{"id":20710,"date":"2020-01-30T15:02:02","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T15:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/metrics-baseline"},"modified":"2026-09-28T21:59:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:59:44","slug":"metrics-baseline","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/metrics-baseline","title":{"rendered":"Metrics Baseline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright wp-image-23340 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/metrics-baseline.jpg\" alt=\"Metrics baseline represented by a pie chart\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/metrics-baseline.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/metrics-baseline-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>metrics baseline<\/strong> is a documented set of reference values, calculated for a defined period and set of conditions, that allows the later performance of an activity, system, campaign or project to be compared.<\/p>\n<p>The reference may come from an <strong>initial measurement<\/strong> of the same subject or from a comparable historical period. It does not have to use data from previous projects: the metrics need to retain the same definition, source, scope and calculation method.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Why a metrics baseline is useful<\/h2>\n<p>A baseline provides a <strong>comparison point<\/strong> for interpreting later values. Without that reference, an isolated figure shows a magnitude but does not indicate precisely how much performance has changed or where it started.<\/p>\n<p>Its most common uses include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Measuring change:<\/strong> Quantifying increases, decreases and stability against the reference period.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Evaluating actions:<\/strong> Comparing results before and after a campaign, technical improvement or intervention.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Setting targets:<\/strong> Establishing realistic goals from a known starting position.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Detecting anomalies:<\/strong> Identifying values outside a normal range that need investigation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A difference from the baseline describes an <strong>observed change<\/strong>, but it does not prove its cause. Attributing that change to a specific action requires consideration of seasonality, other interventions, data quality and external factors.<\/p>\n<h2>What it should document<\/h2>\n<p>A reference is useful only when it can be <strong>reproduced<\/strong>. Saving a figure without context makes it difficult to know whether later comparisons use the same criteria.<\/p>\n<p>The documentation should include these elements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Metric:<\/strong> Name, definition, formula, unit and relationship with the objective being analysed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scope:<\/strong> Website, application, campaign, channel, market, product or segment covered.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Period:<\/strong> Dates, duration, frequency and any possible effect of seasonality.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Source:<\/strong> Tool, property, view, report or dataset used.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Calculation:<\/strong> Initial value, mean, median, range or another measure used as the reference.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conditions:<\/strong> Filters, attribution, currency, time zone, exclusions and relevant measurement changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The definition of each <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/metric\">metric<\/a> must remain stable. A change in consent, tagging, attribution or tools can alter the recorded data and break <strong>comparability<\/strong>, even if actual user behaviour has not changed.<\/p>\n<h2>How to establish it<\/h2>\n<p>The process starts with the <strong>business question<\/strong> that needs to be answered. The necessary measures are then selected and a reference is built that adequately represents the context being analysed.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Set the objective:<\/strong> Specify the activity or result that will be evaluated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose metrics:<\/strong> Select relevant measures and, where appropriate, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/kpi\">KPI<\/a> associated with the decision.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Define the period:<\/strong> Choose comparable dates and avoid exceptional intervals that would distort the reference.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Validate data:<\/strong> Review coverage, duplicates, missing values, configuration changes and consistency across sources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Calculate and record:<\/strong> Obtain the reference values and retain the method with its approval date.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The appropriate period depends on the <strong>variability<\/strong> of the activity. A short campaign may require days or weeks, while a seasonal business may need comparable cycles. Combining periods with different duration, demand or investment creates a misleading reference.<\/p>\n<h2>Use in digital marketing<\/h2>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-marketing-agency-spain\"><strong>digital marketing<\/strong><\/a>, a baseline can describe performance before a redesign, campaign, bidding change or improvement to the conversion process. The selected metrics depend on the objective and channel.<\/p>\n<p>For example, an organisation may record sessions, cost per acquisition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/conversion-rate\">conversion rate<\/a>, revenue and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/roi\">return on investment<\/a> over four weeks. If the rate rises from 4% to 5%, the increase is one percentage point and 25% in relative terms. Reporting both measures prevents an <strong>ambiguous reading<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The comparison should control for <strong>equivalent conditions<\/strong>: channel mix, budget, promotions, device, market and attribution model. An aggregate result may hide an improvement concentrated in one segment while another deteriorates.<\/p>\n<h2>Differences and maintenance<\/h2>\n<p>A baseline is not the same as a target. The <strong>starting reference<\/strong> describes where performance begins, while the target defines the desired value. A KPI is a measure selected for its relationship with an objective, and it may have both a baseline and a target.<\/p>\n<p>It is also different from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/benchmarking\">benchmarking<\/a>. A baseline usually compares performance with an organisation&#8217;s own reference state, while a benchmark may use competitor, industry or other business-unit data to provide <strong>external context<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The baseline should not move with every fluctuation, because that would obscure accumulated progress. A <strong>new version<\/strong> is appropriate when the scope, source, formula, business model or measurement conditions change structurally. The earlier reference should be retained to preserve traceability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A metrics baseline records reference values for later comparison. Learn how to define, document and interpret baselines for digital performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":81015,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1296],"class_list":["post-20710","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-measurement-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/20710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=20710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}