There are many things that can make or break your website. Let's focus on how the search engine looks at your website.

First we need to consider how search engines work, crawl the web and use that data to give you a high rank or a low rank. Here are some tips to measure your website to ensure search engines are taking your website seriously.

1. The Backend

How was your website built? This issue is first and foremost. The foundation of your website is like the foundation of a well built home or building, without a strong foundation the whole thing could come crumbling down.

Some things you need to review:

A. Is your code bloated? Most WYSWYG editors like FrontPage, Yahoo Site Builder, Apple's iWeb or similar programs can certainly build you a functional site, but, behind the scenes they use a lot of unnecessary content you don't see. This unnecessary content lowers your SEO score greatly.

B. File-size. When uploading an image, is it optimized for web? The average image off a point-and-shoot camera can be up to 2Mb or 3Mb. This can slow your websites load time and cause the images themselves to have jagged edges and pixelation when required to shrink down to fit your actual web page.

C. Navigation - Flash is cool, there is no doubt that it catches your eye, but, when it comes to functionality and search engine crawlers, it doesn't measure up. It also requires a plugin to function.

D. Domain name. Also known as your URL, this is your .com, .org, .net, etc. Is it a long domain name? Are your keywords in your domain? Are their session ID's in the page URL's?

E. Title tags  -  Title tags are essential. They are just as essential as your actual copy on your page or the links to your other pages. By examining your page content you can form appropriate title tags that are surrounding a link or image.

2. Your Content.

Content that is relevant to your site is crucial as well. The key is to attract others to link back to you. Your content can be focused around your keywords, but, don't sacrifice well written content just to overload your copy with keyword fluff. Make sure your content is to the point and brings a true solution to your reader. Remember more than SEO, you want to convert your readers into customers.

3. Google's Foundation.

The guys over at google flipped the world of search upside down. Building their rank listings based upon relevance and trust. Trust that the content will satisfy the user. Even the most tiny and poorly coded sites can get good rankings if there is a strong level of link trust built. Three factors need to be examined:

1. Inbound Links - How many are linking to your website? Are they ranked high? What pages are being linked?

2. Site age - How long has the site been live? How long has the domain been registered? How long is the domain registered for? The longer the better.

3. Outbound links - Does your website link to similar websites? Or are those sites not doing so hot? Do they get penalized by search engines?

Before you start throwing money at an SEO company that promises you results, these are things you can consider for yourself. You need to know where you stand and where you plan to go. Then give yourself an honest evaluation of your website, not only from the user standpoint, but, from the search engines as well.