The Impressionists probably saw this coming. Online billboard advertising has shrunk to the micro level, as if Claude Monet himself was dabbling in graphic design for 21st century companies. The pixel advertising craze continues to catch the eye of marketing specialists, as companies vie for ad space the size of this word. With the right page selection, great ad location, and attractive landing page to greet clickers, advertising on pixel pages can be a very profitable move for your business.

You may have heard of pixel advertising from recent stories on CNBC or CNN, or in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. In less than six months, the market for micro ads has exploded out of nowhere.

Pixel advertising is the creation of Alex Tew, a 21 year old college student in the U.K. He created MillionDollarHomePage.com in August, 2005, in order to raise money for his education. He dreamed up a grid of one million pixels, the tiny bits of light that make up the visible screen on a computer. Selling each 10x10 pixel block for $100 each, he aimed to raise one million dollars. Last month, he surpassed his goal, selling his last block for $38,100 on eBay.

Once the story of the remarkable growth of his improbable site hit the international media, hundreds of others created their own pixel pages. Although most pixel pages are just creative fundraisers for their owners and me-Tew copycats, many sites have developed a unique theme to stand apart. CompanyBattleships.com uses the grid and the Milton Bradley game to promote its site. Local elementary school teacher David Robb has recently launched 1TeachersDream.com to raise money for five different charities.

Whats the Attraction?

Typically, advertisements are sold in 10x10 blocks, with space priced by the pixel. Each block however, is 100 pixels, so a $0.10 pixel page sells its blocks in multiples of $10. A visit at ThePixelWars.com reveals sites that fit any budget.

Pixel advertising can be very cost effective, especially compared to other forms of online advertising. Since your ad typically remains on the site for 1-5 years or more, your one time cost will be much less than advertising on typical Pay-Per-Click sites, such as Google, Yahoo, or Overture.

The disadvantages need to be considered, of course. On a new pixel site, your ad has great visibility, but once the page becomes more than 75% full, your small block is swamped by all the other ads. Also, your business may have a particular market; the general surfer who views that particular pixel page may not be of value to you.

Creating the Most Cost Effective Traffic

The best sites to advertise on are those that either have a theme related specifically to your industry, and/or are about 10-20% full. These latter sites have established a stable growth rate, while leaving enough room for your ad to be very visible as the site continues to gain more customers.

Also, look to see the current advertisers and restrictions on the site. Are these companies you want to share space with? Do the ads point mainly to other pixel pages, or established brick and mortar company websites? Does the site allow adult-themed sites that may conflict with your client base? Do you see your competitors, or are you the first of your industry on the site? Can you change your ad image and URL at a later time?

As for creating an effective ad, bigger is not always necessary. Colors and placement are the most important factors triggering high response rates. Use a bold symbol or word with contrasting colors to the neighboring ads.

Location is critical. On sites with very prominent ads that may have cost that advertiser $300 or more, take advantage of their eye magnetism and place your smaller ad next to that ad. In some cases, you can merge your ad with the larger ad, matching colors and adding a word of your own. But more often, successful ads have opposite color schemes, and are placed immediately to the right or bottom right of the larger ad. This location is where the typical readers eyes will fall after looking at the larger ad.

On a clean site, place your ad on the top row, just underneath the menu link that you believe would be clicked on the most (usually Buy Pixels or FAQ). If this area is taken, work your way around the page in a clockwise fashion to find the best location, as this is the general pattern of most viewers vision on a computer screen.

A Fad or a Stable Trend?

Critics point to the quick start and the end of Alex Tews campaign as a sign that pixel advertising should be written off as a passing fad. However, the next phase of pixel advertising is not in the form of stand alone pixel pages, but small banner pixel ads. Also, pixel advertising has hit network marketing with startup companies like PixMeUp.

For small, growing businesses, pixel pages are a novel and affordable advertising method. For larger companies, they are a way to stay trendy with the now crowd.

The bottom line? Whether a fad or a long term trend, pixel advertising should be a consideration for your 2006 ad budget.