Meta
Link click vs landing page view
A link click is counted the moment someone taps your ad. A landing page view is counted only when Meta confirms your page loaded, so it counts the people who actually arrived, even if they leave straight away.
On Meta, a link click is counted the moment someone taps the link in your ad. A landing page view is counted only after your page has loaded and Meta has confirmed it, through the Meta pixel on the page or, in some cases, through Meta's own in-app browser, so it needs the person to wait for the page. The difference between the two numbers is the paid taps that never became visits: taps by accident, people who closed the in-app browser, and people who gave up while a slow page loaded. Some gap is normal. A large one, or one far larger on a single placement, points at a slow page or a placement buying taps rather than visitors. Optimising an ad set for landing page views instead of link clicks tells Meta to look for people who arrive. Expect fewer reported clicks and about the same number of visits. Without the pixel, Meta can confirm far fewer arrivals, so install it before reading anything into the gap.
Built Admiral · runs the audits on real accounts
| Link click | Landing page view | |
|---|---|---|
| What it counts | A tap on the link in your ad | A person whose browser loaded your page |
| When it is recorded | At the moment of the tap | After Meta confirms the page loaded |
| What it needs | Nothing beyond the ad | The Meta pixel on the page, or Meta's in-app browser seeing it load |
| What optimising for it finds | People likely to tap | People likely to stay until the page loads |
Questions people ask
Why are my landing page views lower than my link clicks?
Because a link click is counted at the tap and a landing page view only once the page has loaded, so every person who leaves before it loads is a click with no view. Someone who loads the page and then leaves still counts as a view. A slow page, accidental taps and the in-app browser being closed early are the usual causes.
Should I optimise for link clicks or landing page views?
Landing page views, once the Meta pixel is on your page, because that tells Meta to find people who arrive rather than people who only tap. When the page records an event that means money, such as a lead or a purchase, optimising for that event is the next step.
Why do I have link clicks but no landing page views at all?
Usually because Meta cannot confirm that anyone arrived: the Meta pixel is missing from the destination page or is not firing there. Check the pixel on that exact page before reading anything into the gap.
Does changing the optimisation goal reset the learning phase?
Yes. Changing an ad set's optimisation goal restarts its learning phase, so pick the goal your data supports and leave it long enough to learn.
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