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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:

ClicksClicks (Google Ads)Clicks (All) (Meta Ads)Link Clicks (Meta Ads)Clicks (LinkedIn Ads)Clicks (All) (TikTok Ads)

Attribute	Clicks Internal	Clicks (Google Ads) Internal	Clicks (All) (Meta Ads) Internal	Link Clicks (Meta Ads) Internal	Clicks (LinkedIn Ads) Internal	Clicks (All) (TikTok Ads) Internal
Origin	Internal	External · Google Ads	External · Meta Ads	External · Meta Ads	External · LinkedIn Ads	External · TikTok Ads
Definition	Clicks count interactions with an ad. Crucially, platforms differ on what counts as a click — some count only clicks to a destination, others include social engagement — so cross-platform totals are rarely directly comparable.	Google Ads counts a click when someone clicks an ad, such as the ad headline, phone number, or another eligible interactive element.	The number of clicks, taps, or swipes on Meta ads, including link clicks and interactions with other parts of the ad.	The number of clicks on links within an ad that lead to destinations or experiences specified by the advertiser.	LinkedIn reports chargeable clicks associated with the selected ad format and objective, including eligible clicks to a landing page or LinkedIn destination.	The number of clicks generated by ads, including social interactions.
Unit	—	count	count	count	count	count
Aggregation	—	sum	sum	sum	sum	sum
Formula	—	—	—	—	—	—
Includes	—	Eligible ad clicks	Link clicks Clicks on Page or profile names Media expansions Other ad interactions	Clicks on specified ad links	Chargeable clicks defined for the ad format	Ad clicks Social interactions
Excludes	—	Impressions Unsuccessful destination loads are still clicks	—	Other non-link ad interactions	Non-chargeable interactions	—
Applicable dimensions / channels	—	—	—	—	—	—
Known limitations	—	A click can be counted even when the person does not successfully reach the website.	Meta separately reports narrower metrics such as Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks.	Link Clicks can include destinations on or off Meta; Outbound Clicks is narrower.	The exact chargeable-click behavior varies by campaign objective and format.	TikTok also reports Clicks (destination), which is narrower.
Comparability notes	—	Broader than destination visits; narrower than Meta Clicks (all) in many comparisons.	Usually broader than Google Ads Clicks and should not be substituted for destination traffic.	Closer to destination-oriented clicks than Clicks (all), but not identical to Google Ads Clicks.	Not directly comparable without matching ad formats and chargeable-click rules.	Similar in breadth to Meta Clicks (all), not necessarily comparable with Google destination-oriented clicks.
Comparability to internal	Internal source of truth	Internal source of truth	Internal source of truth	Internal source of truth	Internal source of truth	Internal source of truth

AI interpretation

AI-generated · review before relying on it

These five "Clicks" metrics are NOT interchangeable. Google Ads Clicks can be counted even when the destination page does not successfully load. Meta Clicks (All) includes broad ad interactions — likes, comments, shares, and profile clicks — while Meta Link Clicks counts only clicks to a destination, so Meta (All) is usually higher than Link Clicks. LinkedIn applies chargeable-click rules that vary by objective and ad format. TikTok Clicks (All) can include social interactions. Do not sum or directly compare these across platforms; align on link/destination clicks if you need a like-for-like number.