Many companies believe that search engine optimisation is a waste of time and money because it doesn't generate sales leads the way traditional marketing does. This is a polite fiction, no doubt bandied about by advertising agencies who don't have a clue about how search engine ranking works.

Unfortunately, many companies are all too ready to believe it. They spend thousands on direct mail, e-mail and online advertising campaigns to drive targeted traffic to their web sites, but according to a study by CyberAtlas Research, 46% of them spend less than 1% of their marketing budget on search engine optimisation; this despite the fact that sales leads and direct sales from search engine traffic is often equal to or better than those of more expensive marketing campaigns.

The vast majority of Internet users -- some 85% -- use search engines to find company sites. These are people actively looking for information on products and services, not just those whose curiosity has been piqued by an eye-catching magazine ad or press release. So, before you start shelling out cash to some ad agency for your next marketing campaign, why not consult a search engine optimisation firm? You just might be surprised: traffic from search engines may be more than it's cracked up to be.