A Supplement to Advertising Age, November 2006

The Ad Age first Search Engine Fact Pack contains 52 pages of data about search-engine marketing. Data Guide on Engines, Keywords, Sites and Studies

Search-engine marketing solves a basic need of connecting potential buyers to sellers, but until recently, it has lived a low-profile life in the media and advertising world.

80% of traffic: Today, however, it's hard to ignore the stats: About 80% of internet traffic begins at a search engine, according to Harris Interactive, and DoubleClick reports 41% of web users use search for simple navigation, typing a query to find a brand rather than typing a URL directly into their browser.

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'Ad Age' Search Marketing Fact Pack Released

Free Download earch Marketing Fact Pack 2006 (Pdf, 2.7MB)

And how the business has grown: The latest figures from Forrester indicate search marketing will be a $7 billion business this year. While it may not be as flashy as TV, search is one of the best ways to extend the life of a 30-second spot. Ignoring it is a stumble few marketers can afford, which is why Advertising Age has compiled its first comprehensive Fact Pack devoted to search marketing.

Comprehensive data

Sure, Ad Age has been covering search since its early days, you know, 1995 or so, when Google was still a glimmer in Larry and Sergey's eyes and the big news was that the Lycos search engine decided to put ads on its site. But the just-released Ad Age Search Marketing Fact Pack expands our promise of providing marketers with the best, most comprehensive data and ideas to help them do their jobs smarter and more efficiently.

For example, on page 38 we detail 12 search-engine optimization strategies for 2007 -- you should know that adding tags, wikis and RSS to the content on your site can do wonders for your website's search rankings. Or track the life of a search on page 30 with a case study of the term "HDTV." Or check out the cool eye-tracking study detailed on page 40 to see what search marketers mean when they talk about the "Golden Triangle."

First search agency rankings

Additionally, Ad Age presents its first ranking of search advertising agencies. That ranking, based on estimated revenue generated by SEM/SEO operations, presents the top 20 agencies, which you'll find on pages 48-49. Of course, if you're already lost with all this talk of SEM and SEO, you might want to skim the glossary on page 45 first.

We should point out that search marketing, as with all digital media and technologies, is a hot topic and thus covered by several different trade groups, research companies and publications. Some methodologies and totals may vary slightly but taken in full, this Fact Pack should provide a good picture of where search is now and where it's headed.

(From AdAge.com, By Abbey Klaassen)

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