Meta changes click attribution – how clicks are counted

For Meta, a click will henceforth only be a click on a link, such as a website of an advertiser. Everything else – likes, sharing, and saving posts, for example – will be counted as engage-through attribution. This new system for analyzing how users interact with their posts and ads is intended to create greater comparability with other platforms.

Previously, click-based attribution was generally considered a click. In other words, every interaction was counted as a click in Meta's Ad Manager. The subdivision now made roughly corresponds to the evaluation of clicks in Google Analytics. This is where comparability is created. Clearly, Google is concerned with clicks on displayed links, not likes. This has presumably caused confusion among advertisers until now.

With the new category “Engage-Through-Reporting,” advertisers can now also measure the impact of actions on social media platforms. This also potentially contributes to the success of a campaign.

Meta itself has stated that for videos, typically Reels, most reactions occur within the first two seconds. Therefore, all interactions that happen within the first five seconds will be counted in the future. Previously, it was ten seconds for measurement.

Meta also distinguishes between engaged views, which are those where you stick around, and impressions, which are those that were shown to you but you didn't react further to. These will be called view-throughs in the future.

The changes will be gradually introduced starting at the end of the month. The costs incurred by advertisers are not expected to change.

The collaboration with other analysis services such as Northbeam and Triplewhale is also new. In both cases, the platforms encompass more channels than just Meta's social networks, as well as AI-driven analyses and recommendations for action.

(emw)