Search will attract majority of online ad spend in 2008

An estimated $25.9 billion will be spent online by US advertisers in 2008, with search accounting for the majority of this expenditure.

That is according to revised US internet ad spend projections from eMarketer, which anticipate that online ad spend will increase by 23 per cent this year.

It was predicted that internet ad spend growth would continue to be greater than that of all other major media in 2008, while it is expected to slow somewhat next year.

David Hallerman, senior analyst for eMarketer and author of the new report, US Advertising Spending: Resilience in a Dicey Economy, commented: "When the portal is both destination and network, perhaps advertisers can get all they need without straying - or at least that´s what the Big Four hope for."

eMarketer also estimated that online ad spend would reach $51 billion in 2012, with continued strength in categories such as paid search.