Vertical Banner Ads: What Are They? How Are They Used?

Whether you’re an advertiser or just a regular internet user, one thing we can all agree on is that the digital landscape right now is enormous. With so many apps, ads, and services competing for clicks, it’s an assault on users’ senses, and difficult for advertisers to keep up with the latest flashy ad mediums while finding a way to stand out.

Throughout all the internet evolution of the last few decades, a constant companion has been the banner ad, specifically vertical banner ads. They may look similar to the early days of the internet, with the same shape and basic premise, but don’t write them off just yet: There’s a lot this ad format can deliver, and a lot you’ll be able to do with it.

As an advertising copywriter, I see the value in these. They’re not as invasive as a video ad, but offer more than a static print ad, and still give a fair shot to get your message and product across in enough time to entice a user to click. Plus, they can get really creative, too, so make sure you have fun with it. First, though, let’s learn a little more about their structure and how they work.

What Is a Vertical Banner (Also Called a Skyscraper Ad)?

Vertical banners, or skyscraper ads, are tall, narrow digital advertisements on the lateral margins of web pages. You’ve definitely seen them before, sitting on the sidelines, cycling through animated slides, and ending on a call to action (CTA) asking for your click. They’re one of the oldest forms of online advertising, but they’re still around because they bring a lot to the table. They’re persistent without being overly obnoxious, easily visible during scrolling, and offer sustained brand exposure, making them a reliable method for capturing user attention and getting your targeted messaging through.

Standard Sizes for Vertical Banners

These are the most common vertical banner sizes you’ll find and have access to creating:

120×600: The Standard Skyscraper

The most widely adopted vertical banner format by far, it fits into sidebars well and gives enough vertical space for content and broad reach.

160×600: The Wide Skyscraper

If you need a slightly wider option, this may be for you. The wide skyscraper provides greater creative flexibility without significant intrusion on the user experience.

300×600: The Half Page Ad (HPA)

Significantly bigger and taking up way more space than the other skyscrapers, the HPA is a larger, attention-grabbing (and really hard to ignore) format. It’s most used for ads that are working with detailed visuals and information, requiring careful placement consideration that wouldn’t otherwise work in a slimmer ad format.

Other Less Common Sizes

There’s definitely other variations of sizes out there, and I’ll get into a few more later, but focusing on the standard, wide, and half-page sizes are what I’d advise when getting started.

Benefits of Vertical Banners

Persistent Visibility and Sustained Engagement

When your ad remains visible during scrolling, it significantly enhances brand exposure and the chances that users will remember your message.

Minimally Intrusive Placement Strategy

With its lateral positioning in the sidebars, vertical banners bring a less disruptive advertising experience to the user, compared with alternate methods like pop-ups.

Creative Expression

The vertical format allows for comprehensive and engaging creative executions. You can get clever and fun with these, utilizing the format and even its limitations to create an ad that users will find funny, meaningful, and, most of all, memorable.

Brand Reinforcement and Recall

When an ad is memorable, consistent, and non-disruptive, it’s more likely to get positive brand recognition from users over time.

Utilizing a Website’s Content

Think about using the content or subject matter of the web page as part of your advertising strategy with a vertical ad. Thoughtful placement and integration can boost an ad’s recall and recognition.

Considerations to Take When Advertising With Vertical Banners

Maintain a Balance Between Visibility and User Experience

Prioritize a positive user experience alongside advertising exposure. This means keeping eyesores like seizure-inducing flashing lights or overly repetitive CTAs to a minimum (or better yet, not at all).

High-Quality Creative Design

There may not be a ton of space to work with here, but an impactful design that’s easy to read and understand is essential to getting your users to take action.

Mobile and Other Devices

People aren’t just on desktops anymore, and you’ll need to assume that a good percentage will be viewing your ad on phones, tablets, or some other connected device. That’s why easy adaptation across various screen sizes is crucial, so it’s not a scrambled mess of broken images when it loads.

Ad Blocking Software

Ad blocking software is everywhere now, even built into some browsers. It’s a tough one to get around, if at all, so it’s best to keep in mind the potential impact of ad-blockers as you craft your campaign’s designated reach.

Monitoring Metrics

After all the above is checked off, maybe the most important thing is to make sure that your banners are actually being seen by the target audience. If not, it’s time to take a step back and see where the blockage is.

Tracking core metrics is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of your vertical banners, but to truly grasp the impact they’re having, it’s best to go beyond the basics. Choose an ad platform that offers in-depth features like comprehensive analytics dashboards, which can provide you with deeper insights into metrics like user engagement and conversion paths that were initiated by your banners.

Vertical Banners vs. Other Banner Ad Types

Before getting started on verticals, take a minute to get to know these other various banner sizes and shapes:

Leaderboard (728×90)

Horizontal, typically top-of-page, with different visibility characteristics.

Medium Rectangle (300×250)

Versatile, near-square format, often within content, with less sustained visibility.

Wide Skyscraper (160×600) vs. Standard Skyscraper (120×600)

The difference here is primarily the width and visual prominence on the page.

Mobile Banners (Various Smaller Sizes)

Specifically designed for smaller mobile screens.

Vertical Banner Ad Placements

Size and creative content are just two major pieces of the puzzle when it comes to creating a successful vertical ad. Another crucial area is placement — here are a few examples of where vertical ads can go to be most effective:

Website Sidebars

Good ol’ tried and true, this is the conventional and most frequent placement for sustained visibility. It’s a snug spot that’s noticeable, fitting for the banner’s shape, and visible without being intrusive.

Adjacent to Long-Form Content

Similar to the above, you can also make your ad more effective when thematically relevant to the surrounding text.

Within Website Navigation

These ones are a little unconventional, as they target users while they’re actively scrolling through the site. They capture attention, but can be seen as annoying, too.

Below the Fold

Much like in a newspaper, a below-the-fold ad might be bigger, more effective, and engaging for those who see it, but not everyone is going to, and that’s part of the risk.

Best Design Practices for Vertical Banners

Clear and Concise Messaging

Prioritize a singular, focused key message for clarity and fast delivery. You’ve got about two seconds before you lose a viewer’s attention.

Utilization of High-Quality Visuals

Even if you have a killer tagline and copywriting, don’t skimp on relevant, high-resolution graphics. These significantly enhance engagement and make things look more professional and respectable.

Prominent and Action-Oriented CTA

Concise, directive language ensures that the user will know where to go and what to do if they want to take action. If it’s not clear, they may give up and move on.

Consistent Brand Identity Integration

Reinforce brand recognition through consistent use of visual elements, so viewers can learn to easily recognize your style at a glance.

Optimization of File Size for Rapid Loading

You can have the best vertical ad ever, but if it doesn’t load properly, it’s pretty useless. Make sure to minimize file size in order to enhance user experience and boost your ad’s performance.

Adaptability Across Devices

I mentioned this above as well, but don’t forget about scalability (or develop device-specific creative variations). Bottom line, viewers should be able to easily see it no matter the device they’re on.

Vertical Banner Ads Measurement (Metrics)

Once your ad is up and running, how do you know if it’s successful? Here are some key performance indicators (KPIs) to keep track of:

Impressions

These are the total number of times the banner is displayed, letting you know the reach you’re getting from it.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR is the percentage of impressions resulting in a user taking action and clicking.

Conversion Rate

Similar to CTR, but a conversion rate tells you the percentage of clicks that led to a desired ultimate goal, like a purchase.

Viewability

This is a key one to measure how well your placement is working. Viewability shows you the percentage of the ad that’s visible to users, clueing you in to its efficiency.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

Vertical banners can bring in sales and revenue when successful, but how are you supposed to know how much it’s going to cost you? The average cost per user click is crucial info for budget management.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

This shows you how profitable your ad is compared with what you’re spending. ROAS measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent, specifically on your vertical banner advertisements. It’s calculated by dividing the total revenue attributed to vertical banner ads by the total cost of running those ads. A higher ROAS tells you that the vertical banner ad campaign is doing its job in generating revenue.

Optimization for Vertical Banner Performance

Desktop Optimization

Always be A/B testing creative to see which versions resonate with users more. Along with that, stay on top of refining targeting, monitoring placement efficacy, and enhancing landing page relevance.

Mobile Optimization Strategies

Consider alternative formats for users on mobile devices, and optimize for touch interaction since that’s becoming more and more commonplace. Be sure to prioritize concise messaging, and test mobile-specific landing pages too.

How Do Vertical Banners Perform in Programmatic or Real-Time Bidding?

Vertical banners are widely available in programmatic and RTB environments, often with competitive bidding. These programmatic platforms can help with offering precise targeting, real-time optimization, and detailed performance analytics.

What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid With Vertical Banners?

If there’s one overarching piece of advice you’ll hear me say over and over, it’s to keep things straightforward and concise. You’ve got a short amount of time to get your message across, so stay away from things like:

• Overly complex and cluttered design.
• Generic and uncompelling messaging.
• Low-quality or irrelevant visuals.
• Neglecting mobile responsiveness and display optimization.
• Lack of a clear and prominent call to action.
• Not implementing comprehensive performance tracking.
• Deployment in irrelevant placement contexts.

Key Takeaways

After decades, vertical banners still remain a simple but strategically valuable tool in digital advertising, offering wide visibility to users across devices, apps, and interests. Understanding things like standard specifications, effective design principles, and key performance indicators is essential for creating successful campaigns. But, make sure to prioritize clear messaging, high-quality visuals, and relevant placements, with continuous testing and optimization.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Vertical banners vs. web page sidebars: What’s the difference?

They’re related, but different. A web page sidebar is a structural component of a website’s layout. It’s a dedicated vertical section, typically on the left or right, designed to hold various elements. Think of it as a container or a column within the page’s overall design, one that can house a wide range of content, from navigation menus and social media feeds to calls to action and, of course, advertisements.

A vertical banner, on the other hand, is a specific type of advertising content that’s within that web page sidebar (or sometimes another vertical area on a web page). It’s a visual advertisement specifically designed to attract attention and convey a marketing message.

While a vertical banner ad often resides within a sidebar, the sidebar itself is a more structural element that can contain various non-advertising content as well. The key distinction between the two is that a vertical banner is specifically for advertising, while a sidebar is more for general content and navigation.

What are the latest trends in vertical banner advertising in 2025?

Digital advertising is constantly evolving, and vertical banners are no exception. On the surface they may look the same as past years, but it seems like several key trends are popping up:

• Enhanced interactivity: Static banners are becoming less engaging and inspiring, and easier to ignore. Expect to see more vertical banners incorporating interactive elements like quizzes, polls, mini-games, and dynamic content feeds to capture user attention and encourage interaction directly within the ad unit.
• Advanced personalization: Leveraging user data for more sophisticated personalization is something that’s increasing among advertisers across the board. Vertical banners will likely adapt their messaging and visuals based on individual user behavior, browsing history, and real-time context, aiming for greater relevance and effectiveness.
• Augmented reality (AR) explorations: This one’s been brewing for years now, and while still in early stages for standard display ads, expect initial integrations of AR experiences triggered by vertical banners, especially on mobile devices. AR for vertical ads has real potential, and could involve technology like interactive overlays or virtual product demonstrations.
• Privacy-focused approaches: As privacy rules get tighter, advertisers are turning to contextual ads and first-party data to serve up relevant vertical banners while minimizing their dependence on third-party tracking — all while prioritizing user trust and compliance.
• AI-driven creative optimization: Artificial intelligence is creeping into everything, and will absolutely play a larger role in automatically generating and optimizing vertical banner creatives. AI tools can analyze performance data and suggest instant variations in design and messaging for continuous improvement.

• Seamless content integration: Native advertising is influencing vertical banners, with designs that aim to blend more seamlessly with the surrounding website content, reducing ad blindness, toning down flashy out-of-place ads, and enhancing user engagement.
• Cross-device adaptation: With diverse screen sizes and device types emerging all the time, vertical banners will need to adapt more intelligently to provide optimal viewing experiences across desktops, tablets, and new formats like foldable screens.

How does audience targeting impact vertical banner results?

Audience targeting is a crucial cornerstone of effective vertical banner advertising, and should be a major part of your strategy. By selecting the specific groups of users who are most likely to be interested in your products or services, you can significantly increase the chances of enhancing your campaign’s performance. When it’s successful, the impact is felt all around:

• Increased relevance: When your vertical banners are shown to a relevant audience, the messaging and visuals are more likely to resonate with their needs and interests, leading to higher engagement and a more positive perception of your brand.
• Improved click-through rates (CTR): Targeted ads are more likely to generate clicks, since they’re shown to users actively seeking (or interested in) related information or products. A higher CTR is a clue that your ad is grabbing the attention of the right people.
• Higher conversion rates: By reaching users already predisposed to your offerings, you increase the likelihood that their clicks will result in desired actions, such as purchases, sign-ups, or inquiries. Targeting helps connect with users further down the sales funnel.
• Reduced wasteful spending: If you’re not using effective targeting, a significant portion of your ad impressions might be shown to users who have no interest in your products, causing you to waste your budget. Targeting ensures that your advertising spend is focused on reaching potential customers.
• Enhanced ROI: Make your campaigns as cost-effective as possible by improving engagement, CTR, and conversion rates while reducing wasted spending.

Valuable data insights: Analyze the performance of your banners across different audience segments. This helps provide valuable data on which demographics, interests, and behaviors are most responsive to your messaging, and gives you a roadmap for continuous refinement of your targeting strategies and creative content.