Search Engine Marketing Industry: $19.3 Billion in 2011
The “State of Search Marketing Report 2011” was recently released by Econsultancy in association with SEMPO. It contains a healthy dose of interesting findings from its survey of more than 900 respondents from both advertisers and agencies.
Econsultancy and SEMPO estimate that the North American search engine marketing industry will grow 16 percent in 2011, to $19.3 billion, up more than 16 percent from the $16.6 billion in value in 2010. The growth will be mainly fueled by “continued growth from Google and the Microsoft/Yahoo Search Alliance.”
While the report notes that the norm won’t be changed because of the Yahoo-Bing alliance, it may come from social alternatives such as Facebook, which 47 percent of advertisers indicating that they are running PPC campaigns on the social networking giant.
Still, that percentage trails behind Google AdWords for Google Search (95 percent), Google AdWords for Google’s Search Network (74 percent), the Bing/Yahoo alliance (70 percent) and Google Content Network (66 percent).
Another finding is that 79 percent of advertisers pointed to the rise of the mobile Internet as a “significant” or “highly significant” trend/technology in the context of search marketing efforts. Personalization of search results was also called “significant” or “highly significant” by 79 percent of advertisers, while behavioral targeting was deemed the same by 78 percent of advertisers.
The report found that 86 percent of advertisers engage in search engine optimization, while 79 percent engage in paid-search marketing and 74 percent engage in social media marketing.
“Social media’s relationship with search is clearly another important concern for marketers, but it’s also a bit of a mystery,” the report notes. “Although more than 50% report that social has had a significant impact on their SEM, only 29% have merged elements of their search and social programs.”
Meanwhile, 43 percent of advertisers in North America say that the Microsoft/Yahoo Search Alliance doesn’t have any impact on their paid-search marketing activity, while 27 percent don’t know or deem it irrelevant. Twenty-two percent say the alliance has had a positive effect, while 8 percent say it has had a negative effect.
While many marketers see Google’s algorithm changes as a concern, most acknowledge the need and value of them. “Changes to the SERPs have been viewed positively by both marketers and agencies in the sample, as are efforts to reduce the impact of ‘content farms’ on search results.”
The report also found the growing reliance on technology solutions to support paid-search efforts. “For the first time, over 50% are using some type of solution to assist in their paid search efforts. The number is lower in SEO, largely because so many firms outsource their optimization efforts, but growing quickly. On both sides, the inevitable drive to innovate and automate is being felt, with a range of technology products targeted across the spectrum of marketing organizations.”
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