What makes ads acceptable?
The Acceptable Ads Standard
In effect since March 2017 · Last amended January 2026
The Acceptable Ads Standard defines which ads can be shown to ad blocker users who choose to support the websites they love through advertising. This page contains the current Standard. Proposed changes and the research behind them are published on this website, with proposals open for public comment for one month before a decision is made.
Application
1Acceptable Ads
Which ads may be shown, and to whom.
An ad may be displayed to a user who has enabled Acceptable Ads only if it is an Acceptable Ad.
An ad is an Acceptable Ad if it complies with every requirement of this Standard that applies to it and is not a prohibited ad under this Standard.
No person or entity may pay to avoid or bypass any requirement of this Standard.
Requirements for All Ads
2Disclosure
Labelling ads as ads.
An ad must be recognisable by the user as an ad and distinguishable from the content on the page.
An ad must be clearly marked with the word “advertisement” or an equivalent label.
Coverage and Size
3Desktop Ads: Coverage and Size
Size and coverage limits on desktop.
Each individual Desktop Ad must not exceed:
200px in height, if it is displayed above the Primary Content;
350px in width, if it is displayed in a Side Rail (i.e. beside the Primary Content);
400px in height, if it is displayed below the Primary Content; or
250px in height, if it is an In-Content Ad (i.e. in between Primary Content).
The Desktop Ads that are Above The Fold on a webpage, taken together, must not cover more than 15% of the Viewport.
The Desktop Ads that are Below The Fold on a webpage, taken together, must not cover more than 25% of the Viewport.
4Mobile Ads: Placement, Coverage and Size
Placement, coverage, and sticky-ad rules on mobile.
Except as provided in this section, there is no limit on the size of an individual Mobile Ad. At any scroll position, however, the Mobile Ads visible in the Viewport, taken together, must not cover more than 50% of the Viewport.
Despite section 4.1, a Mobile Ad placed below the Primary Content may cover more than 50% of the Viewport, up to the entire Viewport, if it is the only ad placed below the Primary Content.
A Mobile Ad more than 300px in height must be placed below the Primary Content.
A Mobile Ad may be a Sticky Mobile Ad only if it is fixed at the bottom of the Viewport and is no larger than a 6:1 Banner.
A Sticky Mobile Ad must not exceed 75px in height or 15% of the height of the Viewport, whichever is less.
Despite section 11.1(b), a Sticky Mobile Ad may be animated if:
the animation complies with the LEAN Standard; and
the Sticky Mobile Ad includes a close button or another closing mechanism.
Exceptions to Coverage and Size
5In-Feed Ads
Size exception for ads within a feed.
An In-Feed Ad may exceed the size limits in section 3.1, provided that it is not substantially larger than the other entries in the Feed.
6Search Ads
Exception for ads shown after a search.
A Search Ad may exceed the size limits in section 3.1 and the coverage limits in sections 3.2, 3.3, and 4.1.
7Ads on Pages with No Primary Content
Rules for error and parking pages.
An ad on a page with no Primary Content must be a Text Ad.
Sections 3 and 4 do not apply to an ad on a page with no Primary Content.
Additional Requirements for Specific Ads
8In-Content Ads
Loading behaviour for ads within content.
The space in which an In-Content Ad is displayed must be pre-rendered so that the surrounding content does not expand or move when the ad renders.
9Ads in a Carousel Gallery
When an ad may appear in a carousel.
An ad may be displayed in a Carousel Gallery only on a desktop screen and only if:
it is the final item in the gallery, so that it is displayed only after the user has viewed all of the gallery’s content;
it is a static Display Ad;
it does not exceed 468px in width; and
it does not exceed 400px in height.
10In-View Ad Refresh
When an ad may refresh in place.
A Refreshing Ad may be refreshed only if:
it is a Desktop Ad;
each ad displayed in the refreshing ad unit is a static ad; and
each ad displayed in the refreshing ad unit complies with all applicable requirements of this Standard, including requirements relating to disclosure, placement, size, coverage and animation.
On a Non-Scrollable Single-Page, a Refreshing Ad may be refreshed only if the Refresh Rate is 60 seconds or longer.
On any page other than a Non-Scrollable Single-Page, a Refreshing Ad may be refreshed only if the Refresh Rate is 30 seconds or longer.
A refresh triggered by a user action or an event, including refresh following an unsuccessful ad bid, is permitted only if the applicable minimum interval in section 10.2 or 10.3 has elapsed.
A refresh must not cause the Primary Content or other page content to move. Where a refreshed ad may differ in size from the ad it replaces, sufficient space must be reserved in advance to accommodate the refreshed ad.
Prohibited Ads
11General Prohibition
Ad types that are not acceptable.
The following ads are prohibited:
an ad with excessive or non-user-initiated hover effects;
an animated ad, unless it is a Sticky Mobile Ad that complies with section 4.6;
an ad that plays sound automatically, without a deliberate action by the user to turn it on;
an expanding ad;
an interstitial page ad;
an overlay ad;
a pop-up;
a pop-under;
a rich media ad, such as a Flash or Shockwave ad; and
a Text Ad that uses excessive colour or other elements designed to grab attention.
12Prohibited Video Ads
Video ads, and the click-to-play exception.
A video ad is prohibited unless it is a Click-to-Play Video Ad that complies with section 12.2. This prohibition includes overlay in-video ads and pre-roll video ads.
A Click-to-Play Video Ad must satisfy all of the following:
it is clearly labelled and recognisable as an ad;
the user can stop it at least as easily as the user started it;
sound plays only after a deliberate action by the user to turn it on, which includes starting the video where it is clearly indicated that sound will be on;
it does not impede access to the video content with which it is displayed; and
its design and placement, and those of its play control, do not mislead the user into starting it.
Interpretation
13Definitions
Meanings of capitalised terms.
“6:1 Banner” means the 6:1 Smartphone Banner unit in the IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio (2017), the maximum size of which is 450×75.
“Above The Fold” means the portion of a webpage that is visible in the Viewport when the page first loads, and “Below The Fold” means the remainder of the webpage.
“Acceptable Ad” has the meaning given in section 1.2.
“Carousel Gallery” means a sequence of content which the user can navigate through, presented in a single-image-per-slide style in a non-automated manner.
“Click-to-Play Video Ad” means a video ad that plays only after an explicit action by the user, such as clicking or tapping a play symbol.
“Desktop Ad” means an ad displayed on a desktop screen.
“Display Ad” means an ad that consists of or includes an image.
“Feed” means a sequence of content entries of similar form presented one after another, such as a stream of posts, articles, products or search results, and includes a list of such entries.
“In-Content Ad” means an ad displayed between two parts of the Primary Content, but does not include an ad displayed in a Carousel Gallery.
“In-Feed Ad” means an ad displayed between the entries of a Feed.
“LEAN Standard” means the requirements for animations set out in the IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio (2017).
“Mobile Ad” means an ad displayed on a mobile screen.
“Non-Scrollable Single-Page” means a page that does not scroll, and includes a page that allows a nominal amount of scrolling where that scrolling does not substantively display new Primary Content or the user is not reasonably expected to scroll.
“Primary Content” means content that is directly related to, or expands upon, the central topic of a document or the central functionality of an application, and that is unique to the document. It does not include content that is repeated across a set of documents, such as sidebars, navigation links, copyright information, site logos, and search forms (unless the document’s main function is a search form).
“Refresh Rate” means the time that elapses before the content of an ad unit is replaced with new content.
“Refreshing Ad” means an ad whose content is replaced with new ad content while the ad is in view.
“Search Ad” means an ad displayed in response to a user-initiated search query.
“Side Rail” means a column beside the Primary Content, to its left or right, that does not form part of the Primary Content.
“Standard” means this Acceptable Ads Standard, as amended from time to time.
“Sticky Mobile Ad” means a Mobile Ad that stays fixed in position in the Viewport while the user scrolls.
“Text Ad” means an ad consisting only of text, without images, video or animation.
“Viewport” means the area of the user’s browser window in which a webpage is displayed, excluding the browser’s own interface and the device’s operating-system interface.
14Interpretation
Rules for reading this Standard.
A provision that does not state whether it applies to a Desktop Ad or to a Mobile Ad applies to both.
An ad is no larger than a stated size only if it exceeds neither the width nor the height of that size.
A dimension expressed in px is measured in CSS pixels.
Help improve the Standard
All proposed changes to the Acceptable Ads Standard are published for public comment before a decision is made. Check this page for proposals and opportunities to share your views.
You can also suggest a change at any time. We welcome suggestions from the public about changes the Committee should consider.
Suggest a change
Open for public comment
There are currently no proposals to amend the Standard.