Display ads

Click-to-expand ads

Click-to-expand ads are a type of expandable ad that can expand to a large size (up to 728x270 pixels). When a user chooses to engage with a click-to-expand ad (i.e., by clicking the ad) the ad then expands to the center of your page. Once the ad is expanded, a translucent layer grays out the background of your page, giving the user a near full-screen ad experience.

Click-to-expand ads are served as third-party ads and are created by Google-certified rich media vendors for the top display advertisers in our network. As with other Google ads, you earn based on whether the expandable ads on your site are priced on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) basis. Keep in mind that you'll generate earnings from CPC expandable ads when a user visits the advertiser's landing page, and not when a user simply clicks to expand the ad.

Expandable ad sizes

Expandable ads have two sizes: an initial “invitation state” size followed by an “expanded state” size once the user has expanded the ad.

  • Invitation state unit sizes: 120x600, 160x600, 200x200, 250x250, 300x250, 300x600, 336x280, 468x60, and 728x90

  • Expanded state unit sizes (corresponding with the previous invitation state unit sizes): 240x600, 320x600, 400x200, 500x250, 600x250, 672x280, 468x180, and 728x270

Frequently asked questions

Will expandable ads alter my site's layout or be disruptive to my users?
No. In order to protect the publisher and user experience, we've created several policies around how expandable ads work:
  • Ads will expand only after a user clicks and interacts with the ad. Mouseovers or rollovers won't trigger the ad, in order to prevent accidental expansions.
  • An expandable ad won't expand more than double its width or height.
  • Once expanded, the ad appears as a layer over the page content so that your content is not modified or shifted in any way.
  • The user may close the expanded panel at any time.
  • All expandable ads must comply with the Google Ads engagement ad policies.
How can I show expandable ads on my site?
You're automatically eligible to receive expandable ads if you've added the AdSense code directly into your site's source code and you've enabled display ads. You might still not be able to show some expandable ads if you're blocking third-party ad serving, or if your ads are served through an iframe
Can I opt out of showing expandable ads on my site?
Yes. You can use the "expandable ads" opt out to choose whether or not you want to display expandable ads on your site.
Can I filter specific expandable ads shown on my site?
Yes - like the other ads on your pages, you can use your allow and block ads controls to block contextually-targeted expandable ads. Please note that for third-party ads, we recommend using the top level domain (e.g., example.com instead of example.com/sample.html). Additionally, you can use your Ad review center to block specific placement-targeted expandable ads. In the Ad review center, expandable ads are classified under the "Rich Media" ad format.
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