Baseline
What is a baseline?
A baseline is the starting point against which you measure the results of a campaign, a strategy or an SEO project. It is the state of your key metrics — traffic, rankings, leads, sales, conversion rate — before you change anything.
Think of it as the start line of a race: without knowing where you began, you cannot say how far you have run.
Why it matters
- It proves impact. A rise in sales or traffic means little if you do not know whether it comes from your work, from seasonality or from something outside your control.
- It protects the client and the agency. Both sides agree on the numbers before work starts, so reporting later is not a matter of opinion.
- It shows what to fix first. The gaps in the baseline are your priorities.
How to set a useful baseline
- Pick the metrics that match the goal. For SEO: organic clicks, impressions, average position and organic leads. For ads: cost per lead and conversion rate.
- Use a long enough window. At least 3 months, and 12 where the business is seasonal (hotels, charter, rentals), so you compare like with like.
- Record the source and date. Google Search Console, GA4 and your CRM should be named, with the extraction date.
- Freeze it. Save a copy; do not let the baseline move once the project starts.
Baseline in an SEO audit
At Gecko Studio every SEO project starts with a baseline taken from Search Console and analytics, so that monthly reports show change against a fixed reference. Want to see where your site stands today? Request a free SEO audit.