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I was wondering if there are standard sizes which designers use when you want to reserve space for a web advert on their website design.
I'm aware of these sizes given by IAB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_banner#Standard_sizes
Then there are also the Google Ad sizes. https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/6002621?hl=en
I want to know which sizes are most commonly used by Web Designers when reserving space.
I'm not sure there really is a definitive answer to this, as it's often up to the site on which you wish to display your ads, how their site is designed, and where in that design they place their ads.
The best thing to do is to ask the site which size(s) they prefer. Most companies will have some sort of "Media Guide" or documentation outlining the dimensions, format, file size, etc. that the ads should be.
If, for some reason, you can't ask them, I would go with the Google sizes.
Google's sizes have been somewhat of a benchmark for quite a few years now. I have been designing banners and ads for web use for 10+ years now and the Google sizes are by far the most common ones, though I have noticed the banner ads are starting to get wider, as websites also do.
As I previously stated, it's best to ask first.
I think if you're a smaller company following the IAB Display Guidelines makes the most sense. Most of the Google Sizes are inside the IAB already, but for smaller publishers it gives other options as well while making it easy for advertisers to use ads across platforms. While Google's Doubleclick is the big dog, its not the only Ad Serving Platform. Other's like SiteScout (formerly AdBrite) and Medialets and many others exist. The IAB is an organization that attempts to provide designers and smaller companies a guideline to the most common ad sizes across all platforms.
Larger companies don't have to follow any guidelines if they don't want to because the IAB also follows the companies. For example if Google comes out with a new product which involves a new ad size, eventually if it catches on the IAB will recommend it.
IAB is a recommendation body not a governing organization.
If I were designing a website with the intent to place ads on I would absolutely consider the IAB recommendations.
It's important to note if you're VERY small then the people advertising don't know or care about the IAB, Doubleclick, or any other Ad Serving Platform. They're going to send you a one off ad, so standardized sizing is irrelevant.
