A new form of Internet advertising has exploded and it is receiving a lot of response lately - pixel advertising. Essentially, it is where people purchase a set of pixels on the homepage of a Web site, inserting their company logo that links back to their own site. Potentially, the end result can be increased Web site traffic to both the pixel site and the advertisers placing their images there.

As a potential advertiser seeking unique online exposure and increased traffic for your Web site, use precautions before spending your money on just any pixel advertising Web site.

Don't be impulsive with your advertising dollars. Do some comparison shopping online first. Take a few moments to browse different pixel sites, read the content on their sites about their company and what makes them unique among other pixel ad sites. Compare their pricing, the sizes of pixel ads available, the placement of your ad on their homepage, and the length of time your ad will be placed on their Web site.

Choose pixel advertising sites devoted to a charitable or worth while cause…Alex Tew, a UK college student, started MillionDollarHomepage.com (the first known pixel advertising site) so he could save enough money to go to college. There are others like him out there whose primary goal is to use pixel advertising as a way to donate to a charity or help others who are less fortunate. Sites like BannerCanvas.com by owner Chad King were started to raise money to help tear down his mother's old dilapidated trailer and build her a brand new house on the same property. These sites are definitely worth checking out first.

Seek out pixel ad sites whose owners already believe in natural search engine optimization, and are paying an SEO company for natural and ethical search engine optimization. How can you tell without directly asking? While it may not be the best indicator, one method is to look for keywords in the META titles, META descriptions and META keyword tags on many pages of the Web site. Look for those same keywords throughout the content on the site.

Find pixel advertising sites who will genuinely keep its word on leaving your ad on their Web site for the 5 or 10 years as promised. Many of these new pixel sites popping up everywhere will no longer be around one year from now, because they will have taken everybody's money and stopped paying for their domain and hosting fees. You do not want to advertise on a fly-by-night-take-your-money-and-run type of pixel site.

Before paying for a pixel advertising site, actually contact the owner of the pixel ad site by phone or email and get to know him or her. Ask that person questions like what he intends to do with the money generated from pixel advertising, or what percentage (if any) will be donated to charity. What charity will the money be donated to, or what individual or family will be the recipient of the donations?

Pixel advertising is fast becoming the latest online trend. As a potential advertiser, first take the time to shop around before choosing which pixel advertising site to pay for, and find out who will profit from your advertising dollars.