How Can I Get My Website to Rank Higher In Google? The Truth Exposed!

I've asked it a hundred thousand times. How can I get my website to rank higher in Google and other major search engines? Do I really have to choose only long-tail keywords with paltry search volume? Do I really need to focus on keywords at all, or should I just focus on creating great content and employ a little faith that the "Big G" will pick up my web pages for random search terms?CPA google bing