COVER STORY : The Search Goes On ; Online search is becoming a major part of both advertising and consumer experience but local marketers appear to be lagging behind.

Figures compiled by the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers provide a more accurate picture of online adspend than we've ever had before. And they show search and directories making up nearly a quarter of online spending, at $31.81 million for the whole year. Search showed growth, even when total online adspend took a dip in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Search engines play a huge role in our daily internet use. A local survey done by Google in November 2007 showed that 97 percent of respondents had used a search engine to research a product or service, ...