No business, regardless of size, can survive without some form of promotion and marketing. After all, if people aren't aware of the business or of its products and services, how are they going to purchase from them? Every business engages in some form of self-promotion, and advertising is one of the primary ways to do it.
Advertising Then Vs. Now
Until a couple of decades ago, advertisements were mostly restricted to traditional platforms like newspapers and magazines. Real estate businesses would advertise in property magazines, while salons would advertise in fashion and beauty magazines, and home furnishings and decor companies advertised in home and garden magazines. For general purposes, such as a job opening, classified ads were the go-to place.
Today, with the rise of the internet and online advertising, platforms that businesses prefer to utilize have changed significantly. Instead of targeting magazine and newspaper audiences, the digital media is targeted. For instance, a smartphone or laptop is advertised on a social media website for younger customers, while home decor products are advertised on websites or blogs that teach people how to accomplish the right decor on a budget.
With so many choices available today, advertising can be quite complex. Not every form of advertising is right for all types of products and services. It’s important to choose the right type of ads for your needs. Here are a few of the most popular types.
Google AdWords
Google AdWords is the most popular name in digital advertising today. From Pay-Per-Click advertising to display and banner ads, the ways of promoting your products and services are various.
For example, standard PPC ads are the ads you see in the search results which don’t have images, but instead use a line or two of text with a link to the website or specific landing page.
Display ads, on the other hand, can be more elaborate, with pictures and calls to action. Display ads are usually more attractive and enticing. They are used when businesses want to stand out from the crowd and make themselves more visible. If you want to spend any money on display advertising, you must be aware of the banner sizes that are most effective in generating clicks and sales. To be able to design the right banner ad, it is important to know the available ad inventory.
Banner Sizes
For best results, you must choose the advertisement banner sizes that are right for your website. If you pick the wrong banner sizes, your ad campaigns will have a limited reach. There are a number of banner sizes for display advertising. You can choose any size that you want, but not all of them have the same results. When it comes to
Google AdWords, there are three top banner sizes:
- Medium Rectangle: 300×250
- Leaderboard: 728×90
- Wide Skyscraper: 160×600
These three sizes comprise almost 80 percent of all ad impressions. When an ad is published (not clicked) it is called an impression. Among all the advertisements that are published online, medium rectangle, leaderboard, and wide skyscraper are the three main banner sizes. There are other sizes too, but not all of them have the same results.
Let's look at the different banner ad sizes in detail, beginning with the top three.
Medium Rectangle
Measuring 300 pixels by 250 pixels, the medium rectangle is the most popular ad size for Google AdWords. The size isn't just for display advertising. It is also well suited to text ads. The reason why this size is so popular is that it is very flexible.
It works on both desktop and mobile sites, and it's easy to fit the ad in the sidebar or in the content area without distracting users from the main content. All these features come together to give this size a larger ad inventory, resulting in better results. The format is ideal for placing inside the content area and is also known to have the best CTR.
Leaderboard
This is the second most popular ad size, measuring 728 pixels by 90 pixels and comprising the second highest number of impressions. The leaderboard is considered a traditional banner size, ideal for placement in website headers or somewhere at the top of a website.
The leaderboard can be both text and display ads, but the biggest drawback of this format is that it isn't supported by mobile sites. Leaderboard ads are ideal for desktop sites only. Since the placement of this format is at the top of a site, it gets more attention. The more attention an ad gets, the better it performs. Due to the bigger size and prominent placement, leaderboard ads are known to perform well.
Wide Skyscraper
This ad format measures 160 pixels by 600 pixels and is a vertical size best suited for narrow sidebars. Wide skyscraper ads can be for both display and text formats and is very popular among advertisers because of its versatility and ideal size. Where bigger advertisements can be distracting and intrusive, this format is less annoying and blends easily with the website content. But since it's smaller, it doesn't draw as much attention as wider half-page banner ads.
Additional banner sizes, though less popular than the top three, include:
Large Skyscraper
Measuring 300 x 600, the large skyscraper is also known as half-page because of its size. The shape is that of a wide vertical banner and is popular with advertisers who want more space for displaying their ads. Of late, this format is getting more attention from publishers because it gives more exposure, thanks to its size. More exposure means better-paying advertisements. A large skyscraper can be placed next to the content area or in the sidebar.
Portrait
This format measures 300 x 1050 and is a wide and long vertical banner. Because of its size, the portrait format is popular with advertisers who want more ad space. Ideally, portrait ads are placed in the sidebar or next to the content area, where it is more noticeable. However, because of its wide size it can disturb user experience.
Mobile Leaderboard
The mobile version of the leaderboard has been growing at a fast pace, thanks to the popularity of mobile sites. The size of the mobile leaderboard format is 320 x 50, which is half of the traditional mobile banner ad size. Although less distracting, the size is also a little less effective than the traditional format. However, it offers an excellent viewing experience on mobile devices and small screens. If placement is done right, this format has a sizeable inventory.
Billboard
The billboard format is often chosen because of brand exposure. Since it is a wide horizontal banner (970×250), it is placed either at the top or at the bottom of a page. It doesn't have a significant ad inventory but is chosen by advertisers because it offers more space.
Large Mobile Banner
Treated as an alternative to the medium rectangle, this is a format especially for mobile devices. A large mobile banner is placed on top of the page, ideally just below the website header. With mobile traffic increasing by the day, this format gets a large chunk of users and has a good ad inventory. Because of its optimum size, it is less distracting than other forms of banners.
Making Money from Digital Advertising
One question that those new to digital advertising wonder about is how to make money with Google AdSense. There is no perfect answer since every website and every business is different. That said, there are some factors that go into utilizing your website’s full potential to generate revenue.
Test different ad formats and placements:
You cannot expect to get success with the first and only ad size you try. You might opt for medium rectangle because it is known to be the most popular type, but there’s no guarantee it will work wonders for you. You need to try different ad formats to figure out which ones give you the best CTR. Leaderboard could turn out to be a better choice for you, while sidebar placements could give you better results than placing your ads at the top or bottom or within the main content area.
Display multiple ads:
With Google AdSense, you can display a number of advertisements on a single page. This allows you to try different formats and placements to figure out which ones work best for you. When you display multiple ads of various formats, one of them is sure to work.
Users come first:
The only reason for advertising is to promote the business and generate revenue. However, it shouldn’t be at the cost of user experience. Ads are often a source of distraction for website visitors. Several people also have ad-blockers installed on their devices. To make sure the ads don’t annoy users, they have to be placed at strategic locations on a page or blended in with the rest of the content.
Optimize website performance:
Your website should be fast enough and optimized for all devices for a more engaged audience. The more engaged the audience is, the higher the CTR for the ads. Online advertising services can help you get the most of your ads on Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.
Need Help?
Smile MEDIA works with businesses to choose the right advertising format and placement for all types of websites and social media sites. When you choose the right size and placement of ads on the right platform, revenue generation increases manifold. Contact us for assistance with creating engaged and lead generating ads today!
