Introduction

The opportunity from search to the marketer is growing rapidly. Recent statistics published by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) recorded search spending above $4bn for 2004 ^[1]. With over 280 000 advertisers reported by Google (cited in the San Francisco Times) in 2004 and an expected 378 000 in 2005 ^[2] the number of companies taking advantage of paid search is growing rapidly. Add in the number of advertisers using mechanisms from companies such as MIVA, Overture, MSN and many of the smaller engines and the uptake for this medium is significant.

This is still a novice industry and many of the marketers operating within the space aren't aware of the necessary approaches to getting the most from the space. With a reported 25 per cent of all advertisers actually engaging in some form of strategy ^[3] or bidding technique the industry is fraught with companies facing poor performance and limited direction. The result is a medium that is proving time and time again as being one of the strongest vehicles for driving qualified visitors with a staggering 75 per cent not using any thought rationale into the strategic direction behind the medium.

Putting this comparison in perspective with other online media types the search mechanisms available, be it paid or organic, are considered and reported to be some of the strongest vehicles for driving qualified visitors. The following chart from eMarketer (see Figure 1.1) demonstrates that apart from in-house email lists search...