Content is king
Cliche? Absolutely. BUT, nothing says expertise more than a website covering every single topic in depth.
Everyone can do SEO
If you just heard of SEO yesterday, you probably won't believe me. It's true nonetheless. Logical thinking and just doing something will take you a long way.
Don't go generic
Targeting huge generic keywords (bike, car, pants) is a battle against the top companies with unlimited resources and budgets. Don't waste your time.