eMarketer just came out with their revised forecast for growth in online marketing. I knew a revision was coming due to the reality of the economic slump, but the good news is growth will continue, just at a slower pace. Here’s a snippit from the article:

Even paid search, which has grown at an outsize pace for years, will see a mere 21.4% rise in spending this year.

Again, the slowing is relative, since paid search spending growth will still outstrip the overall online market through 2009. There’s a reason paid search will stay robust through the economic downturn, according to David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer.

“Especially in economic turmoil, search is more trackable than any other ad format,” said Mr. Hallerman. “At this stage, it is a tried-and-true format that is supporting online growth.”