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

Total advertising spending was down 16% in the first half of 2009 in comparison with the corresponding period in 08. In itself the amount spent on TV advertising is down 16%. However during this phase the amount spent on Online Marketing has now increased to ?1.752bn, overtaking that spent on television.

The household use of faster, cheaper (and frequently free) broadband services is becoming more extensive and this encourages the use of E-commerce and the requirement to advertise in that area. The Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers report comments that the credit crunch has accelerated this alteration in advertising spending.

Online advertising is a blanket term that covers a number of processes including direct e-mailing and classified adverts. Banner advertising is most likely the most noticeable but needs careful use and placement. Someone browsing a website will often ignore banner advertising while concentrating on the content of a site. A more successful method of online marketing is a process known as search marketing. The average online user will use a search engine to find specific goods and services, opting for a possible supplier from the search lists.

The best known search engine is probably still Google, but Yahoo is currently trying to remind the world of its existence with widespread advertising. Bing is another search tool that will become more relevant because of its links with Microsoft. With so many search engines available, it makes sense to make the search for a company site more effective and this can be done using a process known as search engine optimisation.

A potential customer will probably make a choice from the first page of search results. Search engine optimisation methods try to ensure that a business site has a good Search Engine Placement so that it is listed on that first page and that the search result is appropriate to the customer’s needs.

A SEO Company using these processes will include making adjustments to a business website so that keywords entered by a customer are liable to be found amongst the text. These need to be appropriate as a misleading result could discourage a potential customer. It may also involve the creation of supporting documents such as this, which promote the company and its site. References from another website will help in increasing visibility.

Properly arranged optimisation will lift the profile and status of a business with the search engines and raise the chances of being listed on the first page of search results.