every search engine uses different algorithms to rank your site, google use a number of different algorithms which they alternate, which is why it is harder to consistently rank well on google.
the main rules they look at are.
one way links
reciprocal links
Keyword density(should be 2-4%)
site title
page title
site age
how up to date your site is
ranking of the sites linking to you
Links from related sites are worth more than any old random link, infact google have started penalizing sites that have to many random links.
keep your links pages to no more than 100 links per page
links from .gov sites are worth more as the engines see these as important sites and therefore if they are linking to you then you will be seen as an important site.
(the same reason it`s better for you if you can get high ranking sites linking to you)
try to make each page relevant to the page title, ie. carpet cleaning page ensure your keywords carpet, carpets, upholstery etc are of a higher density on that page than anywhere else on your site.
The engines can`t see pictures but they do read the file names of them so name all your pics using your keywords, remember to keep them relevant to the page they are going on.
make a site map and upload it to the same ftp folder that contains your site files.
Don`t pay for links, as again google is penalizing sites that use link farms.
Don`t worry if you don`t rank anywhere for the first few months as your site will be "sandboxed" some engines wait until your site is of a certain age 3-6 months before ranking it.
Register your site with DMOZ and alexa directorys.
I think that is prob enough for the minute, although it is vital to keep maintaining your site or else if you neglect it (as i have for the last few months) you will lose your ranking very quickly (as i have) ( temporarily )