Today Out of Home location development expert Andy Goodman of Age Advertising talks about what makes a great billboard location.
Not all billboard locations are created equal. A truly terrific site consistently delivers advertiser value, long-term revenue, and strong audience engagement. Four core factors reveal whether a location has that potential: visibility, approach, exclusivity, and high traffic patterns.
- Visibility
Visibility is the foundation of a successful billboard location. For freeway and highway sites, the gold standard is an unobstructed line of sight of 1,000 feet or more. Surface streets present a greater challenge, making height and placement even more critical.
Height plays a major role in visibility, and many cities are becoming more flexible on this issue. While a sign ordinance may technically allow only 60 feet above grade, municipalities often grant additional height—sometimes 70 to 90 feet—when overpasses, highway transitions, or elevation changes require it. Increasingly, cities are willing to make these accommodations because they now participate in the revenue generated by the signs.
Beyond height, proper angle and orientation are essential. Lighting conditions, glare control, and strong night visibility all contribute to whether a sign can be seen clearly and consistently, day or night.
- Approach
A great billboard doesn’t just need to be visible—it needs time to be seen. That’s where approach comes in.
The ideal location offers a long, unobstructed approach, paired with slow-moving traffic. Many highways and freeways naturally produce this condition due to congestion, bottlenecks, or merging lanes. When traffic moves slowly and drivers have an extended view of the sign, message retention and advertising effectiveness increase dramatically. A long approach is one of the most underrated but powerful attributes of a premium billboard site.
- Exclusivity
Exclusivity has become increasingly important as more cities lease city-owned property for billboard development. In many cases, municipalities choose to work with only one outdoor advertising company, granting that company exclusive rights to develop signage on specific city-owned sites.
This exclusivity can be extremely valuable. It may allow a single digital billboard to dominate a highway corridor or geographic area where no competitors can enter. With no nearby competing signs, advertisers gain maximum impact and the location becomes far more desirable.
- High Traffic Patterns
Traffic volume matters—but so does traffic quality. Not all impressions are equal.
For example, in California, the 405 Freeway delivers high-income, high-value eyeballs and commands premium advertising rates. By contrast, a freeway like the 710 carries heavier trucking and commuter traffic, which serves a different advertising purpose and typically commands lower rates. Understanding who is on the road—and why—helps determine whether a location attracts premium advertisers or more price-sensitive ones.
When visibility, approach, exclusivity, and high-quality traffic patterns come together, a billboard location moves from average to exceptional. These four factors are the clearest indicators that a site will perform at the highest level for advertisers and operators alike.
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