Meta Ads Metrics List: 100 Facebook Ads Metrics, Formulas & Examples Explained
If you’re running Facebook or Instagram ads and feel confused by terms like CTR, frequency, ThruPlay, CPLPV, relevance diagnostics, or conversion rate, this guide is for you.
This page explains every important metric available in the Meta Ads dashboard, with clear definitions, formulas, and practical examples. It’s designed for beginners, marketers, media buyers, and business owners who want to read Meta Ads reports confidently and make data-driven decisions.
What Are Meta Ads Metrics?
Meta Ads metrics are performance measurements used to evaluate how your Facebook and Instagram ads are delivering, engaging users, and converting traffic into leads or sales.
They answer questions like:
- How many people saw my ad?
- How much did each click cost?
- Are users watching my video?
- Why is my conversion rate low?
- Is my ad relevant compared to competitors?
How to Read Facebook Ads Metrics (Beginner Framework)
When reading a Facebook Ads performance report, follow this order:
- Visibility → Reach, Impressions, Frequency
- Engagement → CTR, Clicks, Video Views
- Traffic Quality → Landing Page Views, LPV Rate
- Results → Conversions, Leads, Purchases
- Efficiency → CPC, CPL, CPA, ROAS
- Diagnostics → Quality Ranking, Engagement Rate Ranking, Conversion Rate Ranking
COMPLETE META ADS METRICS LIST (WITH FORMULAS)
1. Delivery & Reach Metrics
1. Impressions
What it means: Total number of times your ad was shown.
Formula: Reported by Meta
Example: Ad shown 15,000 times → Impressions = 15,000
2. Reach
What it means: Number of unique people who saw your ad.
Formula: Reported by Meta
Example: 5,000 people saw your ad → Reach = 5,000
3. Frequency
What it means: Average number of times one person saw your ad.
Frequency Formula (Meta Ads):
Frequency = Impressions ÷ Reach
Example:
15,000 impressions ÷ 5,000 reach = 3.0 frequency
4. Ad Frequency (Meaning)
If frequency goes above 3–4, users may experience ad fatigue, causing CTR to drop and costs to rise.
2. Click & Engagement Metrics
5. Clicks (All)
What it means: All clicks including likes, comments, shares, and link clicks.
6. Link Clicks
What it means: Clicks that send users to your website or landing page.
7. Unique Link Clicks
What it means: Number of unique users who clicked the link.
8. CTR (Click-Through Rate)
CTR Formula (Meta Ads):
CTR = (Link Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100
Example:
300 clicks ÷ 15,000 impressions = 2% CTR
9. Unique CTR
Unique CTR = (Unique Link Clicks ÷ Reach) × 100
10. CPC (Cost Per Click)
CPC = Amount Spent ÷ Link Clicks
11. CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions)
CPM = (Amount Spent ÷ Impressions) × 1,000
3. Landing Page Metrics
12. Landing Page Views (LPV)
What it means: Number of times the landing page fully loaded.
13. Cost Per Landing Page View (CPLPV)
CPLPV Formula:
CPLPV = Amount Spent ÷ Landing Page Views
14. Landing Page View Rate (LPV Rate)
LPV Rate Formula:
LPV Rate = (Landing Page Views ÷ Link Clicks) × 100
4. Engagement Metrics
15. Post Engagement
Total likes, comments, shares, and clicks.
16. Engagement Rate (Meta Ads)
Meta Ads Engagement Rate Formula:
Engagement Rate = (Post Engagement ÷ Impressions) × 100
17. Reactions
Likes, Love, Wow, Haha, Sad, Angry.
18. Comments
Total comments on your ad post.
19. Shares
How many times users shared your ad.
5. Video Metrics (Includes ThruPlay)
20. Video Views (2-Second)
Continuous 2-second views.
21. 3-Second Video Views
22. 10-Second Video Views
23. ThruPlays (Meta Ads)
What it means:
- 100% watch for videos under 15 seconds
- At least 15 seconds for longer videos
24. Cost Per ThruPlay
Cost Per ThruPlay Formula:
Cost per ThruPlay = Amount Spent ÷ ThruPlays
25. ThruPlay Rate Formula (Meta Ads)
ThruPlay Rate = (ThruPlays ÷ Impressions) × 100
26. Video Watch Time
Total time users spent watching your video.
27. Video Average Watch Time
Metric that tells how long a user watched your ad.
28. Hold Rate (Facebook Ads)
Hold Rate Formula:
Hold Rate = (Video Views at X% ÷ Video Views) × 100
6. Conversion & Result Metrics
29. Results (Meta Ads)
Primary objective actions (leads, purchases, installs).
30. Cost Per Result Formula
Cost Per Result = Amount Spent ÷ Results
31. Conversions
Tracked events like leads, purchases, sign-ups.
32. Conversion Rate (Meta Ads)
Conversion Rate Formula (Meta Ads):
Conversion Rate = (Conversions ÷ Link Clicks) × 100
33. Leads
Form submissions or sign-ups.
34. Cost Per Lead (CPL)
CPL = Amount Spent ÷ Leads
35. Purchases
Completed purchase events.
36. Purchase Conversion Value
Total revenue from purchases.
37. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
ROAS = Revenue ÷ Amount Spent
7. Funnel Metrics (eCommerce)
38. Add to Cart
39. Initiate Checkout
40. Add Payment Info
41. Checkouts Completed
Each metric shows where users drop off.
8. Diagnostics & Relevance Metrics (VERY IMPORTANT)
Meta Ads Relevance Diagnostics Explained
Meta Ads uses three diagnostics:
42. Quality Ranking
Compares ad quality to competitors.
43. Engagement Rate Ranking
Compares expected engagement rate.
44. Conversion Rate Ranking
Compares expected conversion performance.
Minimum impressions required:
These rankings typically appear after 500–1,000 impressions.
9. Budget & Cost Metrics
45. Amount Spent
46. Daily Budget
47. Lifetime Budget
48. Budget Utilization
Budget Utilization = (Amount Spent ÷ Total Budget) × 100
10. Common Facebook Ads Questions (FAQ)
What does 1.1k views mean?
It means your content received approximately 1,100 views.
What does “get 300 interactions on your post” mean?
It refers to likes, comments, shares, and clicks combined.
How do you calculate CPM? (Example)
Fancy Flowers Example:
Fancy Flowers spends $750, gets 15,000 impressions, reaches 2,000 people.
CPM = (750 ÷ 15,000) × 1,000 = $50
This means Fancy Flowers paid $50 to reach 1,000 people.
How do you see who liked your Facebook post?
Open the post → click the reaction count → view users who reacted.
This Meta Ads metrics list covers every major metric in the Meta Ads dashboard, along with formulas, explanations, and real examples.
If you understand these metrics, you can:
- Read Facebook Ads reports confidently
- Diagnose poor performance quickly
- Optimize campaigns logically
- Scale winning ads profitably
At Harmukh Technologies, we use these exact metrics to manage, optimize, and scale Meta Ads campaigns for brands across industries.