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Put definitions side by side — internal vs external, or across platforms — to see exactly where they agree and where they don’t. Never combine metrics whose definitions materially differ.

Cross-platform presets: Clicks across ad platforms Impressions across ad platforms Reach across ad platforms Frequency across ad platforms Click-through rate across ad platforms

Presets:

GA4 · Engaged SessionMeta · Post EngagementGoogle Ads · EngagementLinkedIn · Engagement Rate

Attribute	GA4 · Engaged Session External	Meta · Post Engagement External	Google Ads · Engagement External	LinkedIn · Engagement Rate External
Origin	External · GA4	External · Meta Ads	External · Google Ads	External · LinkedIn Ads
Definition	A session lasting 10s+, with a conversion, or 2+ pageviews (Google's definition).	Total actions (reactions, comments, shares, clicks) on a post or ad.	A campaign-type-dependent interaction (e.g. expand on Lightbox ads).	Engagements divided by impressions on sponsored content.
Unit	—	—	—	—
Aggregation	—	—	—	—
Formula	Sessions that last ≥ 10 seconds OR have ≥ 1 conversion event OR ≥ 2 pageviews	SUM(reactions + comments + shares + clicks + saves + other post interactions)	Depends on ad format — e.g. a 10s hover/expand on Lightbox, or a swipe on app ads	(clicks + likes + comments + shares + follows) / impressions
Includes	Sessions ≥ 10s Sessions with a conversion Sessions with 2+ pageviews	Reactions Comments Shares Link & non-link clicks Saves	Format-specific engagements	Clicks Reactions Comments Shares Follows
Excludes	Bounces (single short pageview, no engagement)	Passive impressions without interaction Video 3s views (separate metric)	Standard clicks (counted separately)	Impressions without interaction
Applicable dimensions / channels	Date Channel Device Country	Date Campaign Age Country Placement	Date Campaign Device Country	Date Campaign Country Job Function
Known limitations	Measures session quality, not content interaction Modeled/sampled for large properties	Counts interactions with platform content, not product usage A single user can generate many engagements	Definition varies by campaign type — not a single consistent metric	Ratio to impressions, not sessions
Comparability notes	GA4 measures session quality; internal Engagement Rate measures in-product interactions. Not directly combinable.	Meta counts content interactions; internal Engagement Rate counts in-product actions per session. Different behavior — do not combine.	Format-dependent; not comparable to internal engagement.	Both are ratios, but denominators differ (impressions vs sessions).
Comparability to internal	Partially comparable	Not comparable	Not comparable	Partially comparable

AI interpretation

AI-generated · review before relying on it

These definitions should not be directly combined because they describe different types of behavior. GA4 measures session quality (time, pageviews, conversions), while Meta primarily measures interactions with platform content and ads. Google Ads engagement is format-dependent, and LinkedIn divides interactions by impressions rather than sessions. Your internal Engagement Rate measures in-product actions per active session. Use each metric within its own platform and compare trends, not absolute values.