Choose the right ad type
You pick the type with Ad Type in the Ad Details panel of an ad. The other fields on the panel change to match.
The five types
| Type | Use it for | What you enter | Clicks counted | Needs unfiltered HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | A banner or picture. | Select Image from the Media Library, plus a Click URL. | Yes | No |
| HTML | Your own markup or styling, such as a text offer or a button. | Your code in Ad Content, plus an optional Click URL. | Yes, if there is a Click URL | No |
| iFrame | Showing another page or a widget inside a frame. | The iFrame URL. | No | No |
| Script / Embed | A JavaScript tag or embed code from an ad network or tool. | The code in Ad Content. | No | Yes |
| Google AdSense | An AdSense ad unit. | Your AdSense code in Ad Content. | No | Yes |
Notes on each type
- Image. The ad’s title is used as the picture’s alt text, so give the ad a clear title. The link opens in a new tab and is marked as a sponsored link.
- HTML. If you add a Click URL, the whole ad becomes a link. Leave it empty if your code already contains its own links, but those clicks will not be counted.
- iFrame. The width and height from Layout / Output are used for the frame. It loads lazily, which means the browser waits until it is near the screen.
- Script / Embed and Google AdSense. These output your code exactly as pasted, so only paste code from sources you trust. If the person saving the ad cannot post unfiltered HTML, the ad is saved as HTML instead. See AdSense or script ads are saved as HTML.
Which should I use?
- A banner you designed: Image.
- A simple text offer or call to action: HTML.
- An ad network that gives you a code snippet: Script / Embed, or Google AdSense for AdSense units.
- Something that already lives on its own web page: iFrame.
All five types can be placed, grouped, scheduled and targeted in the same way, and all of them count views. See Track views and clicks.