Google AdWords

Chapter 10. Additional Ad Formats

The Google Display Network offers many additional places for ads to appear and ad formats like image, Flash, and video. This chapter covers additional ad formats, including technical specifications, editorial guidelines, and tips for success.

Image and Flash Ads

AdWords accepts .gif, .jpg, .png, and .swf files in the following dimensions (measured in pixels):

• 300 × 50 (mobile leaderboard)

• 468 × 60 (banner)

• 728 × 90 (leaderboard)

• 250 × 250 (square)

• 200 × 200 (small square)

• 336 × 280 (large rectangle)

• 300 × 250 (inline rectangle)

• 120 × 600 (skyscraper)

• 160 × 600 (wide skyscraper)

Let’s review the technical and editorial rules for image and Flash ads. First, the file size is limited to 50 KB. The accepted dimensions vary site-to-site, depending on the website publisher. For example, if a website accepts 728 × 90 ads, it’s up to the advertiser to provide an appropriately-sized leaderboard ad. AdWords does not resize images. Each ad is accompanied by a display URL and a destination URL; the rules for text ad URLs apply to these formats, too.

AdWords is specific about what advertiser can and cannot do with image and Flash ads. The point of the rules is to make it clear that an ad is indeed an ad. (Example rules: the ad cannot mimic a dialog box or system warning, it must fill the ad space completely, and it cannot “segment” to appear like multiple ads.) All ads fall into one of three categories: Family Safe, Non-Family Safe, and Adult Sexual ...