Search marketing expenditure set to rise amid credit crunch

Spending on search engine marketing is expected to grow in response to the credit crunch, new research shows.

An ongoing study by Sempo reveals that the adverse economic climate is encouraging a growth in search engine marketing because industry professionals appreciate a medium that offers measurable return.

“Search engine marketing is sometimes referred to as ‘performance marketing’,” commented Paul Doleman, co-chair of Sempo.

He continued: “That is for the very sound reason that marketing expenditure becomes directly linked to performance.”

Research by TechTarget and Google released last week, found that 43 per cent of IT professionals read search engine advertising while purchasing solutions.

In addition, two thirds of respondents - comprised of professionals from North America, Europe and Asia - said that they would click on links from unfamiliar advertisers.

Industry research shows that search continues to figure prominently within the marketing sector. The Internet Advertising Bureau’s H1 2008 Online Adspend Study found that between January and June this year, online adspend topped £1.6 billion.