Display Ad Sizes: 7 Best Practices for Creating the Best Display Ads

If you’ve started running a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign, you may be considering running a display ad. As you look into these ads, you will see that there are many display ad sizes available to your business. So, how do you know which size is the best for your business?

In this post, we’ll discuss different display ad sizes and seven best practices for using Google display ads. Let’s get started!

What are my options for display ad sizes?

There are numerous styles of display ads you can use for your campaign. Here are some options for your business:

*Mobile leaderboard is only available on smartphones, not tablets or desktop devices These are some of the display ads sizes that are available to your business.

You can use any of these formats to run your display ads. So, which formats are best for your business? Most companies use the following display ad sizes:

• Medium Rectangle
• Large Rectangle
• Leaderboard
• Half Page

These are the most common display ad sizes that companies use for their campaigns. They drive the best results for businesses, so many companies use them to get a good return on investment.

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7 best practices for using display ads

Want to create display ads that engage your audience and boost your return on ad spend (ROAS)? We’ve got you covered with this list of best practices!

Once you choose your display ad size, there are specific regulations you’ll need to follow.

The display ad size you choose will influence some of these best practices.

1. Watch your file size

It’s crucial that you keep your ad file size small. According to Google’s regulations, your file size should be 150KB or less. If your ad is any bigger than 150KB, Google won’t approve it.

Google doesn’t want to have a file that’s too big because it will take too long to load. The focus is on delivering content quickly to your audience, so a large file size prevents people from accessing content fast. This is something to keep in mind when you use bigger display ad sizes.

When your ads take up more room, it’s easier for the file size to get bigger. As you look at different display ad sizes, ensure that you’re keeping track of your file size.

2. Check your color choices

An essential part of Google display ads is your color choice. You want your ad to stand out on the page, but you don’t want it to be overly stimulating. When you choose your ad colors, it’s crucial that you select colors that align with your brand.

You don’t want your audience to see certain colors in your ad, only to get directed to your site with a completely different color scheme. Stay consistent with your branding to help reinforce your brand image. Google has two requirements with its display ads.

The first requirement is that you must have a border on your ad if you use a white background. The border defines the ad’s space to ensure the user knows what is, and isn’t, part of the ad. The second requirement is that the ad background is different than the website.

So, if your ad is appearing on a site with a black background, your ad should not have a black background.

3. Check text restriction rules

When you’re creating a Google display ad, it’s important to note if there are text restrictions. For some ads, you can only fill a small percentage of space on your ad with text. In some cases, you are only allowed to fill 20 percent or less with text.

This is something to keep in mind with different display ad sizes. With bigger display ads, you’ll have more room to use text because you have bigger ad space. A smaller ad will allow for less text space for your ad.

When you choose your display ad size in Google Ads, it’s important to note how the size will affect the amount of text you can put on your page.

4. Have a clear call to action (CTA)

Your call to action (CTA) is one of the most critical parts of your Google display ad. If you’re trying to attract people to your business, guide them on how to proceed next. Tell them exactly where they are going or what will happen if they click on your ad.

When you create a CTA button, it should take up a sizeable part of your ad. You want to ensure that your audience sees it, but you don’t want it to take over your entire ad. It should stand out on your ad, too.

You want to ensure that your audience doesn’t miss it when they see your display ad on the page. It’s important to keep the Google display ad sizes into account, too. If you’re running a smaller ad, you don’t want to have an enormous CTA button that takes up the majority of your ad.

You must scale your CTA button to fit the display ad size.

5. Choose the right images

When you’re creating a Google display ad, it’s essential to choose the right images for your ad. You want to provide your audience with a compelling image that gets them to engage with your ad. You want to choose imagery that will connect with your visitors and provoke the emotions you are trying to convey.

Align your imagery with the message of your campaign. It’s your opportunity to engage your audience and compel them to click on your ad. Generally, the image should align with your campaign.

You want to showcase your product or service in your imagery. Your Google display ad size will affect the type of imagery you use in your ad. That’s because you want to ensure that you have images that scale well with your ad.

For instance, a leaderboard-sized display ad will need an image that’s more horizontal, while a skyscraper-sized display ad requires a more vertical image.

6. Make sure to add your logo

It may seem like common sense, but many businesses forget to add their logo to their ad. Google requires that you add your logo to your display ad. If you don’t, they won’t approve your display ad.

Adding your logo is better for branding, too. More people will be familiar with your business and get to know your brand better. When you choose your Google display ad size, scale your logo to fit on the image to avoid letting your logo take over the entirety of your ad.

7. Test your ads

With any advertising campaign, test your ad to verify that you’re putting out the best version of it. This ensures that you spend your money running an advertisement that will drive results. You can conduct A/B testing to ensure that you’re putting out the best version of your ad.

You can test different elements of your ad to see how it will perform on the display network.

Start choosing the right display ads size for your campaign

When you see the available options for your Google display ads sizes, you will see that you have many options to choose for sizing. This gives you many opportunities to create an impactful Google display ad for your business. If you want to learn more about creating impactful display ads, contact us online to see how we can help.