On the Way Back from the Dotcom Bust

The Internet is on the rise again. Both the number of websites and Internet advertising revenues have increased substantially in recent months.



For the first time, the Internet has topped more than 50 million websites according to the May 2004 Web Server Survey issued by Netcraft, an Internet services company based in the UK. It took 21 months for the Web to expand from 30 to 40 million, but only 13 to cross the 50-million mark. May was also the sixteenth consecutive month of growth in sites, following the two-year shakeout known as the dotcom bust.



The Interactive Advertising Bureau and Pricewaterhouse Coopers have reported in the Internet Ad Revenue Report issued earlier this year that overall Internet advertising revenues rose nearly 21% in 2003 to $7.3 billion. The report cited strength in the Keyword Search category as an important contributing factor.



There can be little doubt about the Web/ecommerce revival when numbers like these are added to the much anticipated announcement of Google's coming IPO. Look for this revival to gain speed and bring venture capital back to Internet-based businesses. Also expect it to whet the appetites of business large and small for a bigger taste of the Internet.