Ad placement map
Search, PMax, Shopping, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps, Display — full surface map. Wireframe mockups, not pixel-perfect screenshots. Directional, not gospel.
Explore Google Ads
Jump to the placement map, platform overview, or ad size specs for Google Ads.
Google Ads
- Placement mapBrowse by campaign type or surface
- Platform overviewAll campaign types and surfaces on one page
- Placements changelogInventory updates and overlap notes
- YouTube in-stream sizesVideo dimensions, duration, and file limits
- YouTube bumper sizes6-second unskippable video specs
- Google Ads specsSearch, Display, App, and more
- Country exclusion listCopy every non-US location when targeting the United States
- Presence vs interestLocation option checklist for US-only campaigns
- SERP audit checklistLive Google Search modules to verify against the map
Other platforms
Meta
- Placement mapBrowse by campaign type or surface
- Platform overviewAll campaign types and surfaces on one page
- Placements changelogInventory updates and overlap notes
- Facebook feed sizesFeed image and video dimensions
- Facebook banner sizesRight column and audience network
- Meta ad specsReels, Stories, and cross-format reference
- Country exclusion listCopy every non-US location when targeting the United States
- Explore vs Feed playbookDiscovery placement breakdown habits
TikTok
- Placement mapBrowse by campaign type or surface
- Platform overviewAll campaign types and surfaces on one page
- Placements changelogInventory updates and overlap notes
- TikTok in-feed sizesIn-feed video dimensions and file weights
- TikTok ad specsAll TikTok placement formats
- In-feed vs Pangle playbookWhen to split campaigns and reporting
37 surfaces across 9 channels
Google Play — Store listings
App install ads inside the Google Play Store — sponsored slot in Play search results and the 'Suggested for you' rails.
Sponsored app card in Play search & suggested →Display — App interstitial
Full-screen ad shown between natural transitions in mobile apps via AdMob / Display.
Full-screen interstitial inside apps →Display — Rewarded video
User-initiated video ad in mobile apps. Viewer trades a full watch for an in-app reward (lives, currency, content).
Opt-in video for in-app reward →Display — sidebar banner
Right-rail or sidebar banner on Display Network publisher sites. Responsive sizing.
Responsive image/HTML5 →Display — in-article
Native-style unit injected between paragraphs of publisher content.
Responsive native unit between paragraphs →Display — Anchor / overlay
Sticky bottom anchor unit that stays pinned at the bottom of mobile web pages on the Display Network.
Sticky bottom anchor banner (mobile web) →Maps — Promoted pin
Color-pinned ad on Google Maps showing brand logo, location, and a sponsored callout.
Branded pin + sponsored callout on map →Google Business Profile callout
Sponsored slot rendered on or alongside a Google Business Profile, often visible from Search and Maps.
Sponsored block on the business profile →Local Services Ads — top of SERP
Top-of-SERP profile cards for service businesses, sitting above the text ads under a Sponsored heading with the category name. Pay-per-lead, not per click. Trust-mark required.
Profile card with Google Guaranteed badge →GBP — sponsored sidebar row
Sponsored slot that renders inside the Google Business Profile sidebar on branded local queries — between the profile callouts and the 'reviews from the web' module.
Sponsored row inside knowledge panel sidebar →Maps app — Explore feed
Sponsored place card in the Google Maps mobile Explore / For-You feed, distinct from the in-map promoted pin.
Promoted place card in mobile feed →Waze — Sponsored pin
Promoted business pin inside the Waze navigation app. Eligible via local-focused Performance Max and campaigns with location assets — not listed on one Google Help inventory page.
Branded pin on Waze map →Search — Top text ads
The 1–4 slots above the organic results, each marked with a bold Sponsored label. The most valuable real estate on the open web. A single top block can stack several sub-sections, so more than one ad may share the same Sponsored heading.
Headlines + descriptions + sitelinks →Search — Bottom text ads
Text ads served below the organic results, under their own Sponsored label. Lower CTR, often lower CPC, useful for long-tail queries.
Headlines + descriptions →Search — Shopping carousel
Horizontal product carousel at the top of commercial SERPs. Pulls from the Merchant Center feed.
Product cards (image, price, merchant) →Search — Shopping right rail
Product grid pinned to the right side of the SERP on desktop. Often serves alongside the carousel.
Product card grid →Search — Vehicle ads
Automotive inventory cards on Google Search for vehicle queries, shown under a Sponsored vehicles heading. Powered by a Merchant Center vehicle feed and bought through Performance Max or Standard Shopping.
Vehicle inventory cards (photo, price, mileage, dealer) →Knowledge panel sidebar
Sponsored cards appearing inside or adjacent to a brand's knowledge panel. Brand-defensive placement.
Sponsored card next to brand search →Local pack — sponsored listing
A paid listing inside Google's local Businesses pack (the map plus business list), marked with a small Sponsored label. It can sit at the top or be mixed in with the free listings — often an extra location-extension slot — so the label is the signal, not a fixed position.
Paid listing inside the local Businesses pack, Sponsored label →Search — Call-only ad
SERP text unit where the primary action is a phone call, not a site visit. Common on mobile commercial queries.
Headline + click-to-call (no landing URL) →Search — Flights module
The flight results module that appears for trip queries like flights to Miami, showing airlines and travel sites with prices and a link into Google Flights. Commercial listings run through the Google Flights program and travel feeds rather than a standard Search text-ad auction, so treat it as a travel comparison surface. Needs a live DOM capture to confirm the exact markup.
Airline and travel-site price cards on flight queries →AI Overviews — sponsored links
Sponsored links rendered inside the AI Overview answer block at the top of qualifying searches. Newest auction surface; eligibility still expanding.
Sponsored links inside AI-generated answer →Search — Images tab
Sponsored Shopping tiles interleaved with organic image results in the Images vertical.
Shopping product tiles in image results →Search — Videos tab
Sponsored video thumbnails in the Videos vertical of Google Search.
Sponsored video result →YouTube — Skippable in-stream
Plays before/during/after a YouTube video. Skippable after 5 seconds. Charged on view or action.
Video, skippable after 5s →YouTube — Non-skippable in-stream
Up to 15-second video, no skip option. Charged on CPM.
Video, 15s, unskippable →YouTube — Bumper
Six-second unskippable video. Optimized for reach and frequency. CPM priced.
Video, 6s, unskippable →YouTube — In-feed video
Video thumbnail surfaced on YouTube home, search results, and watch-next column. User clicks to play.
Thumbnail + headline in feed →YouTube Shorts
Vertical video ads inserted between organic Shorts in the swipe feed.
Vertical video in Shorts feed →YouTube Masthead
Premium reserved placement at the top of YouTube home for 24 hours. Bought direct, not auction.
Top-of-home video unit (reservation) →YouTube — Companion banner
Companion banner that renders next to a skippable in-stream ad on YouTube desktop. Persists after the video ad ends.
300×60 static banner beside in-stream video →YouTube — Overlay ad
Lower-third overlay rendered on top of an organic video on YouTube desktop. Display-network sourced.
Semi-transparent text/image overlay on video →YouTube — Connected TV
YouTube ads served on TV apps (Roku, Apple TV, smart TVs, game consoles). Different creative + measurement profile than mobile/desktop.
Non-skippable in-stream on TV screens →Related tools & guides
Operator workflows linked from the placement map — playbooks, identification flow, specs, and glossary depth.
Questions operators ask
An ad placement is the specific surface where a paid ad actually renders — the Search results page, a YouTube pre-roll slot, Gmail's promotions tab, a Reels feed, a Display banner on a publisher site. A single campaign type can fan out to many placements; this tool maps every one.
Keep going
- What is this ad? — surface to campaign eligibilityReverse lookup: pick a Meta, TikTok, or Google ad surface and see which campaign types can buy it.Open →
- Google SERP placement audit checklistOperator checklist of live Google Search queries and modules to verify against the Placements map — Local pack, Shopping, AI Overviews, YouTube, and more.Open →
- Ad Specs — current dimensions, file weights, and aspect ratiosSearchable reference for current ad specs across every major paid platform. Monitored daily, sourced.Open →
- Placement playbooks — operator checklistsChecklists for Performance Max surfaces, Demand Gen vs Video, Meta Feed/Reels, TikTok in-feed vs Pangle, and Shopping.Open →