8 Common Banner Ad Sizes and Their Importance

Banner ads are typically among the best performing ad placements due to their greater visibility.

Most publishers are aware of the importance of banner placement for efficient monetization. However, other factors such as the size of a banner ad, its underlying message, and its design can all influence clicks and conversion rates.

This means that a good understanding of the most common banner ad sizes is important for publishers to optimize their ad revenue.

In this article, we discuss banner advertising, the most popular banner ad sizes, and how to create effective online banner ads.

What Are Banner Ads?

Banner ads are ads that appear on web pages in different sizes and forms with embedded links to advertiser sites. When visitors click on the ads, they are redirected to the advertiser's page.

They are also referred to as square ads, leaderboard ads, skyscraper ads, or mobile leaderboard ads, depending on their size and the device they're displayed on.

Publishers typically use the most visited areas on their websites to display banner ads, usually on the front, bottom, or side of a page. Advertisers buy this ad space either through ad networks or direct negotiation.

Why Are Banner Ad Sizes Important?

Ad size not only affects the ad's visibility on the page but also plays a crucial role in conveying the correct message to the target customer.

For example, a 160 x 600 pixel ad size might not be ideal for campaigns with long messages, because it is too small, and it may not be able to display all the images and texts in the message clearly enough.

Although the best ad networks provide a wide range of different ad sizes, there are only a few banner ad sizes that most advertisers prefer, since these are the ones that bring in the most revenue.

How Does Banner Advertising Work?

Banner ads inform visitors about brands, products, or services while enticing them to take further steps in the buying process by clicking on a call to action

Banner ads are not only effective in gathering leads, but they are also practical in terms of retargeting users, as most visitors will not convert on the first visit.

With banner ads, publishers can monetize their websites while advertisers can make people aware of their products and services and increase sales. Here’s a quick overview of how banner advertising works for publishers and advertisers.

How Banner Advertising Works for Publishers

Publishers can sell space on their web pages for business promotions by connecting with display ad networks. Here's an overview of the process:

Sign up with a display network.
The display network provides publishers with a script to add to your website.
The script displays banner ads without publishers having to worry about manual processes.
Publishers are paid for each click the ads on your website attract.

How Banner Ads Work for Advertisers

Advertisers looking to increase brand visibility or boost the sales of products or services can advertise on niche-specific publisher sites or those with high traffic volume.

Either way, the goal here is to drive traffic towards the publisher site using banner ads. Here's an overview of that process:

Sign up with a display ad network.
Choose the type of website where advertisers want to place their ads.
The ads will be automatically placed on the advertisers’ preferred websites.
Advertisers pay the publisher on a per-click or per-impression basis.

Which Are the Most Common Banner Ad Sizes in 2024?

The size of a banner ad may vary depending on the purpose of an ad campaign, publishing platforms and the type of user device. For instance, advertisers may want to use different banner ad sizes for mobile and desktop versions of web pages.

Here are the most common banner ad sizes for 2024:

1. 468 x 60—Banner

The 468 x 60 ad unit is the original top-of-the-page banner ad and is one of the most common ad sizes in use over the past couple of decades. In fact, so popular was this size that it is simply referred to as the banner.

However, today this size has lost much of its popularity, primarily because it is considered too small for modern screens that are much larger than screens a decade or two ago.

2. 728 x 90—Leaderboard Banner

Leaderboard banners, also called horizontal banners, are the ad size that have largely replaced 468 x 60 banners.

They are considered among the top five best performing ad sizes by Google. Since they are large and highly noticeable, leaderboard banners are usually the first content users see when they visit a page.

3. 300 x 250—Medium Rectangle

The 300 x 250, also known as Medium Rectangle banner ad, is one of the most popular ad sizes for mobile banner ads. This banner usually appears either at the bottom of the screen or is embedded within the content. For this reason, it is also referred to as the Mid-Page Unit or MPU ads.

Google AdSense considers it among the top five best performing mobile banner ad sizes.

This size works well on both mobile and desktop, serving both mobile and desktop banner ads.

On mobile web pages, a medium rectangle banner ad acts as a page break when users scroll down a long piece of content. It can also be a great below-the-fold placement of mobile ads for mobile devices.

They also work great for many ad formats, including text ads, image ads, or video ads.

Because of its size and adaptability to each ad format, the ads displayed on a medium rectangle size are often considered invasive to native content. However, well-designed and placed medium rectangle banner ads can complement the web page and benefit both the advertiser and the publisher.

In light of the reasons stated above, the Google Display Network (GDN) has specific guidelines for medium rectangle ad units and marketers should follow them closely.

4. 336 x 280—Large Rectangle

The 336 x 280 banner, also known as the large rectangle banner, is the big brother of the medium rectangle, offering greater visibility. It is one of the most popular ad units on Google AdSense.

However, other ad networks do not offer this size for their display ad campaigns. For this reason, it was delisted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in 2011. On AdSense, however, it continues to command high eCPMs.

5. 120 x 600—Skyscraper

Skyscrapers are slim, vertical banner ads that cover a considerable part of a web page along its margins. Audiences experience them progressively while scrolling the content.

The 120 x 600 skyscraper banner is usually the slimmer and smaller format of the skyscraper variant and is usually placed on either sidebar of the publisher's page.

6. 160 x 600—Wide Skyscraper

The wide skyscraper banner is wider than the regular skyscraper. Its ideal placement, however, is the same as the regular version, which is to say, along the sides of pages. Due to its size which almost covers a full page vertically, users can notice it easily.

Over time, it has overtaken the regular skyscraper in popularity due to its greater visibility.

Also often referred to as a standing banner, a wide skyscraper ad handles interactive content beautifully. It not only captures the user's attention but also complements content-rich sites with its visual lightness.

Publishers, such as BBC and BuzzFeed, use wide skyscraper banner ads on their homepage and some other pages.

7. 300 x 600—Large Skyscraper

The large skyscraper is one of the fastest growing ad placements. Since it covers 180,000 pixels, it is also known as a half page. Given its large size, it can more easily grab user attention, making it very popular among advertisers and publishers alike.

8. 320 x 50—Mobile Leaderboard

320 x 50 Mobile Leaderboard is a common size for mobile campaigns.

This banner usually appears at the bottom of the screen on a mobile web browser. However, it can be placed on top of the screen or within the content as required. It is among the best performing mobile banners.

For a detailed list of the best performing banners for mobiles, have a look at our detailed guide to mobile banner ad types.

Best Practices for Banner Design for Publishers

An online ad banner is a complex unit made up of at least a dozen different elements. While designing a banner, publishers have to carefully consider the inclusion of the following factors:

Text content (Headline, subheadings, CTA, disclaimers)
Visuals (background images, product images, icons, animation)
Branding (logos, fonts, colors)
Link, tags, tracking pixels, and other interactive elements

Good banner design is all about combining these diverse elements seamlessly for a specific purpose. This could be to attract or engage users, communicate specific messages, or generate leads and conversions.

Listed below are some of the banner design best practices for publishers:

1. Keep Things Simple

Ad banners don’t generally have a lot of screen real estate to spare. Adequate spacing between the various elements is essential if you want your audience to notice the core message. Try to keep the total number of visual elements to a minimum to avoid overcrowding.

Avoid using highly stylized fonts unless the branding calls for it. For best results, pick a maximum of one or two readable fonts. A clutter-free and intuitive layout with eye-catching colors can help ensure maximum visibility and legibility for your ad banners.

2. Maintain Visual Hierarchy

There is a logical hierarchy among the various visual elements that appear on a banner. The headline, CTAs, brand name and logo, and product images are usually the most important elements.

Try to ensure that these elements are all given priority in your banner layout, as good visual hierarchy can improve ad performance.

Prominently positioned elements are easy to notice and can help your audience understand your core message quickly.

3. Prioritize Image Quality

Most displays these days, be it PC or mobile, have Full HD (1080p) resolution as the standard. High-quality images make banner ads look more professional, which is vital for gaining audience trust and engagement.

Along with image resolution, aspect ratio and size are also important factors.

You want images that fit snugly within the banner layout without any compromise on overall clarity or resolution. Quality images that are relevant to your ad messaging can help boost engagement rates.

4. Optimize Loading Times

While high-resolution images look great, they can also increase loading times and affect the user experience on a site. Heavy scripts deployed for tracking, animations, integrations, and security can also impact banner load times.

Image compression can help publishers achieve a balance between visual quality and loading speeds. As for heavy scripts, publishers may have to make some compromises to reduce page load times. On the plus side, faster-loading ads can lower bounce rates and improve site performance.

5. Make Adaptable Designs

The modern user can visit a website or blog from a wide array of platforms and device configurations such as desktop PCs, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets. For maximum visibility, ad banners have to look good on as many screen sizes, orientations, and resolutions as possible.

Mobile responsiveness is particularly vital since most users now access the internet from their mobile phones. In the US alone, around 187 million Americans will use their mobile browsers or apps to make at least one purchase in 2024.

Flexible banner designs that can adapt to the different types of user devices can expand the reach of your ads and increase potential revenues.

Final Thoughts

Display advertising is still one of the most effective and efficient ways to connect brands to online audiences. Whether you're a publisher looking to monetize your website or an advertiser planning to market your brand, display advertising is a compelling option.

However, there has been a huge shift in the behavior of online users in the past few years. Although banner ads are very much alive, online users are segmented across different devices. Additionally, newer forms of ads, such as video ads and animated banners are considered more effective than traditional static banner ads.

If you want to successfully use banner ads to extend your online reach across all devices, we suggest a careful review of all the sizes mentioned above and carefully consider how they can fit within your marketing strategy.

Publift helps digital publishers get the most out of the ads on their websites. We have been helping our clients realize an average 55% uplift in revenue since 2015, through the use of cutting-edge programmatic advertising technology paired with impartial and ethical guidance.

If you're making more than $2,000 in monthly ad revenue, contact us today to learn more about how Publift can help increase your ad revenue and best optimize the ad space available on your website or app.

Banner Ads FAQ

Which Is the Most Popular Web Banner Ad Size?

The 300 x 250 banner ad, also known as the Medium Rectangle, MRec, Mid Page Unit, and MPU, is widely considered to be the most popular banner ad size. Other popular ad sizes are 468 x 60, which was popularized during the age of low-resolution browsing, and 320 x 50, a popular choice for mobile devices.

What Are the Standard Banner Ad Sizes?

Common banner ad sizes include 468 x 60 (banner), 728 x 90 (leaderboard banner), and 120 x 600 (skyscraper). The standard banner ad for mobile is 320 x 50 (mobile leaderboard).

Is 160 x 600 a Mobile Ad Size?

A 160 x 600 ad is not recommended on mobile devices because of their limited width. Consider the 320 x 50, also known as the mobile leaderboard ad size, as it's among the top-performing mobile banner ads.