Here are some of the common Internet marketing myths and misconceptions that are flying around. Understanding what is real from what is not will save you money and time. It will help you achieve success with your online marketing strategy faster and more effectively.

Myth #1: If You Build It They Will Come

Building a website is no guarantee of online success. If you build it, don't assume people will find it. This is a guaranteed losing strategy. For your online marketing to succeed your website will need quality traffic and convert your visitors into a desired form of action.

Myth #2: Search Engines Are All You'll Need

It is a very common misconception, and costly mistake, to think that the search engines and organic search engine positioning is all you need for online success. While a top ranked website is a very valuable asset, and it can drive a lot of qualified traffic to your website, it can take months, or years, to achieve that positioning -- if you can get it at all. You'll need a multi-pronged approach to building traffic, including search engines, buying advertising, pay-per-click advertising (SEM), integration of your offline marketing with your online marketing, and of course, search engine optimization (SEO).

Myth #3: All Traffic Is Good

Not true! To get real results from your website, inquiries, phone calls, or sales, you'll need find and attract qualified traffic - people who are actually potential customers and can purchase your products and services.

Myth #4: Hits Are A Good Measure Of Success

Wrong! If you are measuring "hits" you're not even in the game. A "hit" is a technical term that describes activity on a hosting server. Unfortunately, most webmasters use this term casually and it is interpreted to mean you have lots of traffic Hits are not real people. Real people, who visit your website, are logged as "visitor sessions."

Myth #5: You Can Do This All Yourself

If you are in any competitive category of products or services, or in a geographically competitive marketplace, the chances that you can build a website, develop the traffic, and manage your ongoing online marketing yourself are less than 50-50. A competitor who has hired the expertise with design and online marketing behind them will make it very difficult for you to succeed.

Myth #6: It's Easy To Get Traffic From Search Engines

In today's competitive marketplace it is more difficult than ever to get top ranking with Google, Yahoo!, or MSN. It is very likely going to take you more six to twelve months to see your website achieve a top ranked position for any competitive keyword/keyword phrase that people are searching for. If your website is brand new, it can take 12 to 24 months or longer, in any competitive category.

Myth #7: Submitting Your Website To Search Engines Actually Works

Submitting your website to the search engines each month is probably useless. Services that provide this service will gladly take your money and it is unlikely you'll see any benefit. The best way to get your website indexed in the search engines is for them to find your website at another regularly crawled website. A Google Sitemap will also help you get your website indexed or an existing website crawled more effectively.

Myth #8: Search Engine Optimization Is Easy

Search engine optimization is not difficult, but understanding the fundamentals of the search engine optimization process is critical to your success. There are dozens of different variables, including "on-page" variables and "off-page" variables. Add to that hundreds of so-called "experts" and their advice (which is incorrect, incomplete, or misleading), and it's pretty hard to call the search engine optimization process easy. Making it even more challenging will be any competitor who has hired a reputable SEO expert to help them with their website and online marketing strategy.

Myth #9: Meta-Tags Are The Key To A Top Ranked Website

Meta-tags are specific lines of code that appear behind-the-scenes at your website. Search engines see them but your visitors do not. Search engines use meta-tags as one of the factors in determining relevancy. They are important but only one of more than two dozen factors related to the overall optimization of your website.

Myth #10: Your Webmaster Can Help You With Your Online Marketing

Programming code and page layout is very different from online marketing. In most cases, a webmaster/programmer will not be able to give you the appropriate advice and support to effectively promote and market your website online.