Daniel Kosir recently wrote a good article How SEO has changed: SEO Techniques and Practices for 2014. He discussed high quality content creation, its promotion and website user experience. Undoubtedly, these are a few of the critical SEO factors that need to be taken care of in this year, 2014.
I would like to add a few more points to his.
He Said: Create High-quality Content
Daniel correctly stated that websites with high-quality content that provide detailed and relevant answers to users' queries are rewarded by Google.
She Said...
Content on your website should be of superior quality compared to content of other websites for similar searches.
Create substantial content which takes into the account the users' needs and issues. Don't focus on search keywords. Google understands concepts, relations, semantics -- and so does your user.
Your content should be user-centric and authoritative. Authoritative content is mostly research-driven, fact-based, actionable. It can include white papers, case studies and articles that offer practical tips and suggestions that are actionable and helpful to users.
Your content should not be so lengthy that readers lose interest but neither so short that it lacks substantial information.
Add infographics, images or videos that complement your content.
And, with the increase in mobile searches, it's recommended to create content and deliver content in such a way that it is accessible on the desktop and on mobiles.
He Said: Content Promotion
As Daniel said; you should promote the content you create to your targeted audiences through channels like social media, guest blogging, paid advertising, and public relations.
She Said...
Sharing compelling content on social media can generate quality traffic to your website. Build a social media community and reach out to your targeted audiences. Offer them high quality content and provide them with the information they are looking for. In turn, when the content is really helpful, they will share with their circles. While spokes people of search engines temper the perceived importance of social signals for ranking, many search marketers believe these very signals at least influence ranking.
Daniel talked about guest blogging; about reaching out to prominent bloggers and other influencers in the industry. I support that and add the tip to also look at places where your audiences may hang out; forums, Google+ communities, Facebook groups, etc.
Do you have "yes, and..." comment?