Taboola Placements Explained: More Than Just Native Ads

When most people think of Taboola, they picture Native ads below articles on publisher sites — and for good reason.

Taboola built its reputation on precisely that format, delivering content-integrated ads that feel like editorial recommendations rather than interruptions.

But that’s no longer the whole story.

With the introduction of the Realize Ads Manager, Taboola has expanded far beyond traditional Native placements, giving advertisers a full spectrum of ad formats and placements designed for performance marketing across the open web.

This article walks you through all the major Taboola placements available today — not in isolation, but as building blocks within a strategic, multi-touchpoint campaign.

The Classic: Native Ads in the Open Web

Native advertising is designed to blend seamlessly with a site’s content so that it appears as natural content rather than a disruptive ad experience. This makes native formats highly effective for user engagement without interrupting the browsing flow.

With Taboola, these ads commonly appear:

• Under news articles on publisher sites

• Within recommended content feeds

• Embedded alongside editorial recommendations

  
  

Because they look like content users are already consuming, they are effective for:

• Prospecting (new customer acquisition)

• Mid-funnel education

• Solution awareness

• Retargeting

  
  

A key strategy here is not to send Native traffic straight to a product page immediately — instead, leverage educational landing pages, Advertorials, or listicles that build trust and contextual relevance.

Inbox Ads: Placed Right in Email

One of the standout formats beyond classic Native is Inbox Ads. These ads show up directly inside users’ email inboxes, especially in markets like the USA and UK where Taboola works with major partners such as Yahoo.

Inbox Ads mimic the appearance of a real email — complete with sender, subject line, and icon — while clearly being marked as advertisements. This placement can drive exceptionally high engagement because the message appears in one of the most personal digital spaces people interact with daily.

Because the context is different, Inbox Ads require their own strategy — sometimes direct conversion works best, while other times a more informative or narrative ad leading to helpful content performs better.

Vertical / Display Ads: CPC-Based Display Formats

Another major expansion is Vertical Ads or Display placements. These are more traditional display banners — vertical skyscrapers, rectangles, and other familiar ad sizes — but with a twist: Taboola’s platform allows advertisers to buy them on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis.

This means:

• You pay only when someone clicks

• Impressions, which build awareness, are effectively free

• Brand impact is layered on top

  
  

Moreover, these Display formats are served natively across premium publisher sites, not just closed networks, making Taboola a viable alternative to classic display channels.

Push Notifications: Instant Attention

Push Notifications represent another placement option where marketers can send small, attention-grabbing messages directly to users’ devices in real time.

Push notifications work well for:

• Time-sensitive offers

• Seasonal promotions

• Event reminders

• Quick re-engagement

  
  

Used strategically, Push can be a powerful driver of reactivation and immediate traffic.

Lockscreen Ads: Reach at First Glance

Lockscreen placements are another relatively new addition. These ads appear on users’ device lock screens, providing another distinct point of contact before users even unlock their phones.

Seen in combination with Native or Display formats, Lockscreen Ads create an additional moment of brand exposure and offer a powerful way to reinforce messaging throughout a user’s digital day.

Think Holistically: Don’t Treat Placements Taboola placements in Isolation

The biggest mistake advertisers make is treating these placements as separate, standalone tactics.

Native, Inbox, Display, Push, and Lockscreen are not interchangeable; each fits a different context in the user journey.

To get the most from Taboola’s ecosystem, ask for each placement:

• What mindset is the user in when they see it?

• Is the user consuming content, checking email, browsing the web, or engaging with notifications?

• What action makes the most sense at that moment?

• What type of landing page supports that intent (e.g., educational content vs. direct offer)?

  
  

Only when you align placement type, creative, and landing experience do you create a cohesive strategy that moves users from discovery to conversion.

Conclusion

Taboola is no longer just a Native advertising platform.

Thanks to the Realize Ads Manager and its expanded inventory, you now have access to:

• Native Ads

• Inbox Placements

• Vertical / Display Ads

• Push Notifications

• Lockscreen Ads

  
  

These placements, when thoughtfully combined, allow you to cover multiple touchpoints across the mid- and low-funnel, helping you reach audiences in different contexts and moments of intent.

Understanding how and when to use each format — and tailoring your creative strategy accordingly — is what turns Taboola into a modern performance channel in the open web.