Google Image Ads and the Pixel Power Principle
Today I'm going to give you a secret to getting an avalanche of traffic on the Content Network, using Google's Image Ads. I'll begin 
by explaining something that's totally core, thoroughly fundamental to hyper-effective, profitable advertising.
Every form of media and every way of selling any kind of space has its own fundamental financial metric.
Commercial real estate is leased according to dollars per square foot per year. Therefore the core metric of a retail store is sales per square foot.
The core metric of the Internet is dollars per thousand impressions.
Every Google search is an impression and that impression is what Google has to sell, period.
So even though AdWords charges you per click, it rewards you for Click Thru Rate. So if you do the math, at the end of the day you're paying for impressions. The #1 bidder is the guy who gives Google the most $ per 1000 impressions. The #2 bidder is the second most profitable advertiser per thousand impressions.
The same is true on the Content Network. The ads that get the best coverage are the ones that get the most clicks and generate the most money per thousand impressions.
Well if you break it down one step further, each ad or ad block takes up a certain amount of space so it really comes down to:
PENNIES PER PIXEL.
Many AdSense syndicators allow Google to serve both text ads and image ads on their sites. The way Google decides which to serve is: Which makes more money per pixel – 3 text ads or one image ad?
If your 250×300 banner ad can $out-perform three text ads, your banner gets shown instead of three other advertisers' text ads.
OK, so here's the punchline:
***PIXEL FOR PIXEL, AN IMAGE AD CAN ALWAYS OUTPERFORM A TEXT AD.***
Why?
Simply because you can test more things.
Text ads only have text and they're black and white. Each pixel in an image ad has 65,536 possible colors. Banner ads have color, texture, faces, patterns, animation… flavor.
My friend, that's the Pixel Power Principle.
This is why Image Ads can get MUCH higher CTR's than text ads – 2 to 5 times better. Again, they must, to even get served. But there is literally an endless variety of things you can test. It's a new frontier in Google AdWords. I've really been enjoying the art of playing with these image ads.
Listen up: You test 30-50 banner ads with a Content-Friendly topic, and you are going to come up with one or two ads that SLAY DRAGONS and enter the fabled "Jet Stream."
Oh, and by the way I discovered a really talented graphic designer who makes beautiful image ads for me. Her name is Laura Husmann, "The Banner Ad Queen." Her website is www.BannerAdQueen.com.
Enjoy the science and the ART of testing cool banner ads on the Content Network.
Banner ads are soooo 2010!
Perry Marshall
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About the Author
Perry Marshall's books on Google Advertising are the most popular in the world. He is referenced across the Internet and by The Washington Post, USA Today, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
He has helped over 100,000 Google Advertisers save billions of dollars in Adwords stupidity tax.
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Thanks for that Perry – now here is an important one – how can we find out which image ads on the content network are currently performing best?
As always I've got something very specific in mind that I'm testing but this is the key question still – in much the same way that a fast way to test your AdWords ads is to test them against the same wording as the ad wording used by the top long term bidders.
Mark,
A crude first stab at answering your question is to look at places like http://www.dictionary.com, http://www.weather.com and other high traffic general interest sites that run millions of banner ad impressions.
Perry
Thanks Perry
I've been looking at those really carefully since you suggested them.
I can see factors that I was already using – use of brand names and brand logos, full solid color, flash sliding and fading.
I take it there is not an established way to see who is doing what in image ads in the way that AdWords analyser lets you do with text ads.
Sorry that we missed your call-in session last Monday 9th due to urgent domestic stuff – when are you doing the next one?
Mark,
Next call-in will be in the next couple of months, watch your newsletter.
There are some services that are monitoring image ads and I can't talk about them yet – but I will soon
Perry
Perry,
Great timing. I am getting ready to start a content network campaign for a client. I was looking for someone to do banner ads for me. Already dropped Laura note.
Thanks
John
PS. BTW, I don't post often on your blog, but it is always a must read.
John,
It's always great to hear from ya. Here's to Pixel Power.
Have you any thoughts on Keyword Rockstar that allows you to autogenerate image ads in all 9 sizes? I believe you can use your own templates too.
Have not used it. All for it, if it does what you say it does.
Hi Perry,
I'm the creator of Keyword Rockstar and just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you letting people know about the power of Image Ads on the Content Network. It is one of the main reasons I built Keyword Rockstar.
If you want to ever see it in action let me know or you can ask Shelley Ellis about it, she has a copy and I met her in NY recently (very nice person, her and her husband both.)
Best wishes,
Jon
Great post as always.
Trying some image ads now on the content network for the first time. I am using it to drive traffic to a free ebook opt-in page.
(I am giving away a "web designer secrets" ebook as part of an autoreponder course.
Which is of course something I learnt from you.)
This is almost the same as media buys from larger advertising companies where you have to shell out thousands of dollars just to get started. However this is much more cost efficient for the smaller business owner.
Hey Perry, this page was recommended by Greg Cesar to me. And I have to really thank him for this! I am about to get serious about AdWords with image ads. Do you think it's worth investing in Keyword Rockstar?
Daniel
I have not used Keyword Rockstar but Shelley Ellis definitely likes it.
@YourInternetBuddies: any piece of software will have a learning curve associated with it, and Keyword Rockstar is no exception. It is an incredibly powerful program that that will take some time to master, but with perseverance you can see some really amazing results.
Also, be aware that KWR is not just image ad software – it takes care of your whole PPC campaign from start to finish (way too many features to mention here). If you are into automation, then this could be the tool for you.