There is a lot to learn about search engine optimization. Although there is not enough room to write about all of it in this one article, there is a wealth of knowledge here that will get you started on making your website stand out and rank higher in the search results.
You may be looking to optimize your site to cover every contingency, but you would do better to focus on a smaller, manageable number of keywords, and claim the top search spots, then to overextend yourself and try to conquer too much search territory.
Pick five to ten keywords, do your homework, and then optimize your pages with that focused set of words in mind.
Make a number of mini-sites that lead back to your main site. This way, each site can focus on one or two keywords and have a fully functional site that you can optimize and get traffic for, but serves a dual purposes since it will link back to your main website.
The more mini-sites you have, the more point to your original site, and that will cause it to rise in the search engine page rankings.
You should understand that free keyword-finding tools are just as efficient as the tools that cost money. This is how you will end up saving in the long run, by getting the things for free that a lot of eager start-ups are paying big money for.
A free keyword tool is just as beneficial to you because you should be checking for obscure and lesser-used words and phrases in the first place.
If you've been avoiding it, or you haven't been seeing the results that you were hoping for from your previous attempts to maximize your search engine results, then hopefully you will now that you've read some of these tips.
This isn't an exhaustive reference, but it is a starting point. This starting point that might make all the difference in the world in your search engine optimization efforts.