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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:

ImpressionsImpressions (Google Ads)Impressions (Meta Ads)Impressions (LinkedIn Ads)Impressions (TikTok Ads)Impressions (Campaign Manager 360)

Attribute	Impressions Internal	Impressions (Google Ads) Internal	Impressions (Meta Ads) Internal	Impressions (LinkedIn Ads) Internal	Impressions (TikTok Ads) Internal	Impressions (Campaign Manager 360) Internal
Origin	Internal	External · Google Ads	External · Meta Ads	External · LinkedIn Ads	External · TikTok Ads	External · Cm360
Definition	Impressions count how often an ad was shown. Platforms differ on whether an impression requires the ad to be viewable (on screen), which affects comparability.	An impression is counted each time an ad is shown on a Google search result page or another site or property in the Google Network.	The number of times Meta ads were on screen.	The number of times an ad was displayed to LinkedIn members under LinkedIn's reporting methodology.	The number of times TikTok ads were shown.	Campaign Manager 360 counts an impression when its ad server serves the creative or, in certain implementations, when the impression tracking request is made.
Unit	—	count	count	count	count	count
Aggregation	—	sum	sum	sum	sum	sum
Formula	—	—	—	—	—	—
Includes	—	Served ad appearances	On-screen ad appearances	Qualifying displayed ads	Shown ads	Ad-server impression events
Excludes	—	—	—	—	—	—
Applicable dimensions / channels	—	—	—	—	—	—
Known limitations	—	In some environments only part of an ad may be shown.	One person can generate multiple impressions.	LinkedIn also exposes MRC-accredited gross and net impression columns for eligible reporting.	A unique user can generate multiple impressions.	Counting method can vary by tag type and delivery environment; invalid activity is filtered.
Comparability notes	—	Use within Google Ads delivery methodology.	Conceptually comparable to served/on-screen impressions, but counting and invalid-traffic methods differ.	Compare only when using equivalent gross/net and format scopes.	Broadly comparable as an exposure count, subject to platform methodology.	Ad-server logs may differ from publisher or buying-platform counts.
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

Impression counting rules differ by platform (viewability thresholds, served vs. viewed, and dedup logic vary), so totals are only roughly comparable. Confirm each platform's viewability and counting method before combining.