Manchester has been going through a period of substantial growth in terms of the number of businesses in the City, over the last five years. Coinciding with the announcement of the planned BBC media centre in Manchester, a portion of this growth can be attributed to media enterprises and agencies populating the area. With the BBCs further announcement that they also plan to launch a media academy for skills and learning in partnership with Manchester City Council and the local government development agency, media focussed businesses are likely to continue to appear at increasingly rapid rate.

One such area that has seen growth already is the online sector and particularly online marketing. This emergence and subsequent flourishing of online marketing services is perceptible in both start-ups and existing media companies. Many traditional marketing agencies in the North-West have recognised the opportunities in online marketing; hiring staff and creating departments in order to offer existing clients an alternative and increasingly successful form of advertising.

Demand for online marketing services is still increasing so these traditional agencies are obviously maximizing a previously untapped revenue stream. Parallel to this is the influx of start-up media agencies to the Manchester area. Focusing solely online, these agencies have honed their skills and offerings, becoming experts in search engine optimisation, paid search management and affiliate management - the core products of online marketing.

Of course, these aren't recent developments; this has been a continuous trend for the last few years, and it is one that does not appear to be slowing. So what can we expect from Manchester's online marketing agencies in the future?

One of the key components of online marketing is search engine optimisation. This service has been the foundation of these agencies offerings. As more players enter the market, the space becomes increasingly crowded and those less experienced agencies are likely to suffer. Without experience and skills in search engine optimisation, smaller, less established agencies may find themselves left behind.

However, with the much anticipated BBC media academy on the horizon, and the increase in number of professionals entering online marketing as a career choice, these skills may become more readily available.

Consolidation, mergers and takeovers are becoming common place in the online space, epitomised by the huge Google, Yahoo, MSN et al takeovers we have seen recently. This has been filtering down the ranks, as smaller businesses which operate in the online space, for example Web Design agencies, are working closely with those offering search engine optimisation services and in some cases merging.

Some of Manchester's smaller search engine optimisation agencies may look to carve out their own niche and specialise in specific aspects of SEO as the competition steps up. For example, Social Media Optimisation agencies, or those at least those offering Social Media services, are becoming more widespread.

So as the growth and development of SEO and digital marketing companies increases in Manchester, and the competition for business gets a little tougher, it can only be a good thing for those seeking online marketing services.