Hi
Yes you have mentioned the basic SEO techniques - One thing that I would advise you to pay particular attention to is your onsite optimization.
By onsite optimisation I refer to your <title>, meta keywords and description, Headings and keyword saturation. To get the most out of your backlinks and your seo then both onsite and offsite optimisation will need to work side by side. You will be surprised how much difference an optimised site title can make to your rankings.
I personnaly do my keyword research before writing any articles or optimising any pages. its very important you know what keywords you are targeting and what areas you will need to concetrate on more. Sometimes it only takes a little re-wording on yor page to take that number 1 slot.
There is an article which I would recommend you read regarding onsite optimisation. which can b found here Onsite optimisation | title | meta tags | headings | SEO | linking | Big Seo Techniques
I would also like to note that some things may work for some and not others - sometimes its all down to trial and error however the majority of the issues in SEO have been experimented by others so it is good to read up and educate yourself.
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