Half of all search engine marketing directed by agencies

As a follow on from my previous post about search engines, InternetWorld365 has a story today that Jupiter Research has reported that search engine marketing (SEM) agencies now direct the majority of SEM spending in the United States. Just a few years ago, most SEM spending went directly to the search engines.

InternetWorld365's report says that SEM is becoming a more mature market like traditional advertising in which agencies play a substantial role. Indeed, the report says, while just 31% of search marketers use an agency to manage their SEM campaigns, those marketers account for 51% of the total spending on paid search, according to the survey. This marks a significant increase in the spending directed by agencies over the past 18 months.

InternetWorld365 | Research reveals half of all search engine marketing directed by agencies (registration required)