Marketers may slow their marketing spending a bit, but they’re not turning away from search engine marketing ( SEO & PPC ), according to a new survey from SEMPO.

Radar Research, Inc., which oversaw SEMPO’s survey research, projects that the pace should pick up. Search engine marketing (SEM) could reach $26.1 billion by 2013 – up significantly from $13.4 billion in 2008.

I  think THE REASON for this forecast is , given the low-cost nature of ongoing monthly search engine marketing and metrics that can be assigned to campaigns. Marketers are seeking for something that’s affordable and gets results – whether that’s brand exposure, lead generation & or sales.

It’s clear from SEMPO’s annual surveys and other reports that marketers rely on search engine marketing to help their companies stay afloat. Sometimes that means engaging in natural search engine optimization  ( SEO ) or paid search ( pay per click ).such as GOOGLE ADWORDS , YAHOO & MSN paid serch.

The other encouraging news is worth noting is the fact that top executives are showing more interest in search engine marketing  ( SEO & PPC ) . They’re either encouraging it internally with budgets  &  or directly involved in their  Brand visibility strategy in some way.