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Creating and optimizing ads on Google Display Network (GDN) can be a daunting task. The truth is, if it’s not done correctly, you may end up wasting your ad budget.
However, that doesn’t mean you should give up.
If you’re only spending your ad budget on banner ads, you might be wasting a lot of time trying to identify which image sizes to use. Although it may seem like all banner images are created equal, they won’t all give you the best results in real life.
Moreover, ad blocker services will also make your banner-sized images even less effective. As a result, your ad campaigns will get severely hurt if you only use the commonly available sizes. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best Google Display Ads sizes for maximum return-on-investment (ROI).
Whether you wish to start running display ads to attract more users or you want to begin retargeting on the GDN, you have to create advertisements following specific dimensions.
Some websites prefer smaller images, while others seek larger ones. Also, services may want to block your banner-sized ads but may miss larger or smaller variations. The only solution is to prepare and optimize your ad sizes as much as possible.
However, when choosing the right Google Display Ads sizes, you should also consider mobile devices. Today, an increasing number of websites are using mobile display ads, and users are starting to pay attention to them.
Consider covering a wide range of sizes for three reasons:
All ad images do not necessarily work in a single place or for one campaign.
This section will take a closer look at every ad size and see where they are the most effective. Plus, we will highlight a few examples.
The Banner has an image size of 468×60. When your prospective consumers are browsing, the first thing they see on sites is the top of a page or above the fold, and the Banner ensures that your ads are there to greet them. Banner ads cover the upper part of the webpage. These ads can grab attention instantly to trigger your remarketing efforts.
Half Banner has an image size of 234×60. You should choose this banner type if you want an ad with a small but powerful scope. The benefit of this ad type is that it fits into narrower areas. On the downside, however, it has a shorter reach because of low ad inventory on sites.
Square Banner has an image size of 250×250. The most significant benefit of these ads is that they are more likely to fit into your website’s design. They look great on both mobile devices and computers.
Square banners are also more responsive, so they adjust to the most accessible places on websites. You can easily arrange images and text on these ads. Plus, these adaptable ads can get your message back to previous users with ease.
On the downside, these ads are less noticeable as compared to larger ads. If your design is not too busy, a square banner may be the right choice. Another benefit of this ad type is that you can insert it just about anywhere.
Small Square is an ad size of 200×200. These ads offer benefits quite similar to the regular square size. However, they are slightly less noticeable. You can still capitalize on users’ shown interest in these ads, yet they serve a more subtle purpose. These ads are also compatible with mobile browsers.
The Large Rectangle has an image size of 336×280. This ad type does not get as many impressions as a medium rectangle (300×250), yet it is still a very noticeable ad. This format supports both image and text ads and is ideally placed in between paragraphs or other content vertically, instead of squeezing them into a sidebar.
Owing to its size and placement options, Large Rectangle is one of the highest-performing AdSense banner sizes and gets a better ad inventory.
As evident, it is about the same size as the medium rectangle (300×250), but just a little bit larger.
Unfortunately, these ads may not fit in the sidebar for all website themes because of their size. If you place these types of ads This ad format is also not mobile optimized.
The Medium Rectangle has an image size of 300×250. It is one of the most widely used banner ad sizes in the world of digital advertising. This ad format is relatively compressed and does not need much space than the larger option (300×600). That’s why many advertisers prefer this ad type.
Moreover, this ad format works for both text and display ads as well as mobile page layouts. At a width of 300px, the ad will usually fit into a sidebar or within the content area of a site without affecting user experience.
Due to its versatility, this ad format gets a large ad inventory, which means better-paying ads for you. As the Medium Rectangle ad brings in the best clickthrough rate (CTR), reportedly, 40% of advertisers use this ad format.
The Small Rectangle ad has an image size of 180×150. Although rectangle ads typically generate traffic, small rectangle ads are the least influential size in display marketing. They can accommodate compact webpages and are more affordable because of lower competition. However, less than 1% of advertisers use this ad format today.
The Half Page ad size includes a 300×600 image. It gives advertisers a little more room to get their message across. By consuming more space, advertisers get a better chance to grab eyeballs and attract clicks.
Even though these ads do not actually occupy half of the page, they perform well and richly communicate information. This performance might be because these ads occupy a larger portion of website real estate than other ads.
When placed strategically, these ads can get you some good results. Google states that the half-page ad format is presently among the fastest growing sizes by impressions because of its capability to offer more visual effect.
Skyscraper ads have an image size of 120×600. These ads are tall and found on the sides of the webpages, which limits word placement. Since these Google retargeting ad sizes are vertical, advertisers prefer them less – hence their lower cost. These ads still have a fair chance of getting your customers to revisit your website, so you should still consider using them.
The Wide Skyscraper ad has an image size of 160×600. Advertisers commonly use these ads to help people remember their brand. With more abundant space, these Google Display Ads sizes offer a broader area than the conventional skyscraper ad. That’s why almost 12% of advertisers use this type of ad.
Portraits ads have an image size of 300×1050. These ads are an emerging unit size for retargeting as they are considered attractive by general standards. Although these ads are high in demand, sites do not have a large volume of ad inventory for them yet.
These ads can appear in the middle of the website content and disrupt the natural sequence of webpages. Provided these ads lean right or left, favoring one side, they can act as eye-catching instead of intrusive ads.
Billboard ads have an image size of 970×250. Owing to their size and placement options, you are likely to see better ads. They are substantially larger than the typical Leaderboard (as seen below), offering more room for user engagement.
These ads have the most significant horizontal Google retargeting ad size, making them stand out at the top of pages. You can place them in different positions on sites; however, they get the highest impression rates when placed above content. If you have large chunks of text to include in your ad, billboard ads provide maximum spacing.
On the flip side, these ads have a smaller inventory. Although it is a great ad size for specific keywords, you may struggle with the limited stock. That’s why less than 1% of advertisers use this ad type.
Leaderboard ads have an image size of 728×90. These ads typically appear at the top of the page. They are the right choice for advertisers who want their ads shown to as many people as possible.
The Leaderboard is a well-recognized ad format, often found above the navigation bar and particularly in forums. This ad type is more noticeable because of the size and quickly grabs the viewer’s attention, and several sites in the GDN have room for them. You will find them in prime positions, such as at the top of a page. That’s where these ads are the most effective. They also work well around forums.
Google states users should always place this ad at the top of content or on a forum-style website. If you see it anywhere else on a website, you may want to opt-out of having your ad placed there. Roughly 1% of advertisers use this ad format.
The Large Leaderboard ad has an image size of 970×90. Similar to the regular Leaderboard, these ad sizes line the upper parts of sites as well. You also get the option to expand, shifting the rest of the webpage’s content downward, creating a unique user experience.
These ads can generate more interaction; however, sometimes, they can come across as invasive. Yet, users can continue interfacing with the expanded version. Alternatively, they can move on, which gives your retargeted audience a chance to explore your products.
Mobile data traffic has grown tremendously, with a 14% increment between 2019 and 2020. However, it would help if you considered mobile when creating your GDN campaign. Today, most internet traffic comes from mobile, so ads should be designed, bearing this fact in mind.
With so many customers browsing the internet on their smartphones, you must ensure that your advertisements are well-optimized for mobile devices. Mobile browsing and shopping have become the norm for users. Based on your industry, the majority of your customers may be browsing your website on their smartphones.
Mobile Banner ads have an image size of 320×50. Over time, the potential of mobile marketing has dramatically increased. As users are scrolling on their phones or tablets, your mobile banner ad can get the right exposure.
Mobile Banner ads fit comfortably on the screen and do not detract much from their surroundings. Due to their small size, they deliver great results across any mobile device. Moreover, these ads offer a bit more visibility on mobile devices than the shorter “leaderboard’. That’s why many advertisers prefer this Google Display Ad size.
The Large Mobile Banner ad has an image size of 320×100. You can use this ad type as an alternative to the 320×50 and the 300×250 sizes. These ads offer advertisers twice the height of the standard “mobile leaderboard,” yet less than 1% of advertisers use this ad format. This ad type is equivalent to the leaderboard ad format in terms of effectiveness and mobile devices.
There are other formats as well, like Mobile Full Page Flex (320×320), Square (250×250), and Small Square (200×200). However, very few (less than 1%) advertisers use these formats.
Consider the following specifications when creating Gmail Ads.
The minimum size should be 144px x 144px, and the maximum size should be 150KB, with an aspect ratio of 1:1
TIP #2: You can bring the attractiveness to your advertisement by introducing animation through HTML5 Ads.
GDN announced the discontinuation of Flash Ads after the death of Flash. That’s when HTML animated ads took over. HTML5 emerged as the most popular ad format in 2019. It uses JavaScript and CSS and enables you to create some eye-catching transitions and animation effects.
HTML5 is the first version of HTML that empowers developers to write video, audio, and other animations directly into a page’s source code. This way, it eliminates the need for plugins like Flash.
HTML5 ads have the following common sizes:
However, advertisers mostly use 320×480 (Portrait) and 480×320 (Landscape).
HTML5 ads are far more attractive to click on and less intrusive to look at, unlike their counterparts. As they reside within the webpage, they are more subtle, elegant, and not especially interstitial.
These ads encompass thumb-stopping motion elements such as videos and gifs. Some banner ad fatigue occurs from the inability to discern the static details on the web page from your advertisement’s static elements. HTML5 ads demand views and clicks since they stick out from the rest of your on-page content. Apart from traditional motion elements, HTML5 also supports 3D and interactive ad design.
When using Google Web Designer to create these ads, you must opt to get the output. ZIP folder. .ZIP files can contain the following formats: HTML, CSS, JS, GIF, PNG, JPG, JPEG, SVG. Moreover, you can upload 20 .zip files in every campaign. File size must be 1MB. You don’t have to unzip the.ZIP folder. Just upload it to Google Ads platform when creating Google Display Ads.
Website owners usually don’t just choose an ad size and run with it forever, never looking back. Most will test different banner ad sizes to determine which sizes and formats work best in various positions on their site. Moreover, GDN also runs testing to determine how their ads perform.
Now that you know about the several GDN sizes, it’s time to answer the ultimate question: Which one is the best? There are so many different ad sizes. How can you maximize the ad space that is accessible for you? What is the right banner size for your next ad campaign?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this query. You’ll see there are too many variables, and the decision mainly depends on your objective.
Your task is to create a display campaign that features an image ad, sticking out to the customer who is browsing the website running the ads. As ad publishers eventually decide the banner ads size on their website, you should use that size at the initial stage of your planning.
Look for websites in your niche that utilize banner ads, and then observe what they provide. However, more importantly, do not just sit back and let your banner ads run unattended. Test them, just like you’d test an ad on Google’s Search Network.
Although setting up your ads can be an overwhelming process, you shouldn’t start on the wrong foot with the wrong size image in your banner ad. This mistake can result in embarrassment, fewer clicks, and even make your brand look unprofessional. Plus, size does matter – for impressions, clicks, and on mobile devices. You can’t just design a single image and hope it works for everything. Customization is key.
Keep in mind that display ads are inclined to get a lower direct CTR than search ads, but they still have to be visually attractive with meticulously created text, the right mix of fonts, color, and graphics. They are exceptional for increasing your brand awareness. Prospective customers are more likely to buy from you if not today, then maybe tomorrow – when used for remarketing purposes.
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