Web ads or banner advertisements have become ubiquitous in this digital age and it would be a wasted opportunity for marketers not to make the most of it. An advantage of online ads is how easy its effectiveness can be measured through click-through rate.
Types and sizes of web banners have been standardized by the Interactive Advertising Bureau or IAB in their ad size guidelines which makes it much easier for online marketers to create and submit content for a variety of web pages.
What are the common types of web ads?
Leaderboard
The leaderboard is most commonly positioned above the main content of a page and its size is 728 x 90 pixels. This size is a favorite among advertisers, and is believed to be one of the top-performing ad sizes. It is usually placed right at the top of the page, so that it immediately captures a user’s attention. It is also sometimes called Super Banner.
Large rectangle
Its size is 336 x 280 pixels and works well when placed in between paragraphs or at the end of a body of text.
Medium rectangle (MREC)
This is also known as a square ad. With dimensions of 300 x 250 pixels, this size is smaller than the leaderboard, and has proven to be high-performing. An MREC usually appears near the top of a webpage, and works best when placed before the fold.
Wide skyscraper
This web ad is sized at 160 x 600 pixels. Like the building with the same name, this ad unit tends to stay within a user’s line of sight, even when scrolling through a webpage and can therefore hold attention for a longer time.
Skyscraper
This size is for more narrow spaces that can’t fit the wide skyscraper and its dimensions are 120x90.
Button 1 and Button 2
These sizes are most commonly used for branding and co-sharing purposes. Their small size make them an excellent way to share images as part of a branding exercise or as a method of thanking other brands. Button 1 is 120 x 90 pixels while Button 2 is 120 x 60 pixels.
Microbar
At 88 x 31 pixels, this small sized ad unit is useful for its set purpose as a bar to transition to a different page. However, it lacks the extensive use and discussion warranted by larger sizes.
