A Simple Guide to Meta Standard Event Metrics

Meta’s Standard Event Metrics go beyond basic ad performance and help advertisers track what actually matters: user actions. These events give you a clear view of customer behavior—from submitting a form to making a purchase. Whether you run an eCommerce store, SaaS platform, app, or service business, standard events help you measure what success looks like.

Here’s a breakdown of key standard events in Ads Manager, including what each one means and how you can use them to improve results.

• Adds to Cart / Wishlist / Payment Info – Shows how users are moving through the purchase funnel. More adds to cart = strong interest; fewer adds of payment info = checkout friction.

• Checkouts Initiated – A sign of bottom-funnel intent. Someone is about to buy.

• Purchases – Final sale events. You can track total count, purchase value, and cost per purchase.

• Purchase ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – How much revenue you made for each dollar spent on ads. Key profitability metric.

• App Installs / Activations – Tracks downloads and first opens.

• In-App Ad Clicks / Impressions – Useful for monetized apps with ads.

• Trials Started / Subscriptions – Measures SaaS or subscription-based performance.

• Mobile App D2/D7 Retention – Retention after 2 or 7 days. Important for growth teams.

• Applications Submitted / Appointments Scheduled – Ideal for service businesses and universities.

• Contact / Leads / Phone Number Clicks – Tracks when someone reaches out or taps to call.

• Landing Page Views – Visitors who actually wait for the page to load.

• Registrations Completed – Event-based sign-ups (e.g., webinar, event, account creation).

• Get Directions Clicks / Location Searches – Good for local businesses or multi-location chains.
• Orders Created / Shipped – Tracks full eCommerce fulfillment pipeline.
• Custom Events – Events that don’t fall under Meta’s default set—flexible and highly specific to your product.

Each event can have three columns:

• Total – Number of times the event happened.

• Value – Monetary value tied to the event (e.g., purchase amount).

• Cost – Average cost to get that event to happen.

🧠 Why it matters: This helps you understand ROI and see where budget goes—e.g., if you’re paying more to get a trial than it’s worth.

Standard events turn raw performance into insights that matter. Whether your ad led to a purchase, install, or form submission, tracking these events helps you make smarter decisions. Once you understand your cost per event and ROAS, you can optimize campaigns that drive growth—not just engagement.