2009 in Search - What’s Next?
All right - now that we’ve had a few weeks to sit back and recover from the holidays, I want to look ahead at what 2009 holds in store for search marketing. It seems like ‘year review’ and ‘2009 prediction’ posts are the hot thing to do right now, and I can’t resist a fad. 
- Microsoft & Yahoo’s never ending saga - As the economy continues to be turbulent, I have no doubt that there will continue to be buyout attempts aimed at Yahoo. Maybe not all of them will come from Microsoft, but Steve Ballmer is back in the news saying a deal should happen soon. This has been going on for about a year, and while I know many of us are probably sick of hearing about it, the outcome could have a big impact on the future of search. Google has dominated the landscape for a long time, but the consolidation of Yahoo and another engine could create some serious competition. Danny Sullivan covers the whole situation extensively at SearchEngineLand.com, if you want in depth analysis.
- Increased Focus on ROAS/ROI - As long as the economy stays slow, people are going to be tightening their purse strings and paying closer attention to the value of their marketing. As marketers are well aware, marketing budgets are the first thing to go when things get tough. If you’re tracking sales and revenue with the search engines tracking tools or an analytics package and you can see the value coming in, it makes it much easier to know where you should focus your spending.
- Social Media continues to boom - Have you built your Facebook fan page yet? Are you Twittering today? More and more people are spending their time on these sites, so it makes sense to go where the conversation is! Social Media can help drive a successful SEO campaign, so don’t think Myspace is just for teens any more!
- Tough Times = Creative Thinking - Finally, I believe we’re going to continue to make big strides in search strategy and technology in 2009. Here at Solid Cactus, we’re always looking for new strategies that will improve ROAS and make our clients stand out from the pack. Whether it be a new tool or new ads, I think advertisers will be forced to change their game plan this year in order to stay on top of the pack.
What would you like to see happen in search in 2009? 
jean.lloyd
Hey Jean,
I hope all is well
Have you seen any clients pull back on their ad spend?
Thanks
Hi Dennis!
We’re getting a mixed response to the economy, but thankfully a lot of clients know that they have to stay the course as best as they can, and that with other advertisers pulling out, there may be MORE opportunity than they first though. However, I think everyone at least considers pulling back spend. It’s the natural response to a situation like this!