Compare website results without misleading yourself

Before you start

• Record the exact report and metric you intend to compare.
• Keep the dates of website changes, campaigns, closures and tracking changes alongside your report.

What to do

1. Use periods that answer the question

   Comparing a full trading month with a few launch days is unlikely to be useful. Check period lengths and the pattern of open days. For seasonal services, consider whether a previous comparable season gives more context, provided the business and measurement setup were sufficiently similar.

2. Keep the view consistent

   Check the selected website property, pages, devices, countries and search type where those filters apply. Save or write down the settings. If one result covers every page and the other covers only a booking page, label that difference instead of presenting the totals as a like-for-like trend.

3. Read counts before percentages

   An increase from one suitable enquiry to two is a real extra enquiry, but it does not establish a durable growth pattern. Show both counts alongside any percentage. When activity is sparse, use a longer sensible observation period rather than drawing confident conclusions from a tiny change.

4. Separate the observation from its explanation

   Write what happened first, then the possible reasons and any evidence supporting them. A new page, local event and price change may all have occurred together. Choose a proportionate next check rather than claiming that a single design change definitely caused the result.

What to check

• Period lengths, relevant business conditions and filters have been checked.
• Percentage changes are accompanied by the actual counts.
• The conclusion distinguishes a recorded change from an unproven cause.

Sources and further reading

Platform features can change. Check the provider’s current guidance before changing a live service.

• Search Console Performance report