Mobile Ad Guidelines & Best Practices

In general, the policies for desktop-based ads apply to WAP mobile ads. However, mobile ads have a unique link policy and size guidelines.

Link policy

To ensure that we're able to display your mobile ad and site to users, your destination site must be written in a supported mobile markup language. We currently support the following markup languages:
wml (WAP 1.x)
xhtml (WAP 2.0)

chtml (imode, etc.)
PDA-compliant html

Size Guidelines

WAP mobile text ads contain two lines of text, with a limit of 12 or 18 characters per line, depending on the language in which you write your ad. Your destination URL appears on a third line if you choose to enter one. If you select the option that allows customers to connect directly to your business phone, a Call link will appear at the end of your ad.

WAP mobile image ads can be formatted in .gif, .jpg and .png. Animated mobile image ads can be formatted in .gif; Flash is not supported at this time.

WAP mobile image ads can be in the following sizes:

6:1 Aspect Ratio

• 300 x 50, less than 7.5k file size
• 216 x 36, less than 4.5k file size
• 168 x 28, less than 3k file size

4:1 Aspect Ratio

• 300 x 75, less than 7.5k file size
• 216 x 54, less than 4.5k file size
• 168 x 42, less than 3k file size

Japan-standard size

• 192 x 53, less than 5k file size

In the relatively new world of mobile, there are a few practices we recommend.

1. Get Started

Start early. The market for popular keywords on desktop search can be very competitive. Since not all of your competitors are already using mobile ads, some advertisers find that creating a mobile ads campaign can increase their exposure at a lower CPC (cost-per-click).

Start strong. Bid aggressively at first to make sure your ad shows on the first page of results, where more users will see it. There are only a few ad spots on each page for mobile ads, so if you are not in one of the top positions you may only receive a small number of impressions.

2. Craft your campaigns wisely

Separate to Lift. Create separate campaigns and ad groups for your ads that appear on computers, on iPhone and Android devices, and standard mobile devices. This makes it easier to evaluate your results and lift performance for each format with customized ads, keywords, and bids.

Choose Keywords Differently. Mobile users typically enter fewer keywords on mobile devices than on a desktop computer. The most successful mobile campaigns use broad matching and more general keywords to capture relevant traffic.

Pack the Most Punch. Use a call-to-action phrase that catches your audience's attention. Your ad text can dramatically influence your ad's CTR and conversion rate, so make it catchy!

Don't Forget Display. Mobile image ads are a great branding tool and can achieve higher clickthrough rates and lower CPCs than on desktop. MMA-compliant sizes make the process easy for you to set up.

3. Find Your Mobile Customers

Be Where Your Customer Is. Mobile users don't just search, they also browse the web and use mobile apps. Reach users on Google's growing mobile Display Network with contextually-targeted text and image ads.

Reach Valuable Demographics. Use device platform targeting to reach iPhone/Android users, or use standard mobile ads to target particular mobile carriers.

4. Measure and Experiment

Measure Up. Enable conversion tracking to measure results on your mobile website, or use a vanity phone number to track responses to your click-to-call WAP ad.

Practice Makes Perfect. Now's the time to experiment with mobile ads. Try out the strategies mentioned above and see what works for you. You'll be able to look at your results and adapt your strategy to work for your goals.