Google Ads is one of the largest and most popular digital advertising platforms for running display ad campaigns. Approximately 80% of all Internet users have seen at least one Google Ads display ad campaign, making this platform one of the most efficient solutions for advertisers and brand managers.
When managing a display ad campaign on Google Ads, becoming familiar with standard display ad sizes across the Google display network is critical to maximizing your display campaignβs effectiveness and boosting your revenue.
What to Consider Before Choosing Google Display Ad Sizes
Choosing the right ad size is one of the most critical decisions you can make to optimize your display ad campaignβs effectiveness.
Although factors such as ad placement and creative content may all significantly affect your campaignβs performance, each adβs size and display ratio determines its visibility to users, affecting the chances of obtaining impressions and clicks.Β
Additionally, it is crucial to remember that advertisers and brand managers retain control over ad sizes as they would over the content of their search ads and overall ad creatives. However, ad space availability and placement of ad inventory on websites and digital properties are controlled by publishers.
Consequently, choosing the right size ensures your ads are as visible as possible, boosting click-through rates (CTR). The wrong size may harm your adβs visibility or CTRs, limiting its reach.
What Are The Most Common Google Display Ad Sizes?
Google Ads allows advertisers to choose from a wide array of ad sizes from Googleβs display network, making it possible to display ad creatives on many websites, apps, and digital properties. Taking advantage of Google display networkβs large selection of ad sizes is crucial to ensure maximum visibility and engagement across all device types. Below are some of the most commonly selected ad sizes.
1. 468 x 60 Standard Banner
The 468 x 60 display ad size is known as the standard banner. This ad size was simply called banner in the past because it is the oldest display ad size format in continuous use. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the standard banner was among the eraβs most commonly used by advertisers.
The standard bannerβs primary intended purpose was to be displayed at the top of web pages. At the time, average desktop computer screen sizes were much lower than todayβs, making it viable.
Todayβs PCs feature larger screens that would render the standard banner smaller and less visible. Consequently, advertisers are less likely to use the standard banner today for displaying ads at the top of the page on the desktop version of websites. However, it is a good choice for displaying ads on mobile websites due to the smaller screen resolutions of mobile devices.
2. 250 x 250 Square
Display ads with a resolution of 250 x 250 are called square ads or simply squares. According to the IAB guidelines, the 250 x 250 ad size is also known as a square rectangle, placing it in the same category as (vertical) rectangle ads.
This format is a highly versatile ad size for display ad campaigns due to its viability on both desktop and mobile versions of digital properties. Common purposes for 250 x 250 include standard banners and pop-up ads for mobile websites and apps.
Although square ads typically offer slightly less return on investment than rectangle ads, they are ideal for filling smaller ad spaces and can complete the array of display ad sizes used in a well-tuned campaign.
3. 728 x 90 Leaderboard Banner
Display ads with a resolution of 728 x 90 are known as leaderboard banners or leaderboards. Like standard banners, leaderboards are an established format with years of successful use in online digital properties designed for desktop displays. The primary purpose of the leaderboard display campaign is to display ads at the top of a page, using their long and narrow form factor to stand out without distracting the user from the content.
Since the advent of mobile advertising, leaderboards have been among the most commonly used mobile ad sizes due to their long and narrow dimensions displaying well on mobile screens.
Some digital properties feature a closely related variant of the leaderboard known as the sticky leaderboard. Although sticky leaderboards are the same size as their standard counterparts, meaning the same ad creatives fit in, they feature one critical difference: sticky leaderboards are designed to follow the user as they scroll the page, βstickingβ to the screen.
Sticky leaderboards are typically used on mobile websites and apps, with the most common placement for mobile leaderboards, thus being at the bottom of the screen.
4. 970 x 90 Large Leaderboard
The large leaderboard ad, sometimes called super leaderboard, is a wider version of the original leaderboard banner. Although both share the same height of 90 pixels, the large leaderboard is 242 pixels longer, for a total of 970 pixels long. The extra length grants approximately 33% more space for ad creatives, allowing advertisers to fit in more information or imagery.
Initially, the large leaderboard was intended to replace its standard counterpart in response to increasing desktop screen resolutions. However, both standards remain in use as of 2023.
The large leaderboard is identical in purpose to its standard counterpart: displaying ads at the top of the page. However, large leaderboards are typically reserved for displaying ads on desktop websites due to their size. When used to display ads on mobile websites, the large leaderboard may not render correctly or fully on smaller mobile and tablet screens.
5. 200 x 200 Small Square
The small square display ad unit features a resolution of 200 x 200, making it 20% smaller than the standard 250 x 250 square.
Although this format is no longer part of the IAB standards, due to the prevalence of squares and 300 x 250 inline rectangles, small squares are still widely used on websites featuring narrow margins, which may not have the space to accommodate larger ad units.
Ad creatives for small squares are typically resized versions of 250 x 250 creatives. Other than size, both square-type ad units fulfill similar purposes. However, advertisers should expect slightly less performance than equivalent square or rectangle ad units, due to the smaller size.
6. 320 x 100 Large Mobile Banner
Ad sizes with a 320 x 100 format are large mobile banners. They are an extended version of the standard mobile banner (300 x 50), offering over double the space for displaying ad creatives of the image ads. Although this ad size is not an IAB standard, the large mobile banner is one of the best-performing formats across all digital ad platforms.
Most large mobile banners are configured as anchor ads. Like sticky leaderboards, anchor banners overlay the content even as the user scrolls or swipes the page up and down, following the user and remaining in their initial position on the screen, typically at the bottom.
Most large mobile banners configured as anchors feature a close button to preserve user experience and avoid annoying viewers.
Although the large mobile banner ad slot is relatively small, it is one of the ad slots with the largest mobile-specific ad sizes. It is an excellent choice for monetizing mobile websites, applications, and other digital properties designed for mobile and tablet use.
7. 120 x 600 Skyscraper
Display ads with a 120 x 600 resolution are skyscrapers, sometimes called standard skyscraper image ads, to differentiate them from other skyscraper-format ads.
The skyscraper banner is a former IAB standard ad size popular with advertisers and brand managers in the late 90s to mid-2000s. Although the standard skyscraper has been supplanted in popularity by its larger counterparts, it remains in common use today.
Skyscraper-type display banner ads are intended for use on the margins, surrounding the main content with ad creatives without inserting it in the middle. As users scroll down pages and read content, skyscraper-format banner ads expose them to the ad creatives on the sides.
Due to its lower performance compared to the newer, larger skyscraper formats, the standard skyscraper performs best if the initial cost to advertisers is minimal. Their smaller size can help keep content-rich websites from feeling cluttered, resulting in a better overall user experience.
8. 160 x 600 Wide Skyscraper
Display banner ads with a 160 x 600 format are known as wide skyscrapers image ads. This type of skyscraper-format display banner ad is simply a wider version of the original square image of the skyscraper, featuring 40 extra pixels of width for a total of 160 pixels. Although the difference may seem small, the extra width gives ad creators 33% more space, resulting in a higher creative potential per ad image.
Wide skyscrapers have replaced the older, standard skyscraper as an IAB standard. It is one of the most commonly utilized ad formats for desktop sites, apps, and digital properties. Like its standard counterpart, it is mainly intended for displaying ads on web page margins and sidebars.
9. 300 x 600 Half-Page
The 300 x 600 display ad size is primarily known today as the half-page or half-page unit (HPU), although it may sometimes be referred to as the large skyscraper or superwide skyscraper. The additional names exist because half-page ads have the same height as other skyscraper-format display ads.
Compared to a wide skyscraper, the half page has almost double the width, resulting in 87.5% more space for ad creatives. A half-page ad offers a whopping 180,000 pixels for ad creatives, more than any other commonly utilized display ad format.
Like skyscraper ads, half-page ads are primarily intended for use on the margins. Although they are less common than other formats, they typically perform highly due to their size, visibility, and a tendency to integrate interactive elements. These characteristics make half-page units an excellent choice for sponsorships.
10. 300 x 250 Inline Rectangle
The inline rectangle features a resolution of 300 x 250. Other sources may refer to this format as a medium rectangle or an MPU, which may stand for βmid-page unit,β βmid-position unit,β or βmulti-purpose unit.β
As these names indicate, this ad format is rectangular and frequently utilized in all types of digital properties, from desktop websites to mobile apps. It is an IAB standard digital ad format that performs best when embedded into the content.
For example, publishers may place a typical inline rectangle ad into a text article in the same spots used for static image ads and illustrations. Other locations for inline rectangles include the end of the page and, more rarely, in the margins, as they feature the same width as half-page units.
11. 336 x 280 Large Rectangle
The large rectangle ad unit is 336 pixels wide and 280 pixels tall. It is an older format resembling todayβs inline rectangle that still sees significant use today. It is approximately 25% larger than the inline medium rectangle ad, offering 36 extra pixels of width and 30 more pixels of height.
Large rectangles are among the best-performing display ad sizes on Google AdSense ad campaigns and typically have similar placements and purposes as the more modern inline rectangles.
Although they perform slightly less well than inline rectangle ad units, advertisers and publishers have generally found that large rectangles are effective wherever inline rectangles are. The best way to implement large rectangle units is to scale up an ad creative for an inline rectangle.
Which of the above most popular Google display ad sizes are Top-performing for Banner ads?
According to Googleβs data, the digital advertising platform considers each different ad type to have and relates to different top-performing ad sizes. Most top-performing ad sizes include: 300Γ250, 336Γ280, 728Γ90, 300Γ600, 320Γ100. The following are considered the most common ad sizes among its top-performing solutions are:
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