Most people think that SEO involves use of some magic formula or secret technique to get your site at top. Actually, SEO is a pure science. There are no secrets. If you have the time, you can also do what a SEO does.

Knowledge is power. With bit of more knowledge about Search Engine ranking, you will be in a powerful place to make a decision that will greatly reduce your perception of risk.

1. Please read following article on www.google.com that describes how Google ranks the websites. http://www.google.com/technology/

PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."

2.  Most search engines work on the same principle as Google has stated above. In popular Internet terminology it is known as "Link Popularity".

3.  Coming on top of search engine is like a winning a democratic election in USA or UK. There are many parties, candidates trying to be on top. But, the party or candidate that gets the maximum votes wins the election. Similarly the web page that gets maximum VOTES or Links wins the Internet Game and gets listed at top.