Global advertiser spend on search marketing is expected to be robust this year, despite a broader digital ad market slowdown, according to recent research from WARC.

The report was based on advertising data from organizations around the world, as well as survey data.

The researchers forecast ad spend globally on traditional search (excluding retail platforms) will increase by 6.2% year-over-year in 2023, reaching $256.5 billion.

More than half (56%) of marketers globally expect to increase their overall search spend this year. Some 53% expect to increase their spend with Google, 76% plan to increase their spend with TikTok, and 11% plan to increase their spend with Bing.

Search spend on on retail media (ads on e-commerce platforms) has steadily increased over the past few years, and it is forecast to account for 26.8% of total search advertising in 2023.

About the research: The report was based on advertising data from organizations around the world as well as survey data.