Global spending on search engine marketing will rise faster than that on overall advertising in the next two years, it has been predicted.
Investment banking group Collins Stewart said in its latest report on the online advertising sector that it believed search, email marketing, lead generation and video ads will see above-average growth in 2009 and 2010.
It forecast an increase in spending on search of 14 percent for 2009 and 17 percent for 2010, with the sector set to account for 48 percent of total ad expenditure in both years.
Overall, worldwide spending on search marketing will reach $22.1 billion next year and $25.8 billion in 2010, Collins Stewart said in its report.
Total growth for the online advertising sector will be 10.9 percent in 2009 and 14.7 percent in 2010, it added, representing lower estimates than those previously put forward by the firm.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau put out a report last week suggesting that online marketing growth has stabilized in recent months as a result of the economic downturn.
