Small businesses branching out online have helped make 2005 the strongest year ever for internet growth.
According to analysts Netcraft, there were currently 74,409,971 websites worldwide, 2.68 million than recorded in September.
A total 17.5 million sites have been added to the web this year, the report said, making 2005 already the strongest year ever for internet growth and surpassing the previous yearly high of 16 million, recorded during the dot-com boom in 2000.
Netcraft said the increase in sites can be attributed to more small businesses realising the benefits of the net and creating a website, while blogging has also played a part.
On the negative side, however, much of the increase can be blamed on spammers buying up new domains to manipulate search engines or purchasing websites no longer in use but still attracting traffic.