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Choosing the Right Ad Format: Compact, Sidebar, or Sitewide

4 min read Updated Sep 24, 2026

When creating an advertising campaign, you can choose from three ad formats: Compact, Sidebar, and Sitewide. Each offers a different layout, placement, and minimum CPM.

This guide explains how the formats work so you can choose the right one for your message, creative assets, and budget.

Understanding the Formats

1. The Compact Format

Compact is our default ad layout. It combines a square image with a headline, description, and Call-to-Action (CTA) button in a compact presentation.

  • Image Aspect Ratio: 1:1 (Square).
  • Ad Content: Ad Title, Ad Text, Image, Target Link (URL), and CTA Button Text.
  • Minimum CPM: $10.
  • Best Used For: Testing new offers with a lower starting bid, promoting services, and using simple logos or square graphics.

2. The Sidebar Format

Sidebar gives your image more space. Its vertical layout places a landscape image above the ad content, making it a good choice for campaigns that rely on a strong visual.

  • Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (Landscape).
  • Ad Content: Ad Title, Ad Text, Image, Target Link (URL), and CTA Button Text.
  • Minimum CPM: $20.
  • Best Used For: Product imagery, brand awareness, and campaigns designed for prominent sidebar placements.

3. The Sitewide Format

Sitewide is a slim banner displayed above the site header, with placement available across all pages. It combines a small image and your ad title into a clickable strip.

  • Placement: Above the site header across all pages.
  • Image Aspect Ratio: 1:1 (Square), displayed as a small icon.
  • Ad Content: Ad Title, Image, and Target Link (URL). Ad Text and CTA Button Text are not used.
  • Banner Color: Choose your own background color using the color picker beside the image uploader. The default is black.
  • Text Color: Automatically switches between black and white to provide better contrast against your chosen background.
  • Minimum CPM: $50.
  • Best Used For: Short announcements, product launches, special offers, and brand messages that work well at the top of a page.

The Sitewide preview shows your banner above a schematic site header and page content. Your budget, schedule, device targeting, and other campaign settings remain available.

Placement vs. Delivery: Sitewide provides placement across all pages; it does not guarantee that every visitor will see your individual campaign. Actual delivery depends on campaign eligibility, targeting, available budget, and the ad auction. If no eligible Sitewide ad is available, the banner stays hidden and does not occupy space.

Minimum CPM by Format

CPM is your bid for 1,000 impressions. Each format has its own minimum:

  • Compact: $10.
  • Sidebar: $20.
  • Sitewide: $50.

When you switch formats, the CPM control updates to reflect the selected format’s minimum. Review your bid before saving. Bulk CPM updates also respect these minimums: a value below a campaign’s minimum is automatically adjusted upward.

How to Select Your Ad Format

  1. Open your Ads Dashboard and click Create Ad.
  2. At the top of the creation form, find the Ad Format section.
  3. Select Compact, Sidebar, or Sitewide.
  4. Enter your Ad Title and Target Link (URL), then upload your image.
  5. For Compact and Sidebar, add your Ad Text and choose your CTA Button Text. For Sitewide, use the Banner Color picker to customize the background.
  6. Review the Ad Preview, which updates as you edit your creative.
  7. Set your Total Budget, CPM, and any additional campaign settings, then save your ad.

You can also click Try Sitewide in the announcement above the dashboard search field to open a new campaign with Sitewide already selected.

Image Upload Tip: Choose your format before uploading your image. The uploader automatically crops JPG, PNG, and WebP images to a square for Compact and Sitewide, or to 16:9 for Sidebar. If you change formats afterward, upload the original image again to apply the appropriate crop.

Creative Tips & Best Practices

  • Match the Image to the Layout: Use landscape imagery for Sidebar. Simple logos and centered graphics work well in Compact and are especially useful for Sitewide’s small icon.
  • Make Sitewide Titles Self-Contained: Sitewide has no description or CTA button, so the title should communicate the offer clearly on its own.
  • Keep the Main Message First: Ad titles allow up to 40 characters. Long Sitewide titles may be shortened with an ellipsis on narrow screens to keep the banner at a consistent height.
  • Use Descriptions Where Available: Compact and Sidebar support Ad Text of up to 140 characters. Use it to explain the benefit and support your selected CTA.
  • Choose a Background That Suits Your Brand: Sitewide automatically adjusts text contrast, so you can choose a background color while keeping the headline readable.
  • Compare Results: Test different formats and review impressions, clicks, and spending in your dashboard. When cloning a campaign to try another format, review its image crop, required fields, and CPM before saving.