With over 1.9 billion monthly users, YouTube is both the world’s second largest search engine and top website for video content consumption.
This makes it prime advertising real estate, but to succeed on the platform, advertisers need to use the correct YouTube ad specifications. These rules help ensure that your ad gets in front of more viewers, making you more likely to gain new customers and increase brand awareness.
There are two broad categories of YouTube ads: display and video. Here’s a quick look at the ad specs for each format.
YouTube Display Ad Specs
In addition to the specifications listed below, all YouTube display ads must follow Google’s image ad policies.
Standard display ads
Standard display ads are static or animated images that can appear across Google properties, often directly to the upper right of a YouTube video.
Standard display ads must meet the below specifications:
- Image: 300×60
- File type: GIF, JPG, PNG
- File size: Max. 150KB
- Max. animation length: 30 seconds
Overlay ads
Overlay ads are small static images that appear as an overlay at the bottom of a video. These are one of the least expensive YouTube ad options, especially when compared to video ads.
Clicking through these ads opens the advertiser’s landing page in a new tab or window.
Overlay ads must meet the following specs:
- Image: 480×70
- File type: Static GIF, PNG, JPG
- File size: Max. 150KB
YouTube Video Ad Specs
All YouTube video ads must follow the same basic specifications:
- Video Codec: H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
- Audio Codec: AAC, MP3
- Resolution: 16×9 or 1080p (4:3 aspect ratio)
- Frame Rate: 24 – 30FPS
- File Size: Max. 1 GB
Overlay ads must meet the following specs:
- Image: 480×60 or 728×90
- File type: Static GIF, PNG, JPG
- File size: Max. 150KB
Skippable video ads
Skippable video ads allow users to skip the ad after it plays for 5 seconds. These ads can be placed before, after, or during the main video. These ad types are separate from bumper ads, and the user may end up seeing two ads in a row (the skippable video ad and the bumper ad) before the main video begins.
Skippable video ads must meet the following specs:
- Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Companion image specs:
- 300×60 pixels
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Follow Google’s image ad policies
- Max. 1KB
Non-skippable video ad
Unlike its counterpart, the non-skippable video ad must be watched in its entirety before the main video can be viewed. They can be added before, after, or during the main video. This ad type is available on desktop and mobile devices, but not on game consoles.
Non-skippable video ads must meet the following specs:
- Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Companion image specs:
- 300×60 pixels
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Follow Google’s image ad policies
- Max. 1KB
- Length: Max. 15 or 20 seconds (depends on region)
Bumper ads
Bumper ads, also called pre-roll ads, are short videos that appear before a YouTube video.
In addition to the above, YouTube pre-roll specs include:
- Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Companion image specs:
- 300×60 pixels
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Follow Google’s image ad policies
- Max. 1KB
- Length: Max. 6 seconds
Sponsored Cards
Sponsored cards display content that may be relevant to your video. Examples include products featured in the video or other similar content. A viewer will see a teaser for the card on the right-hand side of the video playback window for a few seconds, but may also browse sponsored cards by clicking on the icon at the top-right corner of the video.
Only available on desktop and mobile devices.
Sponsored cards must meet the following specs:
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- Must be uploaded to YouTube
- Media: image
- JPG, static GIF, or PNG
- Aspect ratio 1:1
- Follow Google’s image ad policies
- Max. 1KB
- Length: Max. 15 or 20 seconds (depends on region)
- File Size: 2MB Maximum
How To Use YouTube Ads
Make sure that you always follow Google’s advertising policies as well as the technical ad specs shared above, and keep up to date with new iterations to its ad options, such as the new call-to-action (CTA) extensions that give advertisers the ability to add an interactive, customized element to their YouTube ads.
