I can boil it down to this - 95% of what you hear will be rubbish, so be careful who you listen to.
Here are a few top 5% resources that I've found to be pure gold:
Read SearchEngineWatch. It will give you a solid foundation.
Read http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2010.htm . It will help you tie the basics of SEO into an effective strategy.
Read www.useit.com. Usability and effective SEM are inseparable. Never make it hard for people to give you money.
Then step away from the computer :) I recommend reading Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples, just about anything by Seth Godin, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell, and Taking your Talent to the Web by Jeffrey"
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