Search marketing industry 'to mature'

25th January 2008

Search engines are being pushed for more clarity and better service and protection by a new industry recommendation agency.

The Search Group, launched by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), aims to encourage sector growth through an "action-orientated agenda".

Chairman of the group Arjo Ghosh claimed the launch "is a sign that the sector initially serviced by specialists, is maturing".

"Search is now an integral part of the digital mix and the variety and profile of agencies involved in the group reflect this," he added.

The group clarified what its policies were by holding talks with search providers Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions, Google, Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions and MIVA.

Among the issues identified as a concern were which keywords including trademarks affiliates are allowed to bid on, whether clients understand the difference between direct and indirect sales, and trademark submission requests.

Search engine Google performed a record 66 per cent of total US searches during December, a new Hitwise report has found.