• DirectNews, Thursday, September 4, 2008 1:16 PM

Search spending in the U.K. is set to top £2.75 billion (nearly $4.9 billion) in 2008, according to new research from E-consultancy. That's up nearly 25% from 2007, in the midst of an economy that's facing some of the same mortgage- and credit-based headwinds as the U.S.

"Growth in consumer internet usage is flattening out but the sector is certainly more robust than other media channels that have a less measurable return on investment," said Chris Lake, editor-in-chief of E-consultancy. "And [it] should continue to grow for years to come."

SEO spending will increase by nearly a third to hit £330 million, but its still dwarfed by paid search spending, which E-consultancy is pegging to hit £2.24 billion (up almost a quarter).

Read the whole story at DirectNews »