Size matters when you are doing display ad campaigns. In this guide, we will dive deeper into the dimensions of banner ads. There are so many banner sizes you can design, but which ones are really making the difference? The most recent version is in our Ultimate Guide for Banner Ad Sizes and Dimensions.
Banner sizes are common. How come?
With billions and billions of ad impressions per day, luckily banner sizes are common. The IAB plays a crucial role in defining those banner dimensions. As every publisher has the freedom to use his own dimensions, it will be good for revenues to implement the common banner sizes, as more advertisers can advertise on their ad positions. On the other hand, advertisers will create the common banner sizes as that will match the most ad positions. So it is in the interest of both advertisers and publishers to use those common banner sizes.
Most popular banner sizes
We have done research on banner sizes before. We did this research back in both 2017 and 2019. Today, we have analyzed over 500 billion ad impressions worldwide to list the most popular banner ad dimensions for you.
| Banner size | Name | Frequency | Diff. 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 300×250 | Medium rectangle | 35% | -3,4% |
| #2 | 320×50 | Mobile banner | 30,2% | +3,5% |
| #3 | 728×90 | Leaderboard | 12,6% | +0,5% |
| #4 | 300×600 | Half page | 4,0% | -0,4% |
| #5 | 160×600 | Wide skyscraper | 3,3% | -0,7% |
| #6 | 300×50 | Mobile banner | 2,2% | +1,3% |
| #7 | 320×100 | Large mobile banner | 1,6% | +0,8% |
| #8 | 336×280 | Large rectangle | 1,7% | +1,1% |
| #9 | 970×250 | Billboard | 1,3% | -0,1% |
| Other formats all less than 1% each | ||||
1. 300×250 – Medium rectangle
The medium rectangle is the most used banner size for years. This dimension works very well on both desktop and mobile, which is one of the main reasons for his popularity. Besides that, this ad performs very well as the ad is usually embedded within the content of the publisher.
2. 320×50 – Mobile banner
Not surprisingly that the mobile banners are gaining share. The 320×50 is the most popular mobile format, although the 300×250 is frequently used on mobile as well. This mobile banner is an underestimated format, and the frequency shows it can’t be taken out of any ad set nowadays.
3. 728×90 – Leaderboard
This type of banner ad is called Leaderboard because it’s usually displayed at the top of a web page. The 728×90 banner is, because of the size, primarily served on desktop and not on mobile devices. The 300×250 and 320×50 banners take together about 2/3 of all ad impressions worldwide. The leaderboard is following with 12,5%.
4. 300×600 – Half page
Despite the name, this banner ad is not taking half the page. This dimension, also known as the large skyscraper, is a great format to send out your message. Because of the size it leans a lot on great visuals. If done well, it can bring in good results.
5. 160×600 – Wide skyscraper
The wide skyscraper is a slightly more modest size than the half page. Usually the designer can use similar visuals for the 300×600 as for the 160×600. The wide skyscraper shows up frequently in the sidebars of (news) sites.
Trends in banner sizes
What are the developments in display ad sizes and formats? In general, the banner sizes simply follow the user. It’s not surprising, as mobile usage is still increasing, that mobile usage is the driving force behind the following 2 trends:
- Existing mobile formats get popular – Formats like the 320×50, 300×50, and 300×100 will become more popular. But don’t forget the value of the 300×250 banner for your mobile coverage.
- From ‘Fixed size banner ads’ to ‘Flexible size banner ads – All banner sizes in this document have a fixed size. Like a 300×250 banner ad will always be shown and seen as 300×250. The industry is now implementing the so-called ‘Flexible size banner ads’. Those banner ads reflect a size ratio, instead of a fixed size. For example: instead of the fixed 300×250 banner, you could replace this with a 1:1 aspect ratio. That medium tile has a minimum size of 300×300 and a maximum size of 450×450. Those flexible sizes will make it easier for publishers to implement the right ad within the content on every screen and device.
Note: flexible size banner ads can be previewed on Adpiler with our responsive banner ads.
Jorrit
Founder Adpiler
