Complete reference guide with 106 terms and definitions
An experiment comparing two versions of an ad (different creative or targeting) by showing each to a segment of the audience to determine which performs better.
Advertisers might A/B test two headlines to see which generates more clicks.
The time window(s) used to attribute actions (such as link clicks or conversions) to ads. For example, 7d_click means attribute clicks up to 7 days after the ad was shown. In the Insights API, you can specify multiple windows (e.g. ["1d_click","28d_view"]). This affects metrics like conversions and actions because only events within those windows are counted.
action_attribution_windows=['28d_click','1d_view']
A parameter that breaks down action metrics by categories such as action type, device, or destination. For instance, action_breakdowns=['action_type'] will separate actions into types (like offsite_conversion.fb_pixel_purchase, link_click, etc.). Multiple breakdowns can be used together, showing detailed action-level insight.
action_breakdowns=['action_type','action_device']
Determines whether an action's date is reported based on the ad impression date or the actual conversion date. With action_report_time=impression, an action that occurred after a click is listed on the date the ad was seen; with action_report_time=conversion, it's listed on the date of conversion. For example, a conversion on Jan 4 from an Aug 3 impression would appear on Aug 3 with impression or Jan 4 with conversion.
action_report_time=conversion
An advertisement delivered to users. It consists of creative elements (image/video/text) and a call-to-action.
For example, a single Facebook ad might include a product image, headline, and a link to the product page.
The entity through which you pay for and manage ads on Meta platforms. Every ad account has its own billing, permissions, and campaigns.
For example, an agency may manage separate ad accounts for different clients.
The design and content of an ad (images, videos, text, etc.) used to engage users.
E.g., the creative of a Facebook ad might include a product photo, catchy headline, and a Learn More" button."
A group of ads that share the same budget, schedule, bid strategy, and targeting.
For example, one ad set might target U.S. women aged 25–34 with a $20 daily budget.
An AI-powered targeting option that automatically expands an ad's reach by finding additional users similar to your target based on conversion and engagement signals.
Enabling Advantage+ Audience lets Meta find new people likely to convert, beyond your specified interest targets.
A Meta feature (formerly Campaign Budget Optimization) where Meta distributes a campaign's budget across ad sets to maximize overall performance.
Turning on Advantage+ Campaign Budget means Meta automatically allocates spend between ad sets for best results.
An automated format (formerly Dynamic Ads) that uses your product catalog to show the right products to the right people, optimizing for conversions.
A retailer uploads its catalog; Meta dynamically displays relevant items from it to shoppers most likely to buy.
A feature that uses AI to optimize ad creative (images, headlines, colors, etc.) on a per-user basis for better performance.
With Advantage+ Creative, Meta might show one user a version of an ad with a blue background and another user a red one, based on what works.
A targeting option that lets Meta expand a Custom Audience by finding similar users if it predicts better campaign performance.
For example, Meta might include lookalike users along with your uploaded email list when Advantage Custom Audience is enabled.
An option allowing Meta to widen detailed targeting criteria (interests, demographics) beyond what you set if it predicts improved results.
If you target fitness enthusiasts" and enable this, Meta may include related interests (like "yoga") to improve ad delivery."
A setting that allows Meta to increase the size of your Lookalike Audience beyond the initial range if it predicts better outcomes.
When enabled, Meta might target a 5% lookalike audience instead of the original 1% to find more potential customers.
A setting that allows an ad to run across all eligible placements (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network, etc.) to maximize reach.
Turning on Advantage+ Placements means your ad can appear in feeds, Stories, in-stream videos, and third-party apps without manually selecting each.
A breakdown dimension by age range. It groups results into standard age buckets (e.g., 18-24, 25-34, etc.) to show performance by age demographic. This helps understand which age segments are most engaged. Age values are estimated.
breakdowns=['age']
A predefined date range shortcut used in Insights API queries (e.g., last_7d, this_month, etc.). It replaces specifying exact dates and is ignored if a custom time_range or time_ranges is given. Using date_preset simplifies queries by automatically setting common date spans (last week, last 30 days, etc.).
GET /{ad-account-id}/insights?fields=impressions,clicks&date_preset=last_7d
An ad set field that shows the default action attribution window (e.g. "28d_click") used for that ad set. Each ad set can have its own attribution setting, and if not overridden it defaults to the account's setting. This field can return values like 7d_view, 28d_click, mixed (if multiple windows exist) or skan (for iOS 14 SKAdNetwork campaigns). It's only returned if use_unified_attribution_setting=true.
GET /{ad-set-id}?fields=attribution_setting // returns something like "attribution_setting": "7d_click"
The bidding process by which Meta selects which ad to show to a user. Ads compete in real-time based on bid, budget, and predicted relevance.
When a user scrolls their feed, Meta's auction determines which advertiser wins the ad slot.
The group of users defined by targeting criteria (demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.) that an ad is shown to.
For example, an audience might be Men 18-24 in New York interested in sports.""
Meta's ad network that places Facebook/Instagram ads into external mobile apps and websites, extending campaign reach beyond Meta's own platforms.
For instance, a Facebook ad might also appear in a popular mobile game via Audience Network.
A bid strategy where you set the maximum bid Meta can place in the auction for results.
Not used in open sources, no example given.
A parameter to group (segment) results by various dimensions. Common breakdowns include demographic and placement fields such as age, gender, country, impression_device, etc. Each breakdown creates separate rows in the report for each value of that field. For example, breakdowns=['age','gender'] will show separate metrics for each age/gender combination. Not all breakdowns can be combined arbitrarily (see API docs for valid combinations).
breakdowns=['country','publisher_platform']
A campaign-level field that indicates the bidding and buying method. Possible values are AUCTION (dynamic auction bidding), FIXED_PRICE (like a reserved buy), or REACH_AND_FREQUENCY (reach and frequency buy). This field shows how the campaign is being purchased and targeted.
GET /{campaign-id}?fields=buying_type // e.g. returns "buying_type": "AUCTION"
The top-level structure in Meta ads, grouping ad sets that share the same objective. Each campaign has one objective.
A campaign might be set with the Traffic" objective, containing ad sets targeting different audiences."
An older term (subsumed by Advantage Campaign Budget) for allowing Meta to distribute campaign spend across ad sets.
Setting budget at the campaign level lets Meta automatically allocate funds to the best-performing ad sets.
The former name for Instant Experience ads – full-screen, mobile-optimized interactive ads.
Canvas ads were older full-screen experiences; now known as Instant Experiences.
A multi-image/video ad format where users can swipe through up to 10 cards, each with its own link.
A clothing store's carousel ad might show several outfits, each linking to that product page.
An instance of a user tapping or clicking on an ad or its link, indicating engagement.
If 10 people click your ad's call-to-action button to visit your site, that counts as 10 clicks.
The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click. Calculated as (Clicks ÷ Impressions)×100.
For example, if an ad has 1000 impressions and 50 clicks, its CTR is 5%.
(Facebook's older term for assets shared in Business Manager; no longer commonly used.)
Previously used internally, now superseded by Business Suite/Portfolio sharing.
A mobile-only ad format that features a cover image/video with multiple product images below; tapping it opens an Instant Experience (full-screen) shopping experience.
A cosmetics brand's collection ad might show one image/video on top and 4 product images below; clicking opens a mini storefront.
A specific action a user takes (purchase, sign-up, lead, etc.) that an advertiser deems valuable, tracked as part of campaign results.
When an ad click leads to a completed purchase on the website, that sale is recorded as a conversion.
The percentage of clicks (or other initiated events) that result in conversions.
If 100 clicks on an ad lead to 5 purchases, the conversion rate is 5%.
An ad relevance diagnostic showing how an ad's conversion rate compares to ads with the same optimization goal competing for the same audience. Possible values are ranks like BELOW_AVERAGE_20, AVERAGE, ABOVE_AVERAGE_10, etc. It only applies at the ad level (not to campaigns or ad sets). A rank of ABOVE_AVERAGE means the ad's conversion rate is better than most similar ads.
This appears in insights when requesting conversion_rate_ranking.
A server-side integration that lets advertisers send customer action (conversion) data from their servers directly to Meta, improving tracking and ads optimization.
For example, sending purchase events from a company's backend to Meta so ad conversions are tracked even if browser cookies fail.
Built-in targeting defined by Meta using parameters like demographics, location, interests, and behaviors.
For example, selecting Women 25-34 in California interested in travel" in Ads Manager creates a core audience."
The cost incurred on average for each action (click, conversion, or other defined event) an ad receives.
If an ad spends $100 and gets 20 purchases, the CPA per purchase is $5.
A pricing/bidding model where an advertiser pays for each click on their ad.
If an ad spends $50 to get 100 clicks, the CPC is $0.50 (50/100).
Cost per thousand impressions. The amount an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions.
For example, a $10 CPM means you pay $10 for every 1,000 times your ad is shown.
A breakdown dimension grouping results by the country of the user who saw the ad. This is useful to see performance per country. Values are based on the viewer's current location or home country (depending on targeting settings) and are estimated.
breakdowns=['country']
A targeting group created from an advertiser's own data (customer lists, website visitors, app users, etc.), allowing ads to reach known or past customers.
For instance, uploading your email newsletter list to Facebook to target those existing customers with ads.
The average amount of money an advertiser is willing to spend per day on an ad set or campaign.
For example, a $10 daily budget means Meta will aim to spend about $10 each day on that campaign.
A boolean flag (true/false) controlling whether the API should include a summary section in the response. When default_summary=true, the response includes aggregated totals (the same fields requested) across all rows. This is useful for quickly retrieving summary totals without manual aggregation.
default_summary=true
A breakdown dimension for the platform and device used when the ad was seen. For example, "Facebook Desktop News Feed" or "Instagram Mobile News Feed". This shows which device/platform combinations delivered your ads. It is estimated based on where the ad appeared and on what device.
breakdowns=['device_platform']
A breakdown dimension for U.S. markets, representing Nielsen's designated market areas (like TV/radio regions). This shows performance by DMA region. If ads run outside the U.S., those impressions are grouped in "non-DMA." It's used for campaigns targeting the U.S. and is estimated.
breakdowns=['dma']
Any user interaction with an ad, including reactions, comments, shares, clicks, or video views.
An ad with 100 likes, 20 comments, and 10 shares would have 130 engagements.
A ranking of the ad's expected engagement rate (all clicks, likes, comments, shares) compared to ads with the same optimization goal targeting the same audience. Values follow the same scale (e.g. BELOW_AVERAGE, AVERAGE, ABOVE_AVERAGE). It's an estimated metric used as an ad relevance diagnostic at the ad level.
Returned in insights when you include engagement_rate_ranking.
The option to exclude certain audiences from targeting, such as people who already purchased or visited a site.
For example, exclude users who already bought your product to avoid advertising to existing customers.
A query parameter listing the specific fields or metrics to return in an API call. By default, only basic fields (like impressions and spend) are returned. Specifying fields ensures you get exactly the data you need (e.g. fields=impressions,clicks,cost_per_result). This can be used on ad, ad set, campaign or insights endpoints.
GET /{ad-id}?fields=name,status,bid_strategy
A parameter that filters the returned data on an Insights query. It takes an array of JSON filter objects specifying a field, operator, and value. This lets you limit results (for example, to ads with more than 100 impressions or only active campaigns). Each filter object is of form {'field':'<field_name>','operator':'<op>','value':<value>}.
filtering=[{'field':'ad.effective_status','operator':'IN','value':['ACTIVE']}]
The average number of times each person saw your ad during the reporting period. Facebook defines it as (Impressions ÷ Reach). Because it's an average, individual people may see the ad more or fewer times, but the overall average is reported. Frequency is an estimated metric (calculated via sampling) in Insights.
fields=frequency
A limit set on how many times the same person will see an ad within a given time frame.
For example, a cap of 2 per day would prevent any user from seeing the ad more than twice in one day.
A breakdown dimension showing how many times people saw your ad. Instead of giving an average, it distributes viewers by the number of impressions they received. For example, it might show how many people saw the ad 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, etc. This is only available for reach-and-frequency buys or with the reach and frequency objective.
breakdowns=['frequency_value']
A breakdown dimension by user gender. It separates performance metrics for "male", "female", and "unknown/not specified". This lets you compare how different genders respond to your ads. The values are estimated and come from Facebook's profile data.
breakdowns=['gender']
Facebook's primary HTTP API for reading/writing to the social graph (all data on Facebook's platform).
Developers use the Graph API to pull Page analytics, upload ads, or manage business assets programmatically.
A vertical, full-screen video ad that appears between Reels clips on Instagram (and Facebook) to users watching Reels.
An example is a 15-second ad video that plays in the Instagram Reels feed between user-created Reels.
A short (up to 15-second) vertical image or video ad that appears between user Stories on Instagram or Facebook.
For example, a travel agency might run a Stories ad with a beach photo offering a discount on holiday packages.
A full-screen, fast-loading mobile ad format (formerly Canvas) that opens after an ad is tapped, allowing immersive content (images, videos, carousels, etc.).
For instance, tapping a click-to-open Instant Experience might reveal a mini-website showcasing products.
Indicates the granularity of the Insights report. Possible values are ad, adset, campaign, or account. Choosing a level tells the API at what object level to retrieve performance data. For example, level=campaign returns metrics aggregated at each campaign.
GET /{ad-account-id}/insights?fields=impressions,spend&level=campaign
A total campaign budget spread over the entire duration of an ad set or campaign, rather than per day.
If you set a $1000 lifetime budget for a 10-day campaign, Meta will pace spend to use $1000 over those 10 days.
Focusing ads on people in specific geographic areas, such as countries, cities, or radii around locations.
For example, you might target an ad to users in New York City" with a 15-mile radius."
An audience of new people Facebook creates by finding users who share similar characteristics (demographics, behaviors) with a source audience you provide.
E.g., using your best customers list to generate a 1% lookalike, then targeting that lookalike with your ads.
An ad format delivered inside Facebook Messenger (e.g., sponsored messages or click-to-Messenger ads).
A business might send a sponsored message ad to people who have messaged their Page in the past.
A deprecated ad format that sent promotional messages directly to users who had previously interacted with a Page in Messenger.
Previously, businesses could send a sponsored message to anyone who had messaged their Page.
The rebranded name for Business Manager: a dashboard to claim and manage your Facebook/Instagram Pages, ad accounts, product catalogs, and other business assets.
Agencies use Business Portfolio to organize all of their clients' Meta accounts in one interface.
Meta's all-in-one tool to manage Facebook and Instagram business presence: create/schedule posts, respond to messages, view insights, and run ads.
For instance, a small business owner can schedule Instagram posts and view ad performance in Business Suite.
A piece of JavaScript code placed on a website to collect data for tracking conversions from Meta ads, optimizing ads, and building target audiences.
A retailer installs the Meta Pixel on its checkout page to record purchase conversions from ad clicks.
An event (user action) tracked within a mobile app (iOS/Android) using Facebook's SDK, used for ad optimization (e.g., installs, purchases).
For example, when a user completes registration in a mobile app, the app SDK can send a CompleteRegistration" event."
The primary goal of an ad campaign (e.g., Awareness, Traffic, Conversions), which determines how Meta optimizes ad delivery.
Choosing "Conversions" as the objective tells Meta to show your ads to people most likely to convert (buy or sign up).
A feature that lets advertisers upload data about real-world conversions (sales, calls, etc.) and attribute them to Facebook ads.
A store can upload its in-store sales records so Facebook can match purchases to people who saw their ads.
The specific action or metric (clicks, impressions, conversions, etc.) that an ad set is optimized for when delivering ads.
For example, setting the optimization goal to Link Clicks" asks Meta to show your ads to users most likely to click."
Targeting option to include or exclude people based on their connection to your Facebook Page, app, or event.
For instance, you can target only users who have liked your Page, or exclude them to reach new people.
Legacy term for a Custom Audience created from website traffic tracked by the Meta Pixel (now just a Custom Audience).
Once called a Website Custom Audience," it targeted users who triggered specific Pixel events on your site."
Synonym for Meta Pixel (see Meta Pixel above).
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A breakdown by ad placement (where the ad was shown) such as "Facebook News Feed" vs "Instagram Stories". It differentiates placements across platforms (e.g. desktop feed, mobile feed, etc.) allowing analysis of where ads performed best. Values are estimated by the API.
breakdowns=['platform_position']
The former advanced tool for creating and editing multiple Facebook ads in bulk; its functionality has been merged into Ads Manager.
Prior to 2017, advertisers used Power Editor to draft many ads offline and upload them in bulk.
A catalog is a file or feed containing your products' details (IDs, names, images, prices) for use in dynamic ads and commerce tools.
You might upload a CSV of your inventory to create a product catalog for carousel or dynamic ads.
A breakdown dimension by the publisher (Meta platform) where the ad ran, such as "Facebook", "Instagram" or "Audience Network". This shows performance by platform. For example, it can reveal if Instagram ads are outperforming Facebook ads. Values are estimated.
breakdowns=['publisher_platform']
A relevance metric indicating how an ad's perceived quality compares to other ads competing for the same audience. Facebook assigns values like BELOW_AVERAGE_10, AVERAGE, ABOVE_AVERAGE, or UNKNOWN. Quality is based on user feedback and the post-click experience. Like other relevance diagnostics, it is only available at the ad level (e.g. in the Insights API).
This appears in insights when requesting quality_ranking.
The number of unique people who saw your ads at least once. Unlike impressions, reach counts each person only once, even if they saw multiple impressions. Reach is an estimated metric in Facebook's reporting. You can request it in Insights (e.g., fields=reach) to see how many distinct users were reached.
fields=reach
Three metrics (Quality Ranking, Engagement Rate Ranking, Conversion Rate Ranking) that show how your ad compares to others for the same audience.
Advertisers use these to diagnose underperforming ads rather than optimize ads already doing well.
A deprecated metric (replaced by Relevance Diagnostics) that gave a single score (1–10) indicating how well an ad was expected to resonate with its audience.
In the past, an ad with a relevance score of 8 was deemed very well-targeted to its audience.
Revenue generated per ad spend. Calculated as (total ad-driven revenue) ÷ (total ad spend).
A 4× ROAS means $4 in revenue for every $1 spent on ads.
A group of targeting settings (demographics, interests, behaviors) saved for reuse across multiple ad sets.
You might save an audience of "US women 18-24 interested in sports" to quickly apply in future campaigns.
A software development kit provided by Meta that allows app developers to integrate Facebook features (Login, Analytics, Ads SDK) into mobile and web apps.
Developers use the Facebook SDK for Android or iOS to implement app install tracking and social login.
(In this table, not a Meta ad term; it is the lowercase, hyphenated identifier for a term.)
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Specifies how to sort the returned data. You can sort by any numeric field in ascending or descending order. For example, sort=impressions_descending sorts results by impressions from high to low. You can also sort by an action (e.g. sort=actions:link_click_descending).
sort=clicks_descending
A parameter to include an aggregated summary in the API response. It takes a comma-separated string of fields to summarize. For example, summary=total_actions,clicks would include sums of those fields. (This is similar to default_summary, but specifically lets you name which fields to summarize.)
summary=impressions,spend
A feature (Advantage Detailed Targeting) that allows Meta to expand your detailed targeting beyond your settings when it predicts better performance.
Activating this means Meta may include additional related interests in your audience automatically.
A video ad optimization option where Meta shows a video ad to users likely to watch at least 15 seconds or the entire short video.
Optimizing for ThruPlay helps ensure more users watch your video ads longer.
The size of time slices for splitting the result set. After choosing a reporting period (via date_preset or time_range), time_increment can break results into smaller periods (e.g. daily, monthly). For example, time_increment=1 returns one result per day. If set to monthly, it returns one result per month in the range.
GET /{ad-id}/insights?fields=impressions,reach&time_range={'since':'2025-01-01','until':'2025-03-31'}&time_increment=1
A parameter to specify an exact date range for Insights data. It takes a JSON object with since and until fields (in YYYY-MM-DD format). When time_range is used, date_preset and time_ranges are ignored. This lets you fetch data for any arbitrary period.
time_range={'since':'2025-06-01','until':'2025-06-10'} in the query.
An array of multiple time range objects for overlapping or comparative queries. Each entry has since and until, and each range returns a separate result set. When time_ranges is specified, it overrides date_preset, time_range, and time_increment. It's useful for cumulative or side-by-side date comparisons.
time_ranges=[{'since':'2025-05-01','until':'2025-05-15'},{'since':'2025-06-01','until':'2025-06-15'}]
Another term for the Meta Pixel (see Meta Pixel above).
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The number of people who took at least one action (of any type) attributed to your ad. Unlike the actions metric (which counts total actions), unique_actions counts unique users performing an action. For example, if one person clicked twice and another person clicked once, actions=3 but unique_actions=2.
fields=unique_actions
The number of people who clicked on your ad at least once. This differs from total clicks if some people clicked multiple times. unique_clicks counts unique users. It's an estimated, deduplicated metric available in Insights.
fields=unique_clicks
A boolean parameter that forces the Insights query to use the ad account's default attribution window instead of ad-set-level settings. When use_account_attribution_setting=true, all ads are evaluated under the account's unified attribution window. This can simplify reporting by ignoring individual ad set settings.
use_account_attribution_setting=true
A boolean parameter that uses a unified attribution setting (typically ad-set-level) for all results. If use_unified_attribution_setting=true, the use_account_attribution_setting parameter is ignored. This can be used to apply the same attribution window to all ads in the query.
use_unified_attribution_setting=true
An optimization strategy where Meta optimizes ad delivery toward users predicted to generate the highest purchase values.
If selling products, Value Optimization tries to show ads to those likely to spend more.
An ad format using video content to engage users. Often includes captions, call-to-action, and thumbnail.
For example, a 15-second product demo video run as an ad in user feeds.
A metric counting how many times a video ad was watched for a certain duration (e.g., 3 seconds or longer).
If a video ad played and users watched it for at least 3 seconds 100 times, video views = 100.
A mechanism that sends automated notifications from Facebook to a developer's server when certain events occur (e.g., a Lead Ad form submission).
A webhook can push lead data immediately to your CRM when someone submits a Facebook Lead Ad form.
A desired action completed on an advertiser's website (purchase, signup, etc.) that is tracked from an ad.
A completed purchase tracked by the Meta Pixel on your site is considered a website conversion.
The old name for audiences created from website visitors (now referred to simply as Custom Audiences based on website traffic).
Previously, this term was used for audiences built from Pixel-tracked site visitors.
