I was trying to search for some basic standards that each SEO company tries to follow to optimize a site.. or let me put it other way. Is there any specific rule or guidelines defined ? My next question is : How do SEO companies differ in their approach for SEO ?
I know that SEO companies make sure that all of your html validates and is easy for spiders to read and follow.
Most companies aren't going to give away their exact working method, though you'll find the majority usually work losely to the following Site/Code Assessment Usability On-Page Optimisation/Internal link structure Off-Page Optimisation
they do link building, word tracking, keywords choice, and of course some html optimization / validation
It depends how much you pay. Go for a cheap option (less than $500) and they will just submit to a few hundred directories, submit some articles and tweak the title tags. Pay a few thousand $$$'s and you will get somebody who will look at your entire SEO strategy and teach you how to approach SEO the right way.
No, every company approcahes it diffenetly, though I think you'll find most loosely follow the formats posted above. Not many will give away much more than that.
As has been rightly put the whole SEO campaign depends on the budget you have allocated . The major component of the budget go in link building . So depending on the budget the number of links can vary .