When it comes to marketing, especially for smaller businesses, Google Ads are one of the most overlooked forms of getting the word out. When, in fact, this specific form of advertising can be a highly profitable option for many business owners, granting access to a broader audience and a higher volume of potential customers. If you know that Google Ads are essential, then you’re already on your way to promoting your business more effectively. But beyond being willing to invest in advertising, there’s more to know to achieve as much success for your money as possible.
Your choice of size for Google advertisements and banner advertisements can make more difference than you might think when it comes to promoting your business as effectively as possible. Choosing the wrong size can lead to you miss out on some great sales and even leave you with less presence than your competition. If you want to make a splash, you want to pick the right ad size from the start.
Want to know more about how to determine the type of banner ad sizes that are the perfect fit for your business marketing strategy? We’ve got all you need to know right here. Read on to discover more about Google advertising, and find out why size does matter when it comes to the promotions you take on:
Key essentials of an ad
Understanding the essentials for Google advertisement is the best place to start when it comes to making a success of that upcoming campaign. The first thing to note is that this form of advertising continues to be one of the most successful, achieving the most conversions in comparison to any other form of marketing if done correctly. With Google, adverts can be as specific as you want them to be; allowing you to promote your products or services directly to your target market without paying for uninterested parties to see your work.
Here are just a few of the things you need to know to advertise on Google successfully and to understand all the facts before you start to invest:
Online advertising is bigger than ever
Since 2013, online advertising has been on the rise – and it shows no signs of slowing. 19% of online ad dollars are now directly apportioned to Google Ads, making it one of the most profitable and most notable ways to advertise businesses online. Not to mention, that when it comes to local business, Google has introduced all kinds of enhancements and functionalities to help make advertising via Google more effective, accurate, and high-quality than ever before. If you’re not investing in digital advertising, then you’re likely missing out on significant opportunities for your brand and business.
Pre-campaign must-haves
Before you even consider jumping into the world of purchasing advertising on Google, it’s vital to understand the basics to help you target your chosen audience, and potential customers, that bit better. For many businesses, this means putting in the time for research, especially when it comes to what your competition is already doing successfully. Before you even consider investing in a campaign, understanding your market niche and the profile of your client can make or break the success of your advertisement; so don’t scrimp on that information if at all possible.
Beyond demographics, it’s essential to understand what you want to achieve from your campaign. If the goal is to improve sales, then knowing realistic target goals for your budget is an excellent place to start. For a brand-based activity that focuses on enhancing awareness, understanding the different banner sizes can help you to understand precisely how much of a message you can get out there with your advert. Medium adverts, for example, are very popular for this reason; allowing for the accommodation of brand messaging and improve impressions as a result. Thinking long and hard about your goals, your likely outcomes, and what you want your ad to do are all pre-campaign must-haves, and they can shape what that advertisement ends up looking like as a result.
The importance of ad size
Now we’ve covered the basics of why Google advertising is important, and what you should consider pre-campaign, it’s time to take a closer look at the ads themselves. It may not be evident at first glance, but the size of a banner or advertisement can change the effectiveness of a campaign as a whole. Choosing to advertise in a particular shape or size of an advert that doesn’t fit your end goal can actually lead to wasted money, and less profitable ad results as a whole.
Here are just some ways that ad size is linked directly to the success of your promotions, and why exactly you need to take a closer look at what that means for your next upcoming campaign:
The factors that determine the effectiveness of ads and banners
There are many different elements of ad and banner campaigns that can determine their effectiveness when you use them to promote your business. The first factor to consider is the characteristics of the consumer you’re trying to connect with. Your audience can make a vast difference in the form of advertising that correlates best with them. As mentioned in our pre-campaign must-haves above, knowing your audience is key to success in any kind of marketing. If you have a good understanding of what your target audience’s habits are like, then you’re far more likely to strike a chord with them than if you simply target your advertising to a more general audience.
The second factor to consider that can directly influence the effectiveness of ads is the execution of your campaign. While certain size ads may accommodate essential information, that doesn’t always make them the right choice for your brand. If you’re trying to make a simple, impactful statement, choosing something that fits that execution is far better than simply thinking bigger is best. In contrast, an advertisement with messaging and more intricate details will need more space than one with less; otherwise, all that additional information gets lost. Suiting your advertising to your campaign, instead of the other way around is the best way to succeed.
Finally, the characteristics of the banner itself can directly make a difference in whether an ad is effective. Researching and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each form of advertising in banner form is the best way to overcome this hurdle, and ensure you’re making the right choice for your business. Realistically, the best way to success with any advertising campaign is to be thorough in your prep-work, and have a good understanding of what you want to do and how you want to do it. Preparation is vital when it comes to marketing, and Google ads and banners are no exception to that rule.
The technical details and the audience they attract
Once you’ve got a handle on exactly what makes banners and Google ads successful, it’s time to start creating your content with that specific audience in mind. But to give you a head start, here are just a few of the most preferred banner ad sizes for small businesses, marketers, and designers in general:
- Medium rectangle (300 x 250)
- Leaderboard (728 x 90)
- Large rectangle (336 x 280)
Each of these ad sizes is perfectly tailored for professional marketing content, making them favorites for promotional material in countless industries. While this means they are far more likely to be successful, it also means there’s greater competition for those coveted slots; something to consider in your budget if you want to make the most out of your promotions.
Other Google ad sizes
Beyond the most popular Google ad sizes, there are plenty of other shapes, forms, and sizes to pick from, all of which offer their own unique challenges and advantages. The complete list of different typical banner sizes for Google ads are as follows, in order of popularity:
- Medium rectangle (300 x 250)
- Leaderboard (728 x 90)
- Wide skyscraper (160 x 600)
- Half page (300 x 600)
- Billboard (970 x 250)
- Large rectangle (336 x 280)
- Banner (468 x 60)
- Half banner (234 x 60)
- Skyscraper (120 x 600)
- Vertical banner (120 x 240)
- Portait (300 x 1050)
- Large leaderboard (970 x 90)
- Square (250 x 250)
- Small square (200 x 200)
- Small rectangle (180 x 150)
- Button (125 x 125)
In addition to the wide range of different Google ads banners that are available for desktop use, mobile banners are increasing in popularity as an alternative. With more consumers than ever browsing and shopping via mobile, it’s no surprise that these reactive forms of advertising are improving in popularity, even if less variability is available as a whole. In order of popularity, banners available for mobile are as follows:
- Mobile leaderboard (320 x 50)
- Mobile full page flex (320 x 320)
- Lage mobile banner (320 x 100)
- Square (250 x 250)
- Small square (200 x 200)
What does this full list mean? It means for businesses looking to advertise their services or products; there’s a world of choice out there. But if you’re looking to really make an impact, and get the impressions that you’re hoping to achieve, opting for one of the more popular options is the ideal choice. For example, for businesses looking to be more visible on mobile, investing a mobile leaderboard ad campaign might be the perfect fit. Combined with a medium rectangle add for desktop, it’s much more likely that the campaign will be seen; resulting in better click-through rates and sales that less popular banners wouldn’t be able to provide.
Types of static ad
When it comes to Google ad banners, only three forms of static ad will do. The fast-loading but lower-res GIF, the high-quality JPG, and the transparency-enabled PNG. The choice of format is up to you, but experimenting with which option fits your marketing plan best can make all the difference when it comes to how the final result looks.
The one thing to remember about banner sizes for Google advertising is that you should pick the format that works best for you and the message you’re trying to get across. While creating content precisely to fit advertising requirements can be profitable, ensuring your brand and style of advertising isn’t compromised is just as essential to ensure you’re achieving excellent brand awareness along the way.
Key takeaways
With this guide, your business will be in a far better position to make the right choices when it comes to the shape, size, and format of a banner used for your next campaign. Understanding what’s best for your particular industry will take a little work and research up-front, but it’s more than worth the time investment to help you achieve greater things with that next promotion of brand awareness campaign. Once you’ve grasped the benefit of different ad sizes, you’re off to an excellent start.
From that point, you’re in a far better position to advertise persuasively, using digital marketing principles to create adverts that are both technically correct and emotionally effective. While marketing can certainly seem like an art, there’s a science to what makes advertising successful that’s definitely worth taking a closer look at. While it can be tempting to ignore more technical things like ad size and banner shapes, taking note of those additional factors can be the difference between a successful ad and a failed campaign. While it’s not the only thing to consider, it’s undoubtedly a great place to begin when it comes to differentiating your advertising from your competition.
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If you like this guide, and you’d love to learn a little more about the world of digital marketing, then keep coming back to discover even more handy tips and tricks to help transform your advertising from dull to dazzling. Or drop us a line today to discuss how we can help take your banner and Google ads to the next level. We’re always happy to help.