A report released Wednesday shows that US Internet advertising revenues hit a record high of 16.9 billion dollars in 2006 and will likely continue to rise. US Internet advertising revenues in 2006 surpassed those of 2005 by 35 percent, according to the report released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

"Interactive advertising revenues continue to show solid growth as advertisers and agencies recognize that it is a medium that can uniquely affect consumer behavior from product awareness, to purchase intent, to actual purchase and then brand loyalty," said IAB chief executive Randall Rothenberg.

"We have every confidence that this growth trend will continue as marketers allocate more of their total marketing dollars to interactive and the industry delivers effective and innovative platforms for connecting with consumers."

Online search, display and classified advertising with pricing based on whether Internet users click on links or take actions such as making purchases are growing "at a healthy rate," according to the report.

The influx of advertising dollars should spur new and enhanced offerings by websites, according to the study.