A recent investigation by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers has highlighted that while overall spend on advertising is reducing, how that expense is being used is changing.

Total advertising spending was down 16% in the first half of 09 against the corresponding period in 08. In itself the amount spent on TV advertising is down 16%. However during this period the amount spent on Online Marketing has now increased to £1.752bn, overtaking that spent on television.

The domestic use of faster, cheaper (and frequently free) broadband services is becoming more rife and this encourages the use of the net and the requirement to advertise in that area. The Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers report reports that the financial crisis has accelerated this change in advertising spending.

Online advertising is a overall term that covers a number of methods including direct e-mailing and classified adverts. Banner advertising is most likely the most visible but needs careful use and placement. Someone browsing a website will normally ignore banner advertising while focusing on the content of a site. A more successful method of online advertising is a process known as search marketing. The normal online user will use a search engine to find particular goods and services, selecting a possible supplier from the search listings.

The best known search engine is doubtless still Google, but Yahoo is presently trying to remind the world of its existence with widespread advertising. Bing is another search tool that will become more noteworthy because of its association with Microsoft. With so many search engines out there, it makes sense to make the search for a organisation site more effective and this can be done using a technique known as search engine optimisation.

A potential customer will usually make a selection from the first page of search listings. Search engine optimisation methods try to ensure that a business site has a good Search Engine Placement so that it is included on that first page and that the search result is relevant to the customer’s needs.

A Search Engine Optimization Company using these methods will incorporate adjustments to a business website so that keywords entered by a customer are liable to be found amongst the text. These need to be relevant as a misleading result could discourage a potential customer. It may also entail the creation of supporting documents such as this, which promote the organisation and its site. References from another website will be helpful in increasing visibility.

Correctly arranged optimisation will lift the profile and reputation of a business with the search engines and raise the chances of being found on the first page of search results.