What Is A Leaderboard Ad?

Date First Published: 10th August 2023

Topic: Web Design & Development

Subtopic: Web Advertising

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

CONTENTS

Popularity
Best Practices

Learn about what a leaderboard ad is in this article.

A leaderboard ad is a rectangular and wide ad usually placed at the top of the webpage before the main content of webpages so that it will be immediately seen when the page loads to maximise its chances of views and clicks. It has a standard size of 728 pixels wide by 90 pixels tall (728x90). Like banner ads, they can be text-based, and include images, or animations. However, they are less suitable for images and animations than banner ads due to their long and thin size.

Although leaderboard ads are usually placed above the fold, they can also be placed below the fold, like in the middle of the page or below the content of the page. These types of placements are much less likely to be seen by users and will have a lower click-through rate than top-of-screen leaderboard ads. Sometimes, it may be beneficial to also place leaderboard ads at the bottom of the page or in the middle of the page as there is a chance of 'banner blindness' (when a user becomes used to seeing ads and ignores them).

Popularity

The leaderboard ad is widely used on websites due to its high performance in terms of revenue for publishers and click-throughs for advertisers. Since they are placed at the top of webpages, leaderboard ads have higher viewability rates.

Another reason why leaderboard ads have become so widely used is that the size of the ads means that they can be easily placed at the top without obstructing the main content or getting in the way of what users want to do. This makes them less intrusive. This ad format is also widely accepted by most advertising networks, so publishers and advertisers rarely have problems setting up leaderboard ads without the need for any special code scripts.

Best Practices

The best practices for leaderboard ads are:

Use short, clear and persuasive language that gets the message to users and encourages them to click without misleading them.
Ensure that the ad is responsive and mobile-friendly, adjusting its layout to adapt to different screen sizes.
Avoid excessive text, overly bright colours, visual imagery, or animations that may overwhelm users.
Use a CTA button to encourage viewers to click on the ad. There is evidence that using a CTA button increases click-through rates and conversions.
Use high-quality images that people are likely to understand and click through. Ensure that the images will not become blurry or pixelated when using them on a leaderboard ad.