I wish it was "content, content, content". Unfortunately, where seo is concerned, it's not. Our googlebot librarians are not just directing us to the young adult section, they're giving us a list of books in the order that they think we should read them. And that list is LONG!

Content IS technique. Use each keyword 3-7 times. 105 to 490 words total. Use each keyword in an <h1>-<h6> title and a text link. Optimize your three primary keywords to your first three alt images. With restrictions like this one has no choice but to try to make a choice between optimizing for the bots and the visitors. This is why I discourage my clients from seo unless they're highly specialized. Finding that balance is what seo is all about. I personally prefer a good website to a well optimized one, but then I'm not trying to sell australian fashion footwear. My organic ranking won't make or break my business.