You may also want to look at
SelfPromotion.com. It's like a free course on SEO! This is one of the free resources I use, along with GoRank (as mentioned above) and a plethora of others.
Before you go too far down the path of self-promotion, be sure to evaluate if your time is best spent here. I'm a firm believer that every small business owner needs a working knowledge of SEO, but beyond that a specialist may be a good idea. Look into an SEO specialist, remote professional, or virtual assistant. Be sure to check references carefully if you decide to pursue this venue.
At this point, Google's algorithm seems to be dancing more than it's sitting still. Although the other search engines are still major players, Google is king at this point. So, optimizing for Google is the best use of your time. If you have a new website, that may take awhile (read about the "sandbox effect").
One of the surest (although not quickest) ways to bump up your ranking is to include keyword rich content and write articles for home owners and home sellers for other sites (your local newspaper may be interested, and this will help your rank if they have an online version). It's not the easiest or the quickest way to move up, but content is still the key to good rankings, and the adjustments by the search engines are made to help ensure that this remains true.
Be sure you read the "rules" and
suggestions from Google before starting a self-help SEO approach. Don't spam the search engines with lists of keywords and keyword links -- not only is it tacky, it will get you banned (especially if your competition reports you for it.)
A long post, but I hope it helps,
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