Small businesses should incorporate regular blogging into their marketing processes, it is claimed, which could create job roles for IT contractors.

A correctly-positioned blog can raise awareness of the brand, without having to invest and maintain a fully functioning website, according to Nick Baggott, founder of Navigate Consulting.

Engaging with blogging is also good for reputation management - a place where firms can share opinions and show a personal side to the brand.

"Blogs are dynamic and can be quickly and easily updated without the need for great expertise and this is of particular benefit to small businesses," said Mr Baggot.

He went on to say that the more often the blog is updated, the more valuable it becomes - but only if the standard of the content remains high.

According to a benchmark report from EPiServer, just under half of sites surveyed featured a blog, but only 34 per cent were regularly updated.