Search engine optimisation, like classical Greek literature, is full of myths. There is one main difference however. While few believe that Icarus melted his wax wings flying too close to the sun, or that a curious Pandora let loose all the ills of the world, many people actually believe the myths they read about search engine optimisation. Web companies in particular, may have a difficult time sifting through all the conflicting information and extracting fact from fiction.

This is unfortunate since when done correctly, search engine optimisation is a powerful Internet marketing tool that can drive a considerable amount of high quality traffic to a web site. Just think, 85% of Internet users use search engines to find and research goods and services. That's a significant number of visitors who don't have to be herded, coaxed or otherwise prodded to your web site, but who are actively seeking information on your company's products.

On the next few pages, we'll debunk 5 of the most common myths of search engine optimisation --myths that can lead to ineffectual marketing strategies and poor search engine placement. We'll take a look at the fiction surrounding submission software, meta tags and in-house optimisation before running to ground rumors of the cost of search engine optimisation and the quality of the traffic it generates.