SEO Basics: Learn all the SEO basics back to front and well, don't just have a "general idea" of the basics. If you know all the basics "how long should a page title be?, What's a H1 heading?" you will connect the dots a lot better in SEO.
Reading: You have to (and should) read all the time and be on top of the latest news/strategies because it is always being refreshed and updated.