The countdown is on. Only a handful of sleeps until 2009 and of course the predictions are flowing thick and fast. The experts are gazing into their crystal balls and sharing their visions for 2009 in terms of search, social, online, mobile and marketing in general.

I’ve pulled together a list of the best predictions I’ve uncovered so far and detailed them below. (if I’ve missed any – share them via our comments, and I’ll add them in).

Of course we had to get involved in the future gazing fun, and have thrown our predictions in the mix. So first up, here’s where Warren Duff, ineedhits CEO, thinks 2009 will take us:

1. Google will cull non-revenue generating services in an effort to exceed analyst expectations. The share price will not recover to its $600USD high.
2. Google will also face a massive legal challenge in 2009 from a non US country regarding its business practices.
3. The Web 2.0 bubble will burst with many companies entering the “dead pool”. The only companies which will survive will be those who have a sustainable business model.
4. Twitter will be bought by a major internet player and whilst will remain free to use for basic version, a premium service offering will emerge. Will continue to be plagued by reliability issues whilst seriously challenging mainstream media and blogs in breaking news.
5. Yahoo! value will drop considerably, forcing even further reduction in forces worldwide. Their search market share will continue to decline at the benefit of Google and Microsoft. Microsoft will over take Yahoo! in terms of search share within the US, forcing Yahoo! to reconsider its search options.
6. Search spending growth will slow considerably in the first half of the year but still grow (single digits). Growth will accelerate to double digits by end of 2009.
7. 2009 will be known as the year that SaaS becomes mainstream, with fortune 500 companies adopting it to reduce costs. Amazon will loose its place as the number one provider of cloud services to start ups, with major IT vendors all offering competiting products but with a far superior development interface i.e. merging of cloud services into traditional desktop development tools.

And now for the prediction lists. There’s quite a few, so grab yourself a glass of eggnog (or something stronger), sit back and enjoy.

NOTE: list updated 6th Jan 2008

Search Marketing Predictions – 2009

Search Engine Watch: What Will 2009 Bring Us?

Find Resolution: 2009 Predictions for Search Marketing

Search Insider: Search Trends To Watch In 2009

Search Marketing Now: 2009 Predictions

E-Power Marketing: Where is SEM Headed in 2009?

Michael Streko: Streko’s 2009 SEO Predictions

Website Magazine: 2009 Web Predictions

Search Engine Watch: Search Shifts and Predictions for 2009

Social Media Predictions – 2009

ReadWriteWeb: 2009 Internet Marketing Predictions

Peter Kim: Social Media Predictions 2009

FastCompany: 8 Experts Predict How Web 2.0 Will Evolve In 2009

Junta 42: 42+ Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2009

Shawn Farner: 5 ballsy social media predictions for 2009

Social Media Explorer: Social Media Predictions For 2009

TwiTip: Why Twitter Will Go Mainstream in 2009

Network Solutions: My Horrible Predictions for Social Media in 2009

Social Media Today: 7 Social Media & Web Analytics Predictions for 2009

Copyblogger: Blog Money: The Income Outlook for 2009

Beyond Banner: Ten Social Resolutions for Marketers in 2009

Digital & Online Marketing Predictions – 2009

SD Interactive: Online Marketing Predictions for 2009

eMarketer: eMarketer’s Predictions for 2009

Clickz: Digital Marketing Opportunities in 2009

Blind Five Year Old: 2009 Internet and Technology Predictions

Feed Growth: The Top 100 Digital Marketing Ideas for 2009

Marketing Magic: 12 Marketing Resolutions for 2009

MediaTrust: The MediaTrust Crystal Ball – 2009 Predictions

Adotas: New Year’s Resolutions for Digital Marketers

ClickZ: ClickZ: Ten Reasons to Be Optimistic About Online in 2009

HubSpot: Online Marketing: 2009 Predictions

eMarketer: Seven Predictions for 2009

Mobile/Local Marketing Predictions – 2009

Gomo news: Mobile Predictions 2009

web analytics world: Predictions for Mobile in 2009

Greg Sterling: Prediction: Much More Mobile in 2009

Kelsey Group: Kelsey Group Analysts Identify Key 2009 Trends to Watch in Local Media

Local Search News: Local Search in ’09: Going Mobile

Local SEO Guide: Local SEO Predictions 2009

General Marketing, Tech and Media Predictions – 2009

FolioMag: 117 Magazine and Media Predictions for 2009

Market Evolution: Our predictions for newspapers in 2009 and beyond

iMedia: 2009 Predictions: Your Survival Guide

Marcom Professional: 2009 PR industry predictions: clients are king

Online Spin: My Five (Early) Predictions for 2009

Greg Sterling: Another Prediction: Internet on TV

Anita Campbell: Must Have Tech Tools for 2009

John Battelle: Predictions 2009

Louis Gray: 10 Predictions for 2009 In the World of Tech

HubSpot: Our Resolutions for a New Year of Blogging

Search Engine Journal: New Year’s Resolutions 2009: Business and Life Goals

The Guardian: 100 Top Sites for the Year Ahead

Tad Chef: 30 Web Trends for 2009

MediaPost: MediaPost: Search Trends To Watch In 2009

- thanks to Matt McGee @ SearchEngineLand for finding some of the predictions I missed originally

Now where do YOU think 2009 will take us.

• Will Google continue to control the search engine space in the way it has over the last few years?
• Will the world of SEO tumble at the hands of universal and personalized search?
• Will the cloud and crowd live up to the early buzz?

Gaze into your crystal ball and share your thoughts for 2009.

Related posts:

• How Social Media Marketing Can Boost Your Ranking
• ineedhits attending B&T Digital Bootcamp
• ineedhits Launches Local Search Listing – A New Local Search Marketing Product for Small Business
• Find Social Connections with Google’s Social Graph API
• Most Valuable Search Engine Marketing Tool