Industry experts have told small firms that they could be missing out by not embracing the potential of broadband.

Eurostat figures show that UK small businesses are trailing the rest of Europe, with just 77 per cent making use of broadband - compared to between 86 and 89 per cent for France, Spain, Sweden and Finland.

In a bid to convince these businesses of the benefits of creating an online presence or simply integrating the web into work, UK Online and the Institute of Directors have compiled a handbook to broadband.

The 'how-to' guide contains basic information about how best to set up a company website and offers tips into using the internet to build a business.

"Being online nowadays is fundamental as the internet has placed almost unlimited information and choice in the hands of the consumer," said UK Online managing director Chris Steyning.

"Not having a website, even a basic site which describes your business and provides contact details, is a serious omission as the first thing most people do now is Google for what they want searching for websites to compare services and products before buying."

Small firms may find that outsourcing the creation of a website to expert designers allows them to focus on their main business and provides them with a more professional looking site.

However, this may not appeal to all companies, as a recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were "loss of control" (56 per cent) and "budget over-runs" (43 per cent).