Search, As Ever, Continues to Grow Even in Hard Times

(MoneyWatch)  Via MediaWeek, it looks like even if every other sector of advertising, including the majority of online, is about to feel the oncoming crunch, plucky search advertising will continue to do just fine. If search advertising has a problem, it's that advertisers are frustrated about not being able to spend enough.

From the MediaWeek write-up:

For example, search spending surged by nearly 27 percent during the third quarter compared to the same period last year, according to SearchIgnite--a search advertising technology firm which claims to help manage $350 million in paid search on an annual basis.

Mediaweek also notes that based on a study by Efficient Frontier, Google has, year over year, now grabbing $1.14 for every dollar that was spent with them in 2007. That's fourteen cents that the Mountain View search giant has grabbed away from competitors.

It's no secret why search is booming even in tough times. Nothing show intent to buy like searching for an item -- in many ways, it's hard to think of a better medium than search for direct action advertising. And, according to Jupiter Research, many marketers would spend even more if the process were made a bit more effecient. Again, from MediaWeek:

Lastly, a new report issued by JupiterResearch found that 92 percent of large search marketers would increase their search spending by an average of 22 percent ?€" if only search campaigns were made easier to buy and manage through better technology. And 85 percent of marketers surveyed by JupiterResearch complained that the complexity of paid search management is growing.