Here’s a good news economic story to cheer up Alistair Darling.

And good news for website builders in the midst of this recession. Whilst the national news rakes over the budget and  talks of doom and gloom, of industries and sectors in decline with thousands being made redundant, online advertising still growing. Whilst advertising is just one way that online businesses make money, its continued growth can provide cheer to any in the sector.

The figures this time, as reported on Search Engine Land, are from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). They say that in 2008, online advertising grew 10.6% to reach $23.4 billion. Within online advertising, the niche showing highest growth is search engine advertising, which now makes up 46% of the sector.

These graphs tell the story visually. First off, the annual growth of online advertising from 2007 to 2008.

And here’s the same info going back a bit further, check out that growth!

Of course online advertising can mean lots of different things: it could be search engine, banners advertising, or any other commercial messages which you see on a website. So where is the money spent?

So one thing is clear: If you’re building a website, and business model involves selling advertising, then there are plenty of reasons to feel positive!

How has the downturn affected your business, revenue, or even website traffic? Leave us a comment below.