Display banner formats

In our blog post "Display Marketing – An Overview", we have already compiled a range of interesting information, which we would like to expand upon in today's article. For the successful implementation of your performance marketing, we not only introduce display banner formats but also delve into the specifics of each display banner, highlight the most common banners, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Explore with us the Leaderboard, Billboard, Skyscraper, Content Ad/Medium Rectangle, Mobile Banner, and more.

What display banner formats are available and what are their special features?

Display ads offer a great way to connect with potential customers and draw their attention to products and services with concise advertising messages.

Banner advertising offers a wide variety of formats that can be tailored to specific platforms and individual target groups.

An interesting feature in this context is that, in addition to formats for desktop computers and notebooks such as Medium Rectangle, Content Ad (in 300×250 format), Half Page, Wide, Skyscraper, Leaderboard, Billboard, and Square formats, as well as banner formats for smartphones and tablets, especially mobile banners in the form of mobile content ads in sizes such as 320×50, are enjoying growing popularity.

What are the most common banner formats and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

The most popular banner formats, for example in Google's Display Network, include the following display banners: Medium Rectangle / Content Ad, Leadboard, Skyscraper, Mobile Banner, and Interstitial Banner. We will briefly introduce the formats and discuss their advantages and disadvantages.

Content ad – medium rectangle

The medium rectangle (300×250) is one of the most widely used display banners. They score highly with their excellent visibility and reach, for example in the top corner or well placed in an article, thus attracting the attention of potential customers. If there are any disadvantages to this advertising format, they are most likely due to the fact that other advertisers also use it, resulting in greater competition for the best advertising spaces.

Leaderboard

The leaderboard (728×90) is suitable for display in main content, forums, and blogs and is displayed immediately when the website loads, ensuring that it is seen by many users. The disadvantage is that classic leaderboards in fixed sizes are unsuitable for mobile solutions. Mobile leaderboards (320×50) are recommended here and are increasingly in demand.

Skyscraper and Wide Skyscraper

Skyscrapers (120×600) and wide skyscrapers (160×600) are tall and narrow. They guarantee a particularly effective way of addressing users on the right or left side of the content. In the mobile area, they can have a negative effect because they slide down and may require lengthy scrolling.

Mobile banner

Advertisements in sizes 320×50 or 300×50 pixels, which are integrated at the beginning or end of the page, are particularly popular for display on mobile devices. They are ideal for use on smartphones and ensure a pleasant user experience. However, due to their diverse use, users sometimes become blind to these ads. For this reason, image content and text should be designed with longevity in mind and tailored to the target audience. 

Interstitial banner

Interstitials (320×480, 300×400, and 300×250) are large areas that can have an enormous impact on mobile devices. A disadvantage here can be that the user feels too overwhelmed by the display. This disadvantage can be circumvented in combination with standard mobile banners to create so-called expandable banners. This is because an enlarged advertisement only opens when the mobile banner is clicked.

Which banner formats are suitable for your display campaign?

The choice of banner formats plays a crucial role in the overall success of the display campaign. Only when you showcase memorable content and images in the right size will display ads in selected networks achieve the desired reach.

Our online marketing agency supports you from analysis and strategy to the development of specific campaigns and banner production. We are happy to advise you on the topic of banner formats.