Keyword advertising prices stabilized in the second quarter, according to separate surveys by investment banks SG Cowen and Piper Jaffray, reports AdWeek (via MediaBuyerPlanner). SG Cowen said keyword prices declined 1.7 percent compared with the first quarter and predicted search adspend would reach $5.6 billion this year, compared with $6.5 billion for brand advertising.
Piper Jaffray said pricing was mostly stable, but that Google saw some increases. Google's share of web ad spending rose from nine percent in Q1 2004 to 14 percent in Q1 2005, according to SG Cowen.
Cowen also forecast that adspend on search will continue to grow, surpassing brand advertising outlays and accounting for a little over half of the projected $22.9 billion online ad market in 2009.
