a website publisher, so it is definitely something I recommend. Creating purposely false, misleading, sensational, or controversial content just to gain links can however come back to haunt you and is something I do not recommend. As time passes the very people you wish to attract with your content have gotten savvy to shameless link baiting attempts such as posting grandiose claims or purposely controversial statements, so rather than do what you hope they'll do (pass your link along) they instead ridicule you or your website for trying to manipulate them.

These more black-hat forms of link baiting can work, and may be worthwhile for a site that you acknowledge will have a short life span. However I would not do it with any site for which you want to have long-term success.

There is still a place for more aggressive link baiting in the white hat world, but only if it is related to your site and only if you're not lying to your readers.

Considering how a broad definition of link baiting could encompass almost all of the tips in this topic, I will instead use a narrower one and cover the other possible applications of link baiting in their own section. 
Internet marketing

CROSS-LINKING TWO SITES

When dealing with two sites you want to cross promote there are certain linking structures that will give you the most bang for your buck. Two sites that are fully meshed will result in the higher PR site having it's PR lowered and the lower PR site having it's PR raised. So unless you want to sacrifice some of the first site's PR to help the second site you shouldn't fully mesh two sites.

If you're purposely trying to siphon off PR from one site to help another there are better schemes than fully-meshed cross-linking to consider. If the site that needs the PR doesn't link back to the one that is sending it the overall benefit for the site that needs the PR will be larger.

By sending it's received PR to it's sub-pages and then back to its homepage Site B is almost effectively doubling the PR that it's homepage gets from the Site A link. This same PR structure can be used to launder PageRank. 

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION PHILOSOPHY

Search engine optimization is a shady industry. There are many clueless individuals trying to make a buck through passing themselves off as an expert. Even worse, there are very many people who honestly think they are experts but who have only been in the industry a short amount of time. Finally, there are those people who do not come from backgrounds that emphasize logic, critical thinking, and scientific observation. Take all that, and add in a healthy dose of Internet anonymity, and you end up with a lot of bad information out there.
Compounding the problem is that search engines are not in a constant state, they are extremely complex and frequently changing. So even if you manage to navigate your way through the mess of misinformation that is search engine optimization by the time you find something valuable and helpful it may be outdated either already or in short time.
The answer to this is to ignore the theory du jour and instead focus on the fundamentals. Anything beyond fundamental search engine optimization, as I define it anyways, is in a shady gray area and the search engines actively work to combat those methods as they are often used by spammers. So, the only truly safe method (and by safe I mean stable, you're unlikely to get a huge drop in ranking in a future update) is to use fundamentals.
The rest of this article is meant to be a guide to the fundamental approach to search engine optimization.

Niche Social-Media Sites

Consider linking up with one of these social-media sites to narrow down your business’s target audience. You’ll find other professionals, enthusiasts and consumers who are most likely already interested in what your company has to offer.

1. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.
2. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being “your link to the Web content that really matters.” Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You’ll also meet others with similar interests.
3. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.
4. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.
5. Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.
6. BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.
7. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.
8. SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.

Professional Networking Sites

Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more.

1.    LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.

2.    Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on "connecting business people" through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.

3.    Focus: Focus is a business destination where business professionals can help each other with their purchase and other business decisions by accessing research and peer expertise. Most importantly, Focus provides open, quality information for all businesses that is freely available, easily accessible, and community powered. 

4.    YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.

5.    Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."

6.    Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.

7.    Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.

8.    Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.

9.    MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.

10. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.

11. Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.

12. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.

13. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.

14. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.