Pixel advertising websites now abound and the general feeling suggests that they are no more than copycats of the original UK Milliondollarhomepage.
Many of the pixel advertising websites I have researched appear to be literally copied from the UK original with little or no attempt to disguise the fact. Not all.
The likelihood of these sites succeeding is poor and the large areas of empty spaces are testimony to their struggle.
The reasons for the success of the Milliondollarhomepage is obvious. It was a new idea, had a great human story behind it, and used very good media tactics. But that mix can never be replicated.
So what is the future of pixel advertising
One thing is clear, the concept of selling pixels is valid. Selling pixels is no different than any other advertising space that weve become familiar with such as billboards, neon signs, and even Google advertisements filling up pixel space on the periphery of our screens.
The difference between advertisements we are familiar with and pixel advertisements is basic - the advertisements are small and close together. Have a look at the classified ads in your newspaper and you thought that was close.
A feature of the majority of pixel websites are the owners are lazy. They think that they can copy a fly by night idea and watch it bring in the bucks the problem is the novelty has worn off, and their websites are not attracting the cash they thought it would.
However, there are a handful of pixel websites that have done a good job of adding value to the idea and this is really what it is all about. It is what took Google from a copycat idea - starting from the idea of a search engine (yes it had been done before) - to the success that Google is now. The idea of evolving an existing idea and improving it is what raises the bar and gives us a better service or product. Its the backbone of business on the Internet and everywhere else.
Pixel advertising could very well create a new revolution in advertising but the following two critical elements have to be addressed for it to succeed:
1. A way to convince customers to return
2. A way to gain the confidence of prospective advertisers to buy space
There are many ways to bring visitors back to websites and many good sites use these methods. They are:
1. Have good interaction with visitors
2. Provide incentives for affiliates ad referrals
3. Offer incentives to visitors (eg. prizes, games)
4. Offer a good experience
Pixel advertising may very well have a similar impact to that of search engine Google - sounds ambitious Well Google started small with big dreams and look at its impact. Watch this space I say.
(c) 2006 Robyn KamiraRobyn Kamira is an IT consultant with Paua Interface Ltd and owner of and . She sits on the Digital Strategy Advisory Group for the New Zealand Government and is on various international technology groups. She speaks internationally on various IT topics.
Youve probably noticed by now that Google has started to automatically change the number of ads in your ad units. If they see that most people are clicking on just one ad, theyre going to take out the others and leave you with just that one highest-earning link.
Now that sounds like a great idea and Im all in favor of focusing on whatever earns the most. Its the second part of the process that bothers me: once theyve taken out the other ads, Google expands the one remaining ad to fill the space thats left.
Why does that bother me
Because it breaks one of the golden rules of successful AdSense advertising: that your ads have to blend into the page. Google provides a whole range of tools that you can use to make your ads match the rest of the page. If youve been using them and you should be using them then all your hard work is going to be ruined. The same goes for any images or anything else that youve been putting next to your ad units to draw the readers eye without them noticing that theyre being pulled towards an ad.
In Googles new system, your ads are going to be blown up like balloons. That might work for blimps, but online we dont get paid when people look at ads; we get paid when they click on ads and I think that fewer people are going to be clicking when your ad units scream Im an advertiser!
I could be wrong thats happened and Google say theyre only going to use this system when they see that it increases CTR. But in the meantime, I think its a good idea to keep a close eye on your site as well as your stats to make sure that all your pages look the way you want them to look, not the way Google makes them look.
From The Horses Mouth
You can read all about this new change on Googles blog at adsense.blogspot.com. If you havent checked it out already, I recommend it. Its a great resource. You wont just get the news but unlike user blogs (which are certainly worth reading too) you can be confident know that any changes you read here are the genuine article. No rumors and no stories. The facts straight from the horses mouth. Make it a part of your AdSense news browsing.
Joel Comm is The Internet Revenue Expert. Online for over 20 years, Joel teaches people how to make money in the digital age. The recognized authority on Google AdSense, Joel teaches how to multiply your AdSense income at The AdSense Code. To ask Joel Comm a question about making money online, visit Joel invites you to download a free copy of The Internet Money Tree at