The 2007 New Zealand Search Marketing Report
By Barry Smyth, Publisher - Search Week (among other things)
I recently had the pleasure of being in New Zealand to host my very first “overseas posting” of the popular Search Engine Bootcamp workshop series.
It was very interesting to see how the Kiwi search industry ticks, particularly as Google is the most prominent player in the market place & as I assumed the presenters were very Google savvy at both an SEO & PPC level.
However, this monopoly is likely to change within the next twelve months with Yahoo! Search Marketing Asia Pac boss - Craig Wax announcing at Search Engine Bootcamp the long overdue recognition of New Zealand as a distinct market from Australia, in another plus for the local NZ market I believe that Yahoo!Xtra team may be selling the solution locally, this will have to be confirmed by both YSM & Yahoo!Xtra. [1]
I also took the opportunity to ask our audience a series of questions throughout the day, the result of these questions are the backbone of the NZ report.
For the record, the final and most important question of the day was:
Will the All Blacks choke in the RWC Semi Final against the Wallabies?:
- 20% - Yes, they always choke in the RWC Semi’s
- 80% - God I hope not, it would be nice to have something to defend in 2011
What’s in the report?
Based on the responses of New Zealand’s leaders in Search, the industry is thriving.
Conducted in June 2007, the survey is an important snapshot of the forces and trends shaping the industry for the next twelve months. Key decision makers say what they are doing and what they are planning ahead.
What you will find in the report:
- Expenditure on Search and PPC
- Application of keyword tools e.g. Wordtracker, Keyword Discovery
- How they rate their skills and expertise
- Who in the organisation chooses the titles and keywords
- Intentions to hire or outsource search in 2008
- Use of Google Adwords
- Allocation of budgets to deal with Yahoo! targeting New Zealand
- Budget intentions for next year
While Search in New Zealand is growing strongly, there are some issues, which may impact its growth into 2008. For instance, survey respondents expressed concern about Return on Investment.
Are you happy with the ROI you get in search?
- 5% - Yes
- 28% - No
- 30% - It’s OK
- 37% - Not Sure
Respondents share their views on a range of important subjects:-
- Management techniques
- The use of systems and tools
- The problem of skills and training
- Effectiveness and value of search activities
- Outsourcing to Search Marketing Agencies
- Willingness to use third party search marketing tools
This report provides valuable insights into the current state and near-term future directions by the key players in search in New Zealand
The New Zealand Search Market Report 2007 comprises 15 pages with 16 figures and analytical commentary.
Order your copy $395.00 (excl. GST) 
The total sample diverse and comprised:
- 58% claimed they were the decision makers about SEO
- 42% said they were the implementers of others’ decisions
Industry categories:
- Search Marketing companies 27%
- Online/Offline Publishers 21%
- Travel 10%
- Government 7%
- Traditional Ad agency 9%
- Financial Services, Ecommerce & Employment 26%
The data was collected by Search Strategies via Click-a-Pad interactive voting system at the Search Engine Bootcamp workshop in New Zealand on June 21st, 2007, independent Report & Analysis by IBRS Pty Ltd www.ibrs.com.au
[1] This all co-insides with the simultaneous launch of the new Yahoo! Search Marketing platform known as Panama in both Australia & New Zealand, many of our readers are already making the transition.
