Search engine giant Google has begun including an ad-style Picasa banner on the result pages for its image search engine (http://images.google.ca), as well as a free download Picasa software option. The software is essentially a photo album that allows users to catalog, edit and share digital images that are stored on their computers.
Ever since Google acquired the rights to Picasa (www.picasa.com), a company that offers digital photography software, in July 2004, they have put a big effort into featuring the photo software company on their own pages, much like advertisements.
Shortly after the purchase was made, Google began featuring a link that directed visitors to Picasa's download page. When Google first featured a link for the digital photo utility, traffic to Picasa increased by an unbelievable 6000%.
According to Hitwise (www.hitwise.com), a noted online performance measuring company, Picasa is the second most visited site in Hitwise's photography category, ahead of giants like Kodak and Canon.
