What is a Half-Page Banner

A half-page banner is classified as a premium size banner, and at 300 x 600 pixels it is almost twice as wide as a wide skyscraper (160 x 600px). According to Google, it is one of the fastest growing ad sizes due to its generous real-estate, and is currently one of the top 4 most popular banner sizes. The larger size allows advertisers more space to make a greater impact with their message

Half-page banners aren’t standard sized banners, but they are very common and are fast becoming a favourite among advertisers and brands. While half-page banners aren’t the best performing size, the 37% growth rate is an indicator of the promise this format holds.

Ad-Pixel Size: Half-page banner: 300 x 600

Optimal File Size: On the web, smaller is always better when it comes to file sizes, even with today’s fast connections and cheap data. For web banners, files should be kept around 20KB, but no larger than 50KB. Google does not approve file sizes larger than 150KB.

File types: GIF: Animation, transparency, size PNG: better transparency, size, newer format JPG: Photo, artwork

How does a half-page banner looks like

This is how the ad looks like:

A live example would be the following:

Live desktop website example:

What’s important for advertiser

The ad impression share of half-page banners is currently relatively minor, however, their phenomenal growth rate puts them in the top 4 most popular banner formats. The large size of a half-page banner makes it very attractive for brands, as it accommodates ads with great visual impact. However, designers should use the space wisely in order to get the most out of this larger format.

Note: Half page banners are not suited for mobile advertising.

What’s important for website owners

Half-page banners offer advertisers a lot of space to create visually attractive brand messages, however, their size does not necessarily guarantee exposure and return on investment. In fact, up to now impression rates have been fairly modest.

The size of these ads take up a lot of real estate on a site and should thus be carefully positioned so not to distract from the main content. This makes it very important that the ads fit well with the content of the site. Half-page banners can be placed on their own or as part of site takeovers.