HTML 5 is simply the newest version of the HTML standard, and as such, much of it is familiar to long-time web developers.

Plenty of elements and the creative ways you can use it are new, though, and it’s an evolving standard. It changes from time to time, as any good standard should, and it has been available in some form since 2008.

What Are HTML5 Ads?

HTML5 is the latest iteration of HTML—one of the markup languages browsers use to present content.

HTML5 is the first version of HTML that allows developers to write video, audio, and others animations directly into the source code of a page—thus eliminating the need for plugins like Flash.

HTML5 ads are at once more attractive to click on and less intrusive to look at—because they live within the page, they’re more subtle, more elegant, and not quite so interstitial-y.

How to Make HTML5 Ads

Luckily, you don’t need to be a full stack developer—or even be fluent in HTML5—to create an HTML5 ad. T

here are dozens of tools—Google Web Designer, Bannersnack, Flexitive, etc.—that allow marketers with limited knowledge of web-based code to create dazzling and click-worthy HTML5 ads.

HTML 5 Requirements for Google Ads

If you’re running Google Ads through the Google Ad Manager – and you probably are – your HTML 5 ads have to meet certain requirements.

HTML 5 ads must be SSL compatible

This actually isn’t a strict requirement for all ads, but if you want your ads to serve on HTTPS sites, your ads need to be compatible with SSL.

If you’re designing your ads through the Google Web Designer

You must choose the right environment when creating the ad creatives. Choose the “Display & Video 360” environment.

HTML 5 ads must follow dimension guidelines.

• Use the size meta tag to specify the size your ads are supposed to display.
• Use fixed sizes, as dynamic sizes (“fluid”) do not work.
• Your minimum dimensions cannot be zero.

Short conclusion

HTML 5 is the new future standard and will be the standard moving forward for quite some time. It’s an in-development standard as well, so rather than getting an HTML 6, we’ll simply get more evolved and expanded versions of HTML 5.

I highly recommend learning it, as it can do some very cool things, and it will make your ads truly pop.