Are leaderboard (header) ads worth it? How much do leaderboard ads earn?

Website ad

Short answer: No, leaderboard ads are not worth it.  In my view, large leaderboard ads are terrible for user experience.  I’ve used them for years. I’ve cashed in okay on leaderboards but you’ll see in the financial analysis below they aren’t worth it. 

What is a leaderboard ad?

A leaderboard ad is an ad that displays at the top of a website above the post title.  Usually, they are full-width but not always.  Some are smaller such as 728 x 90 but some can be huge.  Here’s an example of a leaderboard I screenshot from one of my niche sites:

Leaderboard ad example

Leaderboard ads are also referred to as header ads.

How much do leaderboard ads earn?

Since I’ve run leaderboard ads on numerous sites via AdThrive, I have some decent data.  The best way to answer how much leaderboard ads earn is as a percent of overall ad revenue.

Site 1 (the leaderboard is the “Header” ad)

Leaderboard ad revenue

  • Total ad revenue last 30 days: $69,949
  • Total leaderboard ad revenue last 30 days: $1,567
  • Leaderboard revenue percentage of overall ad revenue: 2.2%

Site 2 (the leaderboard is the “Header” ad)

Leaderboard ad revenue

  • Total ad revenue last 30 days: $1,129
  • Total leaderboard ad revenue last 30 days: $81.21
  • Leaderboard revenue percentage of overall ad revenue: 7.2%

Site 3 (the leaderboard is the “Header” ad)

Ad revenue for niche website

  • Total ad revenue last 30 days: $965
  • Total leaderboard ad revenue last 30 days: $22.13
  • Leaderboard revenue percentage of overall ad revenue: 2.3%

Site 4 (the leaderboard is the “Header” ad)

Ad revenue niche website

  • Total ad revenue last 30 days: $660
  • Total leaderboard ad revenue last 30 days: $17.49
  • Leaderboard revenue percentage of overall ad revenue: 2.7%

Results: Leaderboard ads on my niche sites tend to generate 2 to 3 percent of total ad revenue. In my view, the amount they disrupt user experience is disproportionately high to how much they earn.  In other words, leaderboard ads are not worth it.

Reducing ads should be done methodically

I’ve often opted to show fewer ads than I’m permitted in an effort to provide a better user experience.  However, it’s easy to start chipping away at ads and before you know it your revenue is really low.  2% here, 4% there can all add up to serious revenue.  That said, in the case of leaderboard ads, IMO it’s safe to say the disruption is not worth the revenue.

Am I replacing the leaderboard ads with any other type of ads?

I’m moving my sites to Mediavine.  Mediavine offers leaderboard ads but they recommend not using them and instead suggest turning on what they call “adhesion” ad units. Adhesion ads are another name for sticky ads.

Should you turn off leaderboard ads?

It really depends on how much revenue they contribute.  In my case, with site 2 listed above, they contribute 7% to revenue. That’s a sizeable chunk and probably worth it.  For the other sites, definitely not worth it.

Another consideration is to ask your ad provider to only display ads no bigger than 728×90 so that they don’t take up the entire screen.

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