oh, i totally agree.
My advice applies to any site.... it's generic. even with that advice put into place, it will still require reasonable effort even in this small industry to gain a 1st - 2nd rank.
Webforumz has climbed a MASSIVE hill to get second for 'web design forums'.... on page
SEO isnt too bad considering it's forum based..... and the off page effort required was immense... although, the on-page is key here.