Although newer and more dynamic forms of advertising have become dominant formats of the digital advertising landscape, banner ads haven’t disappeared yet. They remain one of the most common ways for brands, marketers, and advertisers to promote their products and services online.
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An essential element to the success of a digital banner ad campaign is the banner size. Choosing the correct ad size for your needs is critical to attracting the highest number of clicks.
What is Banner Advertising?
Banner advertising uses digital banners comprising static or dynamic images containing ads promoting various products and services. These banners are displayed on websites, apps, blogs, and other digital properties. When viewers click on the banner ad, it typically redirects them to the advertiser’s site or product page, inciting them to complete a desired action, such as purchasing a product.
Banner advertising is the oldest form of digital online advertising. The first banner ad is the well-known “You Will” AT&T banner, first displayed on Wired Magazine’s first website (hotwired.com) in October 1994. Since then, it has become one of the dominant forms of advertising of the early Internet.
Is Banner Advertising Still Relevant?
Although more modern forms of advertising have been introduced and become more common than banner ads, such as pay-per-click (PPC) or video ads, banners are still commonly used to promote products and services online.
Well-designed banner ad campaigns continue to attract significant traffic with high intent and engagement rates, pulling high click-through rates (CTR). According to Statista, worldwide spending on banner advertising is projected to reach over $161 billion at the end of 2023, with an annual growth rate of 6.35%.
Advertisers looking to launch new ad campaigns today may still obtain positive results with banner advertising, provided they are correctly managed and configured.
Standard Banner Ad Sizes on Google Ads
Google Ads can display banner ads on desktop and mobile. Banner ads served through Google Ads must feature a file size of 150 KB or less and must use images in GIF, JPG, or PNG format.
GIF format ads may be animated but must follow Google’s limitations: no more than 30 seconds long with a maximum framerate of 5 FPS. Looping animations are allowed, but animations must stop after 30 seconds.
Standard sizes are categorized into four groups: squares and rectangles, skyscrapers, leaderboards, and mobile-specific banners.
Google Square and Rectangle Ad Sizes
Google Skyscraper Ad Sizes
Google Leaderboard Ad Sizes
Google Mobile Ad Sizes
Standard Banner Ad Sizes on Instagram Ads
Instagram ad creatives featuring standard banners can be found in the following categories: Single Image Ads, Carousel Ads, Stories Carousel Ads, Slideshow Ads, and Stories Image Ads.
All Instagram Ads featuring static images must be in either JPG or PNG format, with a maximum file size of 30 MB.
Standard Banner Ad Sizes on Facebook Ads
Facebook’s recommended sizes for banner ads on the social media platform are similar to those of Instagram due to Meta owning both platforms. As with Instagram, the allowed image file types are JPG and PNG, and the maximum allowed file size is 30 MB.
Standard Banner Ad Sizes on Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads)
Microsoft Ads, formerly known as Bing Ads until 2019, lets advertisers pick from a wide selection of banner sizes to promote products and services. Not all ad sizes may be available at all times; availability primarily depends on their placement.
Regardless of the size selected, all images submitted for use in banner ads must meet Microsoft’s stringent standards. For instance, blurry, fuzzy, or low-resolution images may not be approved, and advertisers may not use old, outdated, or mismatched logos. Accepted file formats include JPG and PNG.
What Are the Most Popular Banner Sizes Today?
Choosing the correct banner sizes for your ad placements plays a significant role in your campaign’s success. Every environment, whether websites, apps, blogs, or eCommerce platforms, requires advertisers to choose banner sizes carefully.
They must also ensure mobile versions of these digital properties have their own banner sizes, as mobile screen sizes have different resolutions, changing the requirements for a successful banner-based ad campaign.
Some of the most popular banner sizes across all sites and platforms include standard banners, standard leaderboards, large leaderboards, squares, inline rectangles, large rectangles, skyscrapers, large skyscrapers, and mobile leaderboards.
468 x 60 – Standard Banner
The 468 x 60 standard banner, also simply known as the banner, is the original format used for digital ad banners since the 1990s. Although the banner was initially meant for use at the top of web pages, the higher resolutions of modern screen sizes have changed the standard banner’s role and allowed it to become more versatile.
728 x 90 – Standard Leaderboard
Leaderboard banners are designed to attract the viewer’s attention. When placed at the top of a web page, it is usually among the first elements a viewer sees, ensuring impressions and increasing the chance of a click.
970 x 90 – Large Leaderboard
The large leaderboard banner size is relatively new, first introduced and standardized by the IAB in 2013. However, it is taller than its standard counterpart, allowing it to fill more space on modern desktop screen sizes.
250 x 250 – Square
This banner size is among the most versatile, as advertisers can use its desktop and mobile digital properties. While they are less commonly used today on desktop sites, square ads are popular in mobile advertising due to taking more relative screen space.
300 x 250 – Inline Rectangle
The inline rectangle also called the medium rectangle, is among the highest-performing banner sizes across all ad platforms. Typical placement for this banner type is in between content or on the margins. Inline rectangle banners perform well on desktop and mobile sites, making them highly versatile.
336 x 280 – Large Rectangle
A large rectangle banner typically offers similar benefits and performance to the standard inline rectangle but provides slightly more space. The extra space allows advertisers to show larger or more complex ad creatives.
120 x 600 – Skyscraper
These banners are designed for vertical placement, including the margins or the sidebars of a web page. Viewers experience skyscraper banners while scrolling through content, ensuring they see the ad for longer timeframes.
300 x 600 – Large Skyscraper
Also known as half-page ads, large skyscrapers offer a wide area for ad creatives, functioning as a hybrid of the standard skyscraper and the large rectangle banners.
320 x 50 – Mobile Leaderboard
Today, most Internet traffic comes from mobile devices. Because of this, the 320 x 50 mobile leaderboard is one of the most effective banner ad sizes today, bringing many of the same benefits as its standard counterpart to mobile environments. This format is primarily displayed on mobile applications and mobile versions of websites.
Get More Efficient Advertising and Monetization with CodeFuel
Regardless of the types of ads you run to advertise products and services, ensuring your ads are correctly configured and optimized is crucial to make the most of your campaign’s ad spend.
For these reasons, CodeFuel is here to help. Our team of digital advertising and monetization experts can help you optimize your revenue channels and ensure your banner ad campaigns provide you with the best possible return on investment. Contact CodeFuel to get started.
