What are ad formats?
Ad formats are the different shapes and behaviors an ad can take on a page or in an app — from a standard display banner to a full-screen interstitial to a rewarded video the user opts into. Each format has a distinct earning profile (eCPM), viewability, and user-experience cost. Choosing the right mix — not just the highest-CPM format — is what makes a monetization stack both profitable and sustainable.
This guide is the hub; each format below links to a deeper explainer.
The main formats
Display banners
The classic rectangular units (leaderboards, medium rectangles, mobile banners). They’re universally supported and low-friction, but they scroll out of view and earn modest CPMs. Sizing matters — see banner ad sizes.
Sticky / anchor units
Sticky ads stay fixed in the viewport as the user scrolls (usually a slim bottom bar or a sidebar rail). Because they remain visible, they earn high viewability and strong CPMs at modest UX cost — as long as they’re kept slim and dismissible.
Interstitials
Interstitial ads are full-screen units shown at natural breaks. They command some of the highest CPMs in display, but they’re intrusive and tightly governed by Google’s intrusive-interstitial policy, so they must be frequency-capped and placed only at transitions.
Rewarded video
Rewarded video gives the user something (an in-app reward, premium content) in exchange for watching. Because it’s opt-in, it has the highest satisfaction and among the highest CPMs — especially in apps and games.
Native
Native ads match the look and feel of surrounding content. They earn well on engagement and preserve the reading experience, but require clear “sponsored” labeling to stay compliant.
How the formats compare
A rough hierarchy for most publishers:
- Highest CPM, most constrained: rewarded video and interstitials (opt-in or occasional, tightly capped).
- Strong CPM, low friction: sticky units and native.
- Baseline, high fill: standard display banners.
But CPM alone is misleading. A high-CPM format shown too rarely — or capped by policy — can earn less than a lower-CPM format shown appropriately. Publishers judge formats on blended eCPM and revenue-per-session, not sticker CPM. (See eCPM vs CPM.)
Choosing your format mix
- Match format to surface. Rewarded and interstitial shine in apps and games; sticky, native, and display fit content sites.
- Cap intrusive formats. Interstitials and full-screen units need frequency caps and natural placement, or they cost you users and rankings.
- Protect Core Web Vitals. Every format has to load cleanly without layout shift. See Core Web Vitals & ad monetization.
- Compete every format. Route each unit through header bidding / mediation so multiple buyers compete, rather than handing a slot to one network.
The bottom line
There’s no single best ad format — there’s a best mix for your surface, audience, and content. The winning approach layers a few complementary formats (say, sticky + native + occasional interstitial), caps the intrusive ones, competes them all for demand, and measures everything on blended eCPM. Getting that mix right and keeping it tuned is the heart of yield optimization.