As the amount of advertising being conducted online continues to increase rapidly it is now more essential than ever for all small businesses to have some kind of online presence, a leading industry figure has said.

The UK's online advertising industry was valued at more than £2 billion in 2006, accounting for more than ten per cent of all advertising revenue, and that figure is expected to keep on rising dramatically in the coming months and years.

Not only is online exposure now well within the capability of all small business owners, says Adam Wayland, editor of smallbusiness.co.uk, but there are a number of simple internet advertising techniques that firms can employ to increase consumer interest in their wares.

"It [online advertising] can be accessible. Obviously if you want advertising space on one of the big sites or you want your search engine rankings to go up, they can come at quite a cost," commented Mr Wayland.

"There are techniques… small businesses and businesses can employ that aren't going to cost so much.

"It's essential to have some sort of web presence."

According to recent statistics form the Internet Advertising Bureau, more than 30 million people are now online in the UK, accounting for around two-thirds of the country's total adult population.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)