Guide to Pixel Advertising
It seems like Alex Tew, the 21 year old that came up with the concept of MDH (MillionDollarHomepage.com) and pixel advertising, really created more then just a way to make a quick buck for himself. He struck a cord and maybe even fulfilled a desperate need. A quick review of the Internet today reveals hundreds of sites that have mostly duplicated his site with some variations. Some of the sites use custom built scripts that allow the users to select the pixel on an interactive grid, some are allowing animated gifs and others are just clones.
I tried explaining this to a friend in the business and he had a problem understanding the point of Pixel Advertising. As I explained the new phenomenon I understood what this new "brand" of advertising is all about.
Pixel advertising is a low cost way of advertising. Let's face it, Search Engine Advertising is becoming more costly and media is getting very expensive. Sites have gotten a whiff of the Internet "revival" and they want to make up for post "bubble" down time. Advertising for small/medium businesses and online hobbyists is not easy.
Second, in terms of Search Engine Optimization there is some value to a link from the home page of a site with a page rank, although that can also be debated. There is a good chance that unless the Pixel ad is relevant somehow, Google will not give it too many points.
Finally, the ongoing evolution of the interactive web. I think that more and more people wish to take an active part of the evolving Internet. As the barriers to publishing content and launching ideas online is reduced (Blogs, Podcasts and more) we will see more initiatives where the audience will provide the content and "online buzz". Viral marketing is after all the best form of marketing and is at the core concept around which the
Internet was built.
So, to quote Alex Tew, if you still want to "be a part of Internet history", this is a Guide to Pixel Advertising:
1. No Redirects. Make sure the link from the grid is a direct link. Many of these sites are using dynamic redirection and the link is not a direct one.
2. Page Rank of the Pixel grid. If the site has a page rank it's a good start, if its PR4 or above even better.
3. Pixel grid theme. Is the pixel board themed is it targeting a particular country? Geo targeting can be great here and can help target your traffic and reach a particular market. These types of sites have made local offline news in the past and can receive some free buzz publicity helping out the advertisers.
4. Look and feel. As always we look for the nice packaging and although these are simple sites they should have a clean professional look.
5. Stats are nice. Some of these pixel sites might actually have site stats on the home page which can include their Google and Alexa ranking and even some form of site traffic information.
6. This is a gamble. In terms of advertising this is a small investment. Expect that nothing will come of it and have a good time with the experience. Set a budget and spend wisely.
7. Use it as a branding tool. Bring it up as a topic of discussion on your blog. As the buzz continues so will the attention your pixels will be getting. Some of the pixel grids are collecting for charities and this may be a good way to contribute as well.
About the Author
Eyal Beit-On is the founder of Suntrader Networks an online marketing consulting company specializing in search engine marketing, media management, affiliate marketing and online brand development.
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