Medium Rectangle Ad
300 x 250 px sRGB 1.20:1 landscape
A 300 by 250 px Medium Rectangle. The single most common display ad size on the web and the format every ad network defaults to when no other size is specified.
about the height of a sidebar block
About this size
The Medium Rectangle (sometimes called the MPU, for mid-page unit) has held the top of the display-ad heap for over twenty years. It is accepted by every major ad network, including Google Ads, Meta, and most programmatic platforms. It is what shows up inline inside article content and what fills the right sidebar of the average publisher site.
The near-square proportions are part of why it works. The format forces a layout discipline that wider formats let designers escape. There is room for an image, a short headline, and a CTA, but not for anything more. Hierarchy is not optional; the design either commits to one focal element or the slot reads as visual noise that the reader skips over.
- Display ads
- Product cards
- Promotions
Pro tips
- 1 The reliable layout is image at the top, headline in the middle, CTA button at the bottom. Variations exist but they all earn their deviation; deviation is not a starting point.
- 2 High-contrast typography wins this format. Subtle styling that reads beautifully against a clean background disappears against the article content the ad competes with.
- 3 Reserve the bottom 40 to 50 px for the CTA. Reading paths in this format finish at the bottom and the action belongs where the eye lands.
- 4 Animated GIFs are accepted by most networks and outperform static when the animation has a point. Hold the final frame; many networks loop only two or three times.
Common mistakes
- Cramming a second headline, a price, a guarantee, and a logo all into 300 by 250 px. The slot crashes under the weight, and every element loses prominence.
- Stock imagery in a format that rewards distinctive visuals. Original art consistently outperforms stock in tested ad creative; the format has no room for filler photography.
Frequently asked
What is the medium rectangle ad size?
300 by 250 px. Also known as the MPU. It is the default display ad size on most ad networks.
Where do medium rectangles show?
Inline inside article content, in the right sidebar of publisher sites, and as the fallback size when an ad network has no other dimensions to serve.
Are 300 by 250 ads still effective?
On desktop, yes. The format wins on placement quality (inline-with-content) as much as on size. On mobile they tend to underperform because the same dimensions translate to a much smaller relative footprint on phone screens.
Same series — IAB Standard Display Ads
Rendered at relative scale; tap any size to open it.
Compare with
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