various steps that you would take to optimize a website?

[RH-Calvin]

There are basically two types of SEO techniques - on page and off page.

On page seo refers to the process that is followed on the website itself. Some of the tasks involved are:

Keyword research
Meta tags and title
Meta description
Robots.txt file
Sitemap generation
Content development
Image optimization

Off page refers to the link building and promotion of your website in search engines. Some of the most effective off page activities are:

Guest posting
Article submission
Press release submission
Social bookmarks
Classified ads
Infographics submission
Social media optimization