Online advertising in this day and age has many different forms, and one of the most popular ones on the list is Google Ads – the one that was previously called AdWords. Due to the popularity of Google Ads, there are several different banner types that it can work with.
Unfortunately, trying to get all of the possible banner types is a huge waste of money most of the time, so the knowledge about different ad types and sizes is borderline crucial to be able to properly advertise yourself via Google Display Network.
To understand the purpose of Google’s responsive display ads, it’s important to go over the definition of a display ad. A display ad is an ad that you see all the time on many different sites, but not searching for a specific thing. That’s why they are called display ads – since they are displayed alongside the page’s actual content.
Google’s own help page claims that there are two main display ads that can be used within the system – static image ads and responsive display ads. Static image ads are not the default choice of the Google Display Network, and they cannot adapt to different ad slots, showing the advertised image exactly the way you’ve uploaded it.
Responsive display ads, on the other hand, can adjust themselves automatically to fit the majority of ad spaces – bringing the highest performance out of the two. This is why responsive display ads are considered the default type by the Display Network.
Various Google responsive display ads sizes are tested and optimized by Google themselves, leaving you with more time to optimize your ads for better ad performance on your end. However, that’s not to say that the knowledge of different ad sizes does not matter, even in this context.
Before we move on to the exact ad sizes, it’s also important to mention other specifications for mobile ads that are generally similar to most of the advertisements. The file format recommendation consists of the three standard formats – PNG, JPG, and GIF. Additionally, the file size limit for these ads is 150 KB.
Most common Google display ad sizes for desktop
There are many different display ad sizes Google can offer you when it comes to desktop-oriented advertising with Google Ads. It is worth mentioning that, since the entire market of online ads has already evolved several times in recent years, the effectiveness of these ads varies greatly depending on a lot of factors, from placement to the image itself.
Some of the ads can only do their best at the very top of the web page, and others can be placed as low as the very bottom of the page, acting as a page break of sorts.
- 728×90 px – “Leaderboard”
- 120×600 px – “Skyscraper”
- 336×280 px – “Large rectangle”
- 468×60 px – “Banner”
- 300×600 px – “Half page”
- 160×600 px – “Wide skyscraper”
- 300×250 px – “Medium rectangle”
- 250×250 px – “Square”
- 200×200 px – “Small square”
- 234×60 px – “Half banner”
- 120×240 px – “Vertical banner”
- 970×250 px – “Billboard”
- 180×250 px – “Small rectangle”
- 125×125 px – “Button”
- 300×1050 px – “Portrait”
- 970×90 px – “Large leaderboard”
Unfortunately, not all of these ad sizes are as effective as the others, as we’ve mentioned before. For example, some of the smaller Google ads banner sizes (180 x 150, 125 x 125, 120 x 240, 234 x 60) have both a limited supply of display ads and its small size in general. Small size in particular just does not look good inside of a bigger modern monitor.
Other ads also have their own problems (468 x 60, 120 x 600, 250 x 250, 200 x 200), which are mostly tied to their less than optimal performance due to a limited supply of such ads. The same problem is also prevalent for some individuals with larger Google ads image size (970 x 250, 300 x 1050, 970 x 90) – the limited supply is a reason for their poor performance, despite the higher than average demand from advertisers.
It’s also important to know about one sub-category of desktop ads that consists entirely of region-specific display ad types. Several examples of such ad types are presented below:
- 250 x 360 pixels – “Triple widescreen”, one of the most popular Google banner sizes in Sweden.
- 750 x 300 pixels – “Triple billboard”, third in the list of most popular Google remarketing ad sizes in Poland.
- 240 x 400 pixels – “Vertical rectangle”, one of the most popular Google ad sizes in Russia.
- 750 x 100 pixels – “Billboard”, high-performing ad size in Poland.
- 980 x 120 pixels – “Panorama”, a popular ad size that is often used in Finland and Sweden (sometimes in Norway, too).
- 750 x 200 pixels – “Double billboard”, the single most popular ad size in Poland.
- 580 x 400 pixels – “Netboard”, Norway-specific ad size with the focus on being embedded within the text.
- 930 x 180 pixels – “Top banner”, acts at its best when positioned above the entirety of the page’s content, one of the most popular ad types in Denmark.
Standard Google ad sizes for mobile devices
Another, smaller category of display ads exists to operate mostly within mobile devices. In this category, there are two sub-categories of mobile ad types – the ones that are mobile-specific, and the ones that work with both desktop and mobile devices.
There are only two mobile-specific ads that are worth mentioning in the Google Display Network:
- 320 x 50 pixels – “Mobile leaderboard”, a mobile-optimized banner that works at its finest on the smartphone screens, even at the bottom of the page’s contents.
- 320 x 100 pixels – “Large mobile banner” is a slightly bigger alternative to the 320 x 50 pixels type of Google ads display ad sizes, offering more height, and thus more advertisement space.
Additionally, there are also three more ads in the list of Google Display Network ad sizes that can operate well on both mobile devices and desktops:
- 300 x 250 pixels – “Medium rectangle”, which works both as a page break and at the end of the page’s contents, has generally high performance when compared to others.
- 250 x 250 pixels – “Square”, a mediocre-performing ad type that can fit into smaller spaces than most of the other device-specific banners.
- 200 x 200 pixels – “Small square”, a direct copy of its bigger counterpart, this ad offers a bit less space than 250 x 250 display ad, and also has a limited supply of advertisements.
Most popular Google display ad sizes
Now that we’re done with going over the majority of the existing Google image ads sizes, it’s also possible to segregate the ones that have the highest performance ratings out of all of them. That way, we’ll have a list of the best Google display ad sizes, including:
- 728 x 90 pixels – “Leaderboard”
One of the most popular Google display banner sizes for desktop. A slightly larger successor of an older 468 x 60 ad size, usually located at the very top of the page, useful for displaying logos and brand names alongside the regular text.
- 300 x 250 pixels – “Medium rectangle”
A popular ad size, the only one on the list that fits for both desktop and mobile advertising. Has a large supply of advertisement inventory on Google’s advertisement network (also known as Google Display Network).
- 300 x 600 pixels – “Half page”
Has the fastest-growing impression counter, one of the largest types in the list of top Google display ad sizes, incredibly hard to miss when placed alongside the page’s main content.
- 336 x 280 pixels – “Large rectangle”
A slightly larger counterpart of a medium rectangle, this example of Google display ads image sizes is at its peak performance when placed at the end of the page, after the page’s contents.
- 320 x 100 pixels – “Large mobile banner”
The highest performing mobile-exclusive ad size, offering twice the size of its 320 x 50 counterpart, and thus more advertisement space.
Conclusion
Google offers many different ad sizes for its advertisement network, and it’s important to understand the difference between ad sizes and their positioning to be able to pick the most suitable ad size for yourself.
However, it’s also important to remember that ad size and placement are not everything, and the advertisement’s message, composition, and style are just as important as everything above.
