Where should I start ?? SEO

I provide a service locally in my city. There are a few others providing a similar service but I don't believe many have built sites that rank well. I think the top ranking sites are just top ranking because of time and clicks as opposed to actually being optimized. I'm a noob at SEO but would like to know where I should start to get my website ranking higher. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This article is very good for starters: [BHW.com]/blackhat-seo/black-hat-seo/478506-search-engine-optimization-blueprint-2012-complete-guide-ranking-website-google.html

Thanks going to check it out now.