Seven in ten firms 'to up website expenditure'

New research by Shape The Future has revealed that almost six in ten UK businesses are looking to spend more on their websites in the next year.

About 58 per cent of those responding to the survey said they intended to make more room in their marketing budgets for their websites, while 42 per cent said the same for PR and 20 per cent for website optimisation.

Eight per cent indicated that they will spend more search engine marketing in the next 12 months, with just nine per cent stating that the downturn will cause them to reduce overall internet marketing expenditure, reports Netimperative.

"There is a clear message here that companies have really got to grips with the influencing power of the internet," remarked report author and Shape The Future managing director Peter Martin.

In 2007, British firms spent £2.8 billion on internet advertising, according to a report published by Ofcom earlier this year.