The internet has had an effect on nearly every aspect of daily life in America – from the way we order food, gather information and even communicate. These effects have not been lost on the advertising and marketing industry. In fact, this sector has grown exponentially as more companies are beginning to acquire access to advertising platforms and opportunities and more consumers are using the tool as a way to conduct e-commerce.

According to a survey by Borrell, a consultant, 72 percent of companies are spending most of their advertising budgets on online marketing services. Of those services, nearly 52 percent of respondents are using it to develop their web presence. After that, it's tied at around 12 percent of companies using marketing dollars for online ad production, consulting and research and public relations and marketing support – all on the internet.

The study goes on to break down "web presence" as consisting of website design and maintenance, web hosting and social media management, from most important to least. This shows that businesses are putting the onus on the appearance of their corner of the internet.

"The emerging lesson, concludes the study, is that the internet is actually not much of an advertising medium after all," wrote the report's authors. "It's an advertising utility. And serving that utility function can lead to a gargantuan digital gold mine."

In order to effectively maximize the value of the internet, businesses should partner with an experienced digital advertising agency. These professionals can help them align their small business internet marketing campaigns to be more engaging to their target audience.