Leaderboard is one of the top-performing standard web banner formats. The leaderboard banner also known as “Super banner” or just “Leaderboard” is an IAB standard ad unit. The leaderboard banner has a pixel size of 728 pixel high and 90 pixel wide. In 2011 leaderboard ads replaced the old 468x60 ad by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Banner Size: 728 px x 90 px
Image Format: JPG, GIF, PNG
Suggested File Size: 40 KB
Usually the leaderboard is placed at the top of the page and therefore it has a premium position as every user will see it. Of course this means that it is costly compared to other banner formats. The better position instead of above the navigation bar is below the navigation bar. This would show the user that the content is really integrated into the website and even if the user scrolls a little bit he might still see the banner.
Another position that in many cases is underestimated as it is below the fold, is the section just above the footer. The Click through rate might actually be way higher as those were the users that scrolled really through the website and showed interest in the content.
How does a leaderboad banner look like
This is how the ad looks like:
A live example would be the following:
Live desktop website example:
Live horizontal mobile screen example
Live vertical mobile screen example
What’s important for advertiser
The leaderboard banner is most probably the most expensive ad slot you can buy. Still as it’s value is greater than the other slots it should be part of your testing routine.
It’s the first advertisement a user usually sees on a website and if you are lucky the publisher will place a second leaderboard banner just above the footer for incremental revenue. Also the website visitor might remember the ad from the top of the page and this could increase the CTR.
Therefore check your sources where the leaderboard banner is displayed and make sure to choose the ones that have both slots. You do not want to be displayed on a page that only has the ad slot above the footer. Also the leaderboard banner is used for expandable ads sometimes. Search through your traffic sources and see if there is a higher CTR if they are expandable to learn more about your audience and the way they interact.
What’s important for publisher
As a site owner you want the ad slots which have the highest return on investment for you. The leaderboard is exactly this ad-format. If you get paid for CPM, it’s not as important as when you get paid for CPC.
If you have CPC deal, you would like to place the leaderboard just below the navigationbar as the CTR is higher compared to above the navigation bar. Also you should place the Leaderboard ad slot another time above the footer. Another recommendation is to place the ad slot of 300x250 just beside the leaderboard. It’s supposed to have an collaborative effect. This is proven in the F-Shaped pattern for reading web content by the Nielsen Norman Group.
Important for website owner: the z-index should be 999,999,998. Like this you make sure that only overlay or floater would appear above this advertisement.
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