Search Marketing Rules, But Does Anybody Know It?

01/06/2009

You can barely turn on the news without being bombarded by bad economic news. Companies are cutting costs wherever possible – from layoffs to advertising.

In spite of this, there is a bright spot – search engine marketing. It’s a bright spot that rarely gets the news spotlight. While some industry analysts tout that search marketing spending may not be 100% recession-proof, it is strongly recession-resistant, says David Hallerman, an eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, Search Ad Spending: Reactions to a Recession.

According to eMarketer, search engine marketing (SEM) grew in the double digits from 2007 to 2008, by 21%. And, while this was down, it represents phenomenal growth compared to other advertising outlets. This trend of double-digit growth is expected to continue – at least for the next three years (to 2012). Experts predict that until 2012.

This is particularly remarkable when compared to other forms of online ad spending, e.g., display and classified ads; not to mention traditional ad outlets like radio and newspapers. All of these mediums either report stagnant or declining sales.

Why Is Search Experiencing Growth In Spite of the Economy

Online marketing experts point to several things, among them: (i) the need to decrease costs. Search engine marketing tends to be less expensive than other forms of advertising; and (ii) it works. Search engine marketing drives verifiable traffic to a company’s website.

Because it’s easy to track the effectives of SEM, it’s easy to put on the balance sheet as a “fixed” cost of doing business. No surprises allow companies to better reign in cost and predict ROI.

The Diversity of Search Engine Marketing

Every business – no matter what kind or how large or small – can benefit from SEM. Unlike traditional ad outlets like TV or newspaper ads, for example, the search market is extremely diverse.

Because large numbers of advertisers bid on millions of combinations of keywords and phrases, is it any wonder that search is a model of market stability in times of turmoil?

For more insight visit Internet Marketing Services