Looking for YouTube Ad Specs 2021? Your List of YouTube Ad Formats
On this page, we’ll talk about all the YouTube ad formats and YouTube video ad specs for 2021 — including YouTube bumper ad specs, YouTube skippable ad specs, and so much more.
If you’re looking for someone to help you create the best YouTube ads while following YouTube ad spec best practices, WebFX is here for you! Feel free to give us a call at 888-601-5359 to talk more about your customized campaign!
6 YouTube ad formats to consider
Before we dive into YouTube video ad specs, it’s important to understand the different YouTube ad formats out there. Each YouTube ad format has unique benefits to different businesses, so let’s talk about them all!
1. Display ads
Display ads on YouTube are only available for desktop advertising. You can use images or animations in display ads, and they appear to the right of a video.
Use display ads if:
- You want to boost brand awareness
- You advertise to an audience that uses primarily desktops
- You don’t need sound to adequately advertise your product (you can use sound, but it’ll only pay when a user clicks.)
2. Overlay ads
YouTube overlay ads are the ones that show up in the bottom 20% of your video. They appear like a banner, and you can use videos or images and text to advertise your product.
Use overlay ads if:
- You want to boost brand awareness
You can also choose to launch a companion display ad with your overlay ad.
3. Skippable video ads
YouTube video ads, whether they’re skippable or non-skippable, are like a commercial, and they appear at the beginning, end, or in the middle of a video.
Skippable video ads are just what they sound like — commercials that users can skip if they choose after watching five seconds.
Use skippable video ads if:
- You want to boost brand awareness
- You want to show off your product or service with a video
4. Non-skippable video ads
Non-skippable video ads are the same format as skippable ones — they appear as a commercial at some point in a video.
The difference? Users have to watch the entire thing before continuing to watch their selected video.
Use non-skippable video ads if:
- You want to boost brand awareness
- You want to show off your product or service with a video
Keep in mind that non-skippable ads could cause users to become frustrated and abandon the video altogether.
5. Bumper ads
Bumper ads are short video ads that play before, during, or after a video. These ads are meant to be short and sweet and are six seconds or less.
Use bumper ads if:
- You want to boost brand awareness
6. Sponsored cards
Sponsored cards are ads that appear over top of a video while it’s playing. They appear to the right side of a video, and you can use them to advertise products or services that you talk about in your video.
Use sponsored cards if:
- You talk about numerous products in your video
- Your main goal of the video is to sell products
- You want to make it easy for users to purchase products you talk about
2021 YouTube ad specs for every format
Now that you understand the different YouTube ad formats, it’s time to get to the meat and potatoes — YouTube ad specs.
YouTube display ad specs
| Ad dimensions: | 300 pixels x 250 pixels or 300 pixels x 60 pixels |
| Formats: | GIF, JPG, PNG, HTML5 |
| Max animation time: | 30 seconds |
| Max file size: | 150KB |
| Audio: | Sound enabled, but will only play when clicked |
| Platform it appears: | Desktop |
YouTube overlay ad specs
| Ad dimensions: | 480 pixels x 60 pixels or 728 pixels x 90 pixels |
| Formats: | Static GIF, PNG, JPG |
| Max animation time: | 10 seconds |
| Max file size: | 150KB |
| Audio: | No sound |
| Platform it appears: | Desktop |
*For optional companion display ad, follow display ad specs above
YouTube skippable video ad specs
| Ad dimensions: | Size of the YouTube player |
| Formats: | Video URL |
| Max animation time: | 15-20 seconds depending on regional standards |
| Max file size: | 150KB |
| Audio: | Yes |
| Platform it appears: | Desktop, mobile, TV, game consoles |
YouTube non-skippable video ad specs
| Ad dimensions: | Plays in video player |
| Formats: | Video URL |
| Max animation time: | 15-20 seconds depending on regional standards |
| Audio: | Yes |
| Platform it appears: | Desktop and mobile |
YouTube bumper ad specs
| Ad resolution: | 640 pixels x 360 pixels, or 480 pixels by 360 pixels |
| Formats: | AVI, ASF, MP4, MPEG, Quicktime, Windows Media |
| Max animation time: | Up to 6 seconds |
| Max file size: | 1GB |
| Audio: | Yes, MP3 or AAC |
| Platform it appears: | Desktop and mobile |
YouTube sponsored card ad specs
| Aspect ratio: | 1:1 |
| Formats: | JPG, GIF, PNG |
| Max file size: | 5MB |
| Max file size: | 1GB |
| Audio: | No |
| Platform it appears: | Desktop and mobile |
Why is it important to follow YouTube video ad specs?
Now that we’ve provided you with the specs for each YouTube ad format, you might be wondering why it’s important to follow them in the first place.
When you fail to follow YouTube ad specs, you could render your ads ineffective — making your YouTube ad campaign a waste of your marketing budget.
Here are a few issues that could occur if you don’t follow YouTube ad specs properly:
- Your text could be cut off
- Your images could appear grainy or blurry
- Your visuals could become skewed
- Your video ads might not play properly
- Your video could be cut off
- Your audience won’t see the best version of your advertisement
- You might turn users off to your products and services, or business as a whole
Overall, an unprofessional ad that isn’t aesthetically pleasing can cause users to lose trust in your business. Lost trust means fewer sales, so it’s important to create that trust in as many ways as possible — and one of them is to create beautiful ads by following YouTube ad specs for each format.
Work with WebFX for incredible, effective ads that follow YouTube ad specs
If you would rather hand off your YouTube advertising campaign to the experts, WebFX can help. We’re a full-service digital marketing agency that specializes in pay-per-click ads, including YouTube advertising.
We can help you craft the perfect ad — no matter what YouTube ad format you choose.
We’ll start by talking to you about your YouTube advertising goals, your current campaign (if any), and your competitors. Our team will talk to you about your budget, your style, and what makes your company unique.
With the most important information in hand, we’ll head to the drawing board to help you design and launch the most effective YouTube ads.
Not sure where to start? Based on the info you provide to us, we can make recommendations for what we think would be the best YouTube ad formats, ad budget, and more.
If you’re ready to launch ads that follow YouTube video ad specs, WebFX can’t wait to help!
For a free quote, contact us online, or if you’d like to speak directly with a specialist, feel free to call us at 888-601-5359!
