Firms urged to make the most of websites

20th January 2009

A number of UK businesses do not seem to be making the most of the promotional opportunities offered by their websites, it has been suggested.

New research by Alterian showed that a fifth of British marketers did not view their websites as particularly important when it comes to online advertising.

However, David Eldridge, chief executive of Alterian, said marketing professionals should remember that their activities tend to drive most prospective and current customers to their websites.

"They need to be extracting the maximum value from this cornerstone of any forward-thinking company's marketing activity," he added.

The survey of more than 1,500 agencies and marketers also found that 62 per cent of respondents intend to increase investment in online direct marketing this year, compared with one-fifth who plan to reduce offline marketing spending.

Over three-quarters of UK organisations have their own website, according to a report published by Eurostat last month.