Taboola native ads: formats, specs, targeting, examples
- levidkerington
- Sep 28
- 6 min read
Advertising that looks like a part of the content rather than an intrusive insertion is gaining more and more attention. Platforms that specialise in this format allow ads to be integrated into news feeds and thematic sites as naturally as possible. This is exactly how Taboola native ads work – they don't just attract attention, but create the feeling of organic advice or editorial recommendations.
This format is ideal for media buyers who want to scale traffic without the risk of bans, as well as for brands that want to avoid breaking the trust of their audience. In this article, we'll look at how native ads Taboola work, what formats are supported, what you need to know about the specifications, and how to set up targeting and run campaigns to maximise results.
Native advertising Taboola: how it works
Taboola is a global advertising platform that works with more than 3,500 premium websites, including leading media outlets in the US, UK, France, Germany and Canada. Native advertising Taboola appears as recommended content below articles or inside news feeds. Formally, it is an advert, but its presentation is indistinguishable from editorial content, which is what creates a high level of trust on the part of the user.
Taboola native ads are created using machine learning – the system analyses user behaviour and selects ads that best match their interests. This creates an individual approach to content, where each ad unit looks like a piece of advice rather than an intrusive banner. Traffic generated by Taboola mainly comes from Tier-1 and Tier-2 countries, which makes the platform particularly beneficial for promoting expensive offers. Here are some more useful facts about Taboola:
Year of foundation. 2007.
Payment models. CPC (Cost Per Click), CPM (Cost Per Mille), CPV (Cost Per View).
Minimum budget for the campaign. From $2000.
Users. More than 1.4 billion unique users every month.
Support service. You can get advice by phone or email. There are also many useful materials on the website.
Geography. Reaching up to 95% of the US audience, 85% in France, 78% in Germany.
Devices. Approximately 51% of traffic comes from desktops, the rest from mobile.
Native advertising Taboola are fully integrated into the design of the partner website. Also, the ads are not blocked by AdBlock, because Taboola is part of the Acceptable Ads programme. In addition, the service is supported by Google and can be displayed in parallel with AdSense blocks, although both systems use similar targeting algorithms and sometimes compete for user attention.
Taboola native ad specs: requirements and tips
The platform strictly controls the quality and purity of advertising content. Immediately after registration, advertisers must submit the offer they plan to promote for review. Moderators carefully analyse the content – any hints of grey areas (for example, adultery or aggressive gambling) automatically lead to rejection. If the offer raises suspicions, the launch of the campaign becomes impossible, and the account is blocked before the start. In addition, even partial use of prohibited elements in creatives (for example, eroticised images in the deck) violates Taboola native ad specs.
The platform pays special attention to the reliability of information. If news is used, it must be verified. If an advert promises an effective weight loss method or medical result, it needs links to research or official recommendations. Exaggerated figures, fake case studies, or exaggerations such as "earned a million in a week" are a direct path to a ban. Cloaking is also prohibited on the platform. Native ads Taboola must be honest, clear, and not misleading. In case of violation of the rules, the advertising account is permanently blocked without the right to a refund, and payment data is blacklisted – even a new account with the same card cannot be created.
Native ads Taboola formats: examples from real campaigns
Taboola native ads is represented by several basic formats that adapt to the look of the website on which they are placed. Most often, these are classic teasers – a combination of a headline, image, and link that are integrated into the recommendation block below articles, in news feeds, or in widget format. Another popular format is video ads, which are displayed in autoplay mode without sound and do not interrupt content consumption.
Widgets section
So, here are the formats Taboola offers for native advertising:
Teaser ad (headline + image).
In-Feed. An ad that looks like a part of a news feed.
In-Article. Blocks of recommendations inside the content.
Video ads. Native short videos without automatic sound.
For test launches, it is best to choose the teaser format – it is the easiest to implement, easy to moderate, and suitable for most verticals. Such ads often look like tips such as "These 5 products lower blood pressure faster than medication" with an illustration of the product on a neutral background. This allows you to gather an audience with a high interest in the topic without being intrusive.
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How to set up native ads in Taboola
Before launching a campaign, make sure that your offer meets all the requirements. As we have already mentioned, native advertising Taboola are strictly moderated, and even minimal hints of grey areas can lower your account's rating or even lead to a ban. That is why it is important to first agree on the offer with the moderation, and only then top up the balance. If you are new to the platform, it is recommended to start with a test campaign to study the behaviour of the audience and feel the specifics of the network. Here are the main steps to launch advertising on the platform:
Check the offer. Make sure that it does not contradict Taboola's advertising rules and specifications.
Submit it for moderation. Go through the approval stage of the proposal.
Top up your account. The minimum deposit is $2000.
Create a campaign in Ads Manager. Specify the budget, duration, and goals.
Upload your creatives. Prepare several teaser variants or video ads.
Customise your targeting. GEO, demographics, interests, devices.
Run the test. 2-6 days of test screenings with different segments.
Create a stop list. Filter out ineffective sites.
Use bot filters. To protect against low-quality traffic.
Update your campaign based on test results. Optimise bids, creatives, and audiences.
After a few days of launch, you should update the stop list, taking into account sources with low conversion rates. Also, pay attention to the compliance of creatives with the rules: images that are too clickbait or provocative may pass the initial moderation but later get banned. For example, images of a syringe or a person in crisis may be allowed individually, but in pairs, they will be automatically blocked. Take this into account when planning your ad to ensure that your ad not only looks attractive but also meets all the requirements of the platform.
Advanced targeting for Taboola native ads
One of the platform's advantages is the flexible audience setting, which allows you to show native ads Taboola to those with a high potential for interaction. Advertisers can choose the geolocation (country, region, city), gender and age category, device type (desktop or mobile), and even operating system. This granularity is in line with Taboola's native advertising specifications, which provide for precise and controlled display of creative only in the appropriate environment. Here is a look at the available targeting options in Taboola:
GEO. Country, region, city, including small settlements.
Demographics. Gender, age, language of the device.
Device. Mobile, desktop, tablet.
Operating system. With the ability to select a specific version.
Interests. Marketplace Audiences ready-made lists – sorted traffic by specific interests.
Lookalike audience. Search for similar users based on your parameters. The level of similarity is from 5% to 25%.
Context. Display ads next to relevant articles or content.
When working with lookalike audiences, you shouldn't chase maximum reach – it's better to choose a similarity level of 10-15% to maintain a balance between the quality and scale of traffic. And when using Marketplace Audiences, it's important not to add too many interests at once, otherwise your reach may drop to critically low levels. All of this allows you to accurately hit the target and scale native ads Taboola without losing efficiency.
Conclusion
Native advertising Taboola is a flexible promotional tool that combines large-scale reach, high content credibility, and powerful targeting capabilities. Thanks to its premium media, strict moderation system, and support for various formats, this platform is suitable for promoting gaming, finance, products, apps, and more. Properly used Taboola native ad specs allow you not only to pass moderation, but also to get high-quality traffic with maximum conversion and profit.
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