Making your web pages search engine friendly is the basic first step in getting higher rankings for your keyword(s) of choice.
Before optimizing any individual page, you need to choose a primary word or phrase that you want to optimize it around. This word or phrase should be something that relates to the content of your page, and that you have a realistic chance of ranking well for. Being the #1 result for your primary keyphrase is a good long-term goal to have.
Once you have selected your primary keyphrase, it is a good idea to put it in high-visibility locations, such as the title and heading tags. You might also want to incorporate it into your meta tags. These tags can be very useful for organizational purposes, even though most search engines pay them little or no attention.
In addition to your primary keyphrase, you should come up with a few secondary keywords. These should be things that relate to your primary keyphrase in some way. A good place to put secondary keywords is in secondary heading tags, outgoing anchor text, and scattered throughout the content itself, as well as in the "alt" attribute of relevant images.
A final step to take in making your site as a whole more search engine friendly is to link every page back to the homepage at least once, and to as many other (relevant) pages within your site as possible.
Once you are satisfied that your page is well optimized around the words and phrases of your choosing, it's time to move on to the next page, and start the process again.
About the Author
Jeremy Maddock is the owner SEOMix.com, a high quality source of useful SEO tips.