Setting a Reporting Baseline Before You Optimise Google Ads
A clinic’s new ad campaigns were out of their learning phase and showing positive trends. One campaign converted at around one enquiry in ten, and the team wanted to treat that as the benchmark for other services. But to judge the effect of recent optimisations, they needed a fair comparison. The solution was to use a single month as a baseline, a snapshot from before the changes took effect.
A reporting baseline turns a hunch that something improved into a fact you can check. Here is how to set one.
What a baseline is
A baseline is a set of figures from a chosen period, recorded before you make changes, that you compare against later. It might cover spend, clicks, enquiries, bookings, cost per booked patient and conversion rates. It is your before picture, and it makes the after picture meaningful.
Why you need one
Without a baseline, any improvement is a matter of opinion. Numbers move for many reasons: seasonality, budget, competitors, luck. A fixed reference point lets you say honestly whether changes made a difference. It also protects agencies and clinics from disputes about what worked.
Reporting baseline: choose the period wisely
Pick a recent month that reflects normal activity, before the changes you want to test. Avoid unusual periods, such as holidays or a large one-off promotion. A single clean month is often enough, though a few weeks either side can help smooth odd days.
Choose the numbers that matter
Record the measures that link to patients: enquiries, bookings, cost per enquiry, cost per booked patient and conversion rate, by campaign and service. Add spend and clicks for context. A short, relevant list is easier to compare than a long, cluttered one.
Record it in one place
Save the baseline in a simple, dated document or spreadsheet that everyone can see. Include how each number was calculated. If the method changes later, the comparison breaks, so write it down. A clear record avoids arguments and confusion months later.
Include the full funnel where possible
Clicks and form submissions are only part of the story. If you can bring in booking and revenue data from your own systems, add it. A full-funnel baseline shows how ad changes affect real appointments and income, not just enquiries.
Use benchmarks from your best campaign
If one campaign performs well, such as one that converts at a strong rate, use it as an internal benchmark for others. Ask why it works: the service, the page, the audience. Internal benchmarks are more relevant than general industry figures.
Allow for the learning phase
New campaigns behave erratically at first. Do not set a baseline from the learning period. Wait until performance settles, then record it. Otherwise, you will compare later results against a period that was never typical.
Note what changed and when
Keep a log of every significant change after the baseline: budgets, keywords, bidding, pages, tracking. When the numbers move, you can look back and see likely causes. Without the log, credit and blame are guesses.
Compare fairly
When you review results, compare like with like: same length of period, similar seasonality, same definitions. Where the market shifted, say so. Fair comparison prevents both false celebration and unfair criticism.
Make a baseline for organic as well
The same idea works for SEO: record impressions, clicks, rankings and enquiries before major changes. It shows what improved after a rebuild, new content or technical work, and helps you judge whether the effort paid off.
Refresh the baseline sometimes
After a period of stability, or a big change in the business, set a new baseline. An old one may no longer represent normal. Keep the old one on file, so you can see the longer journey.
Share it with the team
Show the baseline to everyone who influences results: the clinic, the ads manager, the web team. A shared reference keeps discussions grounded, and builds a habit of judging change by evidence.
Keep a short glossary of definitions
Write down what you mean by an enquiry, a qualified lead, a booking and a new patient, and use the same terms in every report. Different definitions are a common source of confusion. A glossary keeps comparisons honest, especially when people change roles or agencies.
Use the baseline in conversations with your agency
Share the baseline, and ask the agency to report against it each month, explaining any differences. It turns vague updates into clear answers. It also makes it easy to judge the agency’s work fairly, since you both agree what the starting point was.
Add context notes to each period
Alongside the figures, write a short note on anything unusual: a holiday, a website problem, a budget change or a competitor campaign. These notes make later comparisons meaningful, and stop someone misreading a dip that had a simple explanation.
Keep the baseline visible in reports
Include the baseline figures in each monthly report, beside the current month, with the change. Readers see progress at a glance, and the agency stays accountable to a shared reference. Visibility keeps the baseline useful instead of forgotten in a folder.
A quick checklist
- Pick a clean, typical month.
- Record enquiries, bookings and cost per booked patient.
- Save definitions and the method.
- Add booking or revenue data where possible.
- Log every change after the baseline.
- Compare like with like.
Our companion article on Demand Gen experiments shows how a baseline protects experiments, and our SEO performance reporting service explains how we structure reporting. If you would like help, we are glad at Pulse Digital Health to talk.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reporting baseline?
A set of figures from a chosen period, recorded before you make changes, that you compare against later. It shows whether optimisation actually improved results. Save the baseline somewhere everyone can find it. A shared reference stops arguments about what counted as progress.
Which period should I choose?
A recent, typical month before the changes, avoiding holidays or unusual promotions. A single clean month is often enough. Choose a clean, typical month before any changes. A typical month gives a fair picture of normal performance.
What should a baseline include?
Enquiries, bookings, cost per enquiry, cost per booked patient and conversion rate by campaign and service, plus spend and clicks for context. Add booking and revenue data where possible. Include the numbers that connect to patients, not just clicks. Patient-linked numbers are more useful than raw clicks.
Why not use the learning phase as a baseline?
Because new campaigns behave erratically at first. Later results would be compared with a period that was never typical. Wait until the learning phase has settled before recording it. A settled campaign gives a baseline you can trust.
How do I keep comparisons fair?
Use the same length of period and definitions, allow for seasonality and keep a log of changes so you can see likely causes when numbers move. Keep a log of changes and compare like with like. A change log turns guesses about causes into evidence.
Can I use a baseline for SEO?
Yes. Record impressions, clicks, rankings and enquiries before major changes, then compare after a rebuild, new content or technical work. Record impressions, clicks, rankings and enquiries before major SEO work. Before-and-after figures make SEO work easier to judge.
