Monetization & Networks
Where to put ads (without wrecking your page)
Placement is a revenue lever most publishers under-use — but it's gated by two things advertisers actually pay for: viewability and speed.
Advertisers don’t pay for ads that load; they pay for ads that are seen. The industry measure is viewability — at least 50% of the ad’s pixels on screen for one second or more — and in 2026 the cross-network average sits around 72%, with strong publishers targeting 75%+ (
Publift). Where you place an ad is the biggest thing you control about whether it clears that bar.
- 1 Leaderboard, below nav. 728×90 / 970×250 — the highest-viewability spot on the page.
- 2 In-content rectangle. 300×250 / 336×280, every 3–4 paragraphs — best engagement.
- 3 Sticky sidebar (vertical). 300×600 — 2–3× the visibility time of standard sizes.
- 4 Sticky footer. Near-100% viewable, but watch banner blindness and UX.
The placements that earn
- Leaderboard below the nav. The highest-viewability position on most pages — it’s in view the moment the page paints.
- In-content rectangles, every 3–4 paragraphs. In-read/outstream units placed inside the article capture engagement without blocking the read. Rectangles (300×250, 336×280) are the workhorses.
- Sticky vertical sidebar. A 300×600 that stays in view as the reader scrolls earns 2–3× the visibility time of a static unit.
- Sticky footer. Near-100% viewable — but prone to banner blindness and easy to overdo, so weigh the UX cost.
Sizes matter more than people think
Larger and taller wins. Advertisers specifically request 336×280, 300×600, and 970×250, and they outperform default rotations on CTR and viewability. Vertical formats (300×600, 160×600) average ~22% higher viewability than 300×250 and 728×90 (
Display benchmarks 2026). If your layout only ships small horizontal units, you’re leaving money on the table.
Speed is a placement decision
This is the part most “ad placement” advice misses: viewability is downstream of performance. Pages with an LCP under 2.5s average ~85% ad viewability; pages over 4s manage only ~58%, and every extra second of load costs roughly 6.7 points of viewability. Fast pages literally make your ads worth more.
Two non-negotiables:
- Reserve every slot’s space in CSS (fixed width/height or
min-height) so ads don’t shove content down when they load. Unreserved slots are the #1 cause of bad CLS. - Load ad scripts asynchronously so they don’t block render and tank LCP/INP.
This is exactly why a lean, fast stack pays off twice — once in hosting cost, once in ad revenue (see you don’t need WordPress).
Don’t over-stuff
More slots isn’t more money past a point. Excessive density triggers banner blindness, drags down page experience, depresses per-unit viewability, and risks both rankings and network policy. Place fewer, better units in the spots that are actually seen — then make the page fast enough that they stay seen.
FAQ
- What is the best ad placement for viewability?
- The leaderboard just below the navigation bar consistently earns the highest viewability, followed by in-content rectangles placed every 3–4 paragraphs and sticky vertical sidebars. Sticky footers are near-100% viewable but can suffer banner blindness and hurt UX.
- Which IAB ad sizes perform best in 2026?
- Larger and vertical formats lead: 336×280 and 300×250 rectangles, 970×250 billboards, and vertical 300×600 / 160×600 units. Vertical formats average about 22% higher viewability than 300×250 and 728×90.
- How does ad placement affect Core Web Vitals?
- Ads that load without reserved space cause layout shift (CLS), and slow ad scripts hurt LCP and INP. Always reserve the slot's dimensions in CSS so the page doesn't jump, and load ad scripts asynchronously. Faster pages are also more viewable: pages with LCP under 2.5s average ~85% ad viewability versus ~58% above 4s.