SEO is one of those strange dynamic efforts that is almost always evolving and if you are not in  the trenches you might miss out on important updates that change the landscape entirely. Here is a really great infographic piece put together by Search Engine Land and Column Five Media where they have dissected the various search engine ranking factors that are looked at in order to determine just where and why web pages appear in the search results.

Topics discussed

On Page SEO Ranking Factors

• Website content
• HTML coding
• Website architecture

Off Page SEO Ranking Factors

• External links
• Social media influence
• Trust factor
• Pesonal

Blocking

• Others blocking your site

Violations

• Using paid links
• Link spam
• Hidden text
• Cloaking
• Thin content
• Keyword stuffing