Where does the time go? I am already tardy with any 2009 predictions so I’m going to skip that and give you something more valuable – the top 3 SEM predictions scrubbed out from all the articles, podcasts, and general hype you got in January.

I have done my due diligence to find out what other top industry professionals are predicting for 2009 and this 3 part series will give you what you need to know.

Engaging is to Media as Relevancy is to Content

One of the best 2009 predictions came from SEM Synergy with Bruce Clay. I would recommend checking out this episode on webmaster radio if you didn’t catch it. In this episode Bruce talks about the future of universal search.

Universal Search promised to dramatically change the search engine landscape in 2008 but did not make as big of a splash as some might have thought. I think Google was smart to roll this out slowly, but look for them to make further strides in ’09 while webmasters scramble to incorporate more site media to rank in a web 2.0 world.

As the hustle and bustle continues to incorporate video, podcasts, etc for universal search a great way to optimize these elements is to measure its ability to engage your audience.

Relevancy is generally the search engine optimization measurement with consideration to how good your site content is. Engagement is quickly becoming the SEO measurement for audio or visual media files. Users and search engines will gravitate towards media that is engaging – make sure your development and optimization is geared for the future.