Internet advertising spend set to increase

Online marketing has been predicted to have grown by more than 11 per cent by the end of the year, with paid search outpacing all other forms.

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

The latest forecast from eMarketer suggests that advertisers will increase online spending in the US by over 11 per cent this year, with paid search outpacing all other forms.

A total of $21.2 billion (£14.2 billion) was spent in 2007, but this is expected to reach $23.6 billion (£15.7 billion) by the end of the year.

Paid search is predicted to grow faster than any other form of marketing, with eMarketer stating that it will see a rise of 21.4 per cent.

David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer, says that search advertising is likely to account for half of all online marketing activity by the end of the decade - something he argues is good news for advertisers.

"Especially in economic turmoil, search is more trackable than any other ad format. At this stage, it is a tried-and-true format that is supporting online growth," he explains.

Last week Shape the Future revealed that 60 per cent of businesses in the UK plan to increase online advertising spending over the next 12 months.