But now it's even better. This revamp is the biggest in Google Image history, since its launch in 2001.

Google Director of Search Products Ben Ling at Google's search press event

Here are some of the big changes to the way images are displayed:

• The search results page is all images now, without the clutter of text and links.
• The thumbnails are bigger.
• There is continuous scrolling so you can see more images faster.
• Scrolling over a thumbnail now shows you the a link, the URL, and the image size.
• Clicking on a thumbnail brings you to a full-size version of the image with the image's original website in the background.

Another addition to Google Images is the new Image Search Ads. The image search results page has always had ads at the top, but now these ads will contain thumbnail images along with text. The ads will still be differentiated from organic search results with a different color background and a label of "Sponsored Link."

The screenshot below shows an example of these new, highly relevant ads on an image search for cars.

New Google Image Search ads with images

Right now these thumbnail ads are only available for the Google Image search page, but they will probably come to other Google search pages in the future.

We think Google's Image Search Ads are a great way for advertisers to connect people to their brand through the power of images, just like our own In-Image ads. What do you think of the new Google Images?

Probably not.

Images are a valuable addition to any blog entry. Of course we're a little biased because we think images are awesome, but this Master of SEO post "The Importance of Pictures in your Blog Posts" agrees with us.

So what kind of images should you use? First, they should always be relevant to your post. Some images might help you prove a point, like a graph or chart. Or they could visually represent what you're talking about, like a screenshot of a website you're profiling or photos of muffins for a baking blog.

Images can also bring humor to your blog, in the form of cartoons or comics. And they can provide an emotional connection to your readers. Who doesn't love looking at a couple of cute and cuddly puppies?

"Puppies" by Flickr user Kiwi NZ

Case in point.

Now where do you go about finding these images? The simplest way is taking photos yourself, since you don't have to worry about copyrights. But of course if you're writing about Paris and you've never been to Paris, you'll need to use someone else's pictures.

There are a bunch of great stock photography websites out there. If you want a huge selection of great quality images and you have some pocket change, check out these sites:

iStockphoto - Offers royalty-free photos and illustrations starting at only one dollar.

Getty Images - Offers creative and editorial photos, but many of them are rights-managed, with restrictions on duration of use, size, placement etc.

If you don't want to spend any money, here are some great free options:

stock.xchng - Decent selection of mostly larger files, which means better quality images. You do have to sign up to download the images, but registration is quick and free.

Flickr Creative Commons - You can use all these Flickr photos for free, as long as you give the photographer credit, because the photos have a Creative Commons license. Generally a good selection, though the photos are more amateur, and the files aren't very large.

Everystockphoto.com - Database of free stock photos from a bunch of sites, including stock.xchng, Flickr, photoXpress, morgueFile and Image*After.

Everystockphoto.com search results for "Cuba"

Now that you know why images are essential to your blog and where you can find them, here are a couple best practices for image use:

1. Always check the license on the individual image, no matter which site it comes from. Even if the image is free, you might have to credit the photographer or link back to the site, or there could be other usage restrictions.
2. Don't go overboard with images. Two or three per post is plenty. The content of your blog is still most important, and images should complement and enhance your posts, not overshadow them.

What's your favorite stock photography site? Did we miss any good ones? Let us know in the comments!

Stay updated with your website's progress by using the Image Reporting tool on your Pubstop account, and check each individual image's impressions, clicks, earnings, and other performance metrics. Which images are generating the most income? Highest click through rates? eCPM? Search? It's easy to find out!

To control your image inventory for ads, use the Image Manager tool.  Search for images, choose which images have ads, and suggest keywords to help us do a better job. Finally, take advantage of our fantastic Referral Program and make money by submitting your referrals on homepage of your PubStop account!

Don't forget to join our Publisher Community Forum, where you can share an idea, ask  us a question, report a problem, or give praise. Send us a message through your Pubstop account by clicking the "Feedback" widget on the left-hand side of the page, and submit a topic for discussion on our forum. We'll be sure to have it answered right away.

Happy exploring! We look forward to hearing from you. Please be sure to visit our twitter page (@imagespacemedia), we look forward to your tweets!

We've mentioned a few of the tips in a previous post like learning how to use alt tags and using plenty of descriptive text. Linsley covers the basics and more and breaks down image search behavior, which is very different from web search.

If you think about the paradigm when they do a query, it's not so much about what's the first result... users can consume images in a heartbeat, and if the image they happen to like is at the bottom left-and corner or the bottom right-hand corner, so be it. They'll see that, there's something about the image that attracts them, and they'll click through.

Since image searches are very subjective, there is no way for search engines to figure out what you are looking for. Sometimes users aren't just looking for a specific image but use the image search function as a tool for inspiration, research, and "sometimes they just use it to kill time, just for the fun of it."

I really enjoyed reading Linsley's best practices which include asking yourself how to make your images useful for users.

It's really about immersing the user into a very image-centric experience. These are the kinds of landing pages, these are the kind of images we've observed that our users tend to like.

For more tips keep reading here

Click here to experience Dwell Blog - "Cool Modern Living | Get Inspired"

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The site is updated several times per week, with helpful articles dealing with all different subjects in the web and design world. Archived posts are organized under the following subjects: CSS, Design, Featured Articles, Fonts, Freebies, Icons, Inspiration, Showcases, Tools, Tutorials, Typography, and Wordpress.

Click here to visit The Design Mag's website & here to follow them on twitter!

*Author and founder of The Design Mag, Thomson Chemmanoor, wrote an article on, "21 New and Fabulous Retro Style Photoshop Tutorials." Within this article was the topic, "Creating an Awesome Retro Collage", and the photo below was the finished collage.

Luxury brands have struggled to utilize the web where sites for knock-offs and deep discounts abound. Upholding the integrity of their brands is of utmost importance to keep their aging consumer base.

All eyes are on Burberry who has just launched Art of the Trench, a gallery of street photography of people wearing the iconic Burberry trench. They enlisted fashion photographers to begin the project and have invited the public to submit their own photos. The execution of the site is beautiful and has lead to a lot of buzz. It will be interesting to see how Burberry will ride this wave and if other luxury brands will follow suit.