Numerous studies explain how video views on YouTube lead to a keyword search on Google, Bing or Yahoo. Now the findings from a survey reveal that 80% of advertisers plan to spend more to produce online videos this year. Even Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said Tuesday during the company's earnings call that video has become a top priority for the company.

Paid-search budgets continue to dominate media marketing investments for retailers. The U.S. companies will invest about 40% of their $7.6 million aggregate marketing budget in paid-search and 14% to organic search, according to a Shop.org and Forrester Research study released Tuesday.

The addition of Google product listing ads has opened a new line item in advertising budgets, as companies continue to increase the amount they spend on these image ads. Advertisers have learned that while Google will not display more than one search ad in a listing, the company will serve up multiple PLAs from one advertiser per query.

There's a trend used by publishers to make native advertising content discoverable in the same way that other content is through search and social media, according to a recent study.

Women control more than $7 trillion in domestic spending and purchase decisions for 85% across major categories, but a recent study on profiles or audience segments reveals that only 9% think marketers effectively connect brands to them. I've been thinking about what it takes for me to connect with a brand or retail store, and then I came across these findings. So the next time you want to reach out to women in one of these behavioral categories, consider these behavioral attributes.

Behavioral data remains the greatest untapped asset, even for search engine marketers. Only 45% of marketers collect, consolidate, and integrate pools of data into one database to get a better picture of potential and existing customers, according to a Forrester study.

Tech companies constantly look for the next life-changing device that will make an impact on society. Mobile has transformed the way that search engine marketers optimize sites, content and campaigns, but we have yet to experience the impact of wearable technology like Google Glass on search engine marketing.

Faster broadband speeds contribute to the success of search marketing, but a better social search engine should improve the ability to find information and target marketing on Facebook. Even more, the question remains whether Bing's support of Web search for the social site will lead to a crossover of social-Web search and ad targeting in the future. Facebook said Monday it will expand Graph Search services from its limited beta trial to all site members in the United States.

Some four in 10 social media users have purchased an item online or in a store after sharing or favoriting it on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest, according to a recent study, but it gets a little muddy when trying to determine were search marketing comes in and how consumers make the journey from tweeting, pinning or liking something to the actually purchase.

Directories still deliver high-quality leads, especially on mobile devices, according to a study released Wednesday by the Local Search Association. The trend will only increase as more consumers turn to online sources for local business information. It requires marketers to become more consistent when updating information, not just for location, but products, as well. The ability for these two types of media to reach different audiences plays a critical role.