Billboards are everywhere – along busy roads, outside train stations, near shopping streets. They sit where thousands of people pass by every day. But not all billboard spaces are equal. The difference between a successful campaign and one that gets ignored often comes down to location.
In this guide, we explain how to pick the best billboard locations for your brand, what makes this form of out-of-home (OOH) advertising so effective, and how Priority Outdoor can help you get maximum impact from your campaign.
Picking the right spot isn’t just about being somewhere busy. It’s about being seen by the right people. Billboards work because they merge into everyday life. People travelling to work, walking home, or waiting at traffic lights see them again and again.
Outdoor advertising continually reaches people where they are, unlike online ads that can be skipped, blocked, or ignored. Research shows that more than 52 million people in Great Britain see out-of-home (OOH) advertising – including billboards – each week, representing roughly 80 % of the population.
So, a well-placed billboard has the power to reinforce your message through repeated exposure, while a poorly placed one may deliver little visibility or reach people who aren’t your target audience. At Priority Outdoor, we make sure your campaign is seen by the people who matter most.
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A great billboard location has to tick three boxes. It needs to:
- Traffic: Does the location experience good footfall?
- Dwell time: Is the location a place where people have to slow down, i.e. at traffic lights, roundabouts, car parks, or bus stops?
- Relevancy: Do the correct targeted audience make up a significant amount of the footfall the location experiences?
First, traffic and visibility are key. Busy roads, junctions, and city streets offer lots of eyes on your brand. Pedestrian hotspots like town centres or outside stations also give excellent visibility.
Secondly, dwell time makes a difference. Places where people slow down – at traffic lights, roundabouts, car parks, or bus stops – give your audience more time to notice your message. Bigger boards on high-traffic routes can be seen hundreds of thousands of times over just a couple of weeks
Finally, audience relevance matters. You want your message where your customers are. That could be near business parks for professional services, near stadiums for sports fans, or around shopping districts for local promotions. Priority Outdoor uses data and insights to match locations with the right audience.
Billboard costs vary depending on location, size, and format. Smaller billboards in regional areas can start at around £200–£800 per week, while larger urban sites may cost between £800–£2,000 weekly.
Digital billboards, which allow dynamic messaging, often cost more. In high-footfall areas like central London, prices can reach £2,000–£5,000 per week or higher. Prime landmark locations, like Piccadilly Circus, are even more expensive due to their extraordinary reach.
At Priority Outdoor, we help brands find the right locations to suit their budgets and objectives. We balance cost with exposure, ensuring your spend delivers real results.
As the name suggests, mobile billboards aren’t fixed in one location. They move around a target area, usually on trailers or truck-mounted screens. This allows you to deliver your message directly into specific neighbourhoods, events, or city centres.
Mobile billboards work particularly well for local campaigns, product launches, or events because they meet people where they are. At Priority Outdoor, we help brands combine mobile and static billboards to expand reach and target audiences precisely.
Buying billboard space doesn’t need to be complicated. Start by deciding your goal – raising awareness, driving local footfall, or promoting an event. Next, consider locations that match your audience and your budget. If you need help selecting the right locations for your brand campaign, this is something our expert team can help with.
You can choose between static, digital, or mobile billboards depending on your campaign’s needs. Often, a mix works best: static boards for broad exposure, digital for creative flexibility, and mobile for precise targeting. If you’d prefer to leave the planning to the experts, Priority has the tools, data, and media planning experience to choose the right billboard mix for you – making the process fast, simple, and stress-free.
Priority manages the whole process – from booking and permissions to artwork approval and scheduling. We even help monitor campaigns to understand impact on brand awareness, website traffic, and customer engagement.
Billboards can be one of the most effective ways to build your brand, but success comes down to picking the right locations. The right spot ensures your message is seen, remembered, and acted upon, while a poor location risks wasted spend.
At Priority Outdoor, we specialise in finding strategic billboard locations and creating campaigns that really work. Whether you’re looking for static roadside placements, mobile billboards, or digital formats, we help you reach the right people in the right place at the right time.
Ready to make your brand impossible to ignore? Contact Priority Outdoor today, and let’s find the perfect billboard location for your campaign.
