what is the future of PPC and SEO?

[cha_indian]

PPC = Pay Per Click campaign management in Google and Yahoo search engines.

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

[Jon]

PPC has a long life to it. As an advertising/acquisition/ lead-generation resource it is measurable and therefore of high value. This also means advertisers can select a specific spend amount at will. This is a primary rationale for it's meteoric rise in share of Ad revenue and top line.

Issues that threaten its values include Click-Fraud. However the IAB and other sources will tell you that more important than the eventual implementation of anti-fraud resources it's the fact that minimal fraud is built into the price - just as other inefficiencies are built into other ad models.....

SEO is very important and on the rise because complexities of Search algorithms align with inefficiencies in web-publishing - especially for smaller firms. Search engines will do more and more to educate web developers and their clients to implement best-practices, and that will theoretically reduce the industry, but it's hard to rationalize the elimination of the market. The business is on the rise and demand for SEO/SEM services are on the rise.

As in any other consultancy, in any technology industry, there will always be a market for expert assistance when the implementation of best practices are complex and that information is not readily available, subjective or complicated.