A baseline is a reference point used to understand change over time.
In MarketingStride, a baseline represents an established understanding of content at a specific point in time.
Future evaluations can then be compared against that reference point to help explain how interpretation, answerability, and content understanding have evolved.
Why Baselines Matter
Without a baseline, an organization can understand the current state of content.
With a baseline, an organization can understand how that state has changed.
This distinction becomes increasingly important as websites evolve.
Questions Baselines Help Answer
Baselines may help answer:
- What changed?
- How much changed?
- Which findings remained stable?
- Which findings evolved?
- How has understanding shifted over time?
Example
An organization evaluates its website before a major messaging update.
That evaluation establishes a baseline.
Six months later, a new evaluation is performed.
The baseline provides the historical reference needed to understand how interpretation changed.
Common Misconceptions
A baseline is not a score.
A baseline is not a recommendation.
A baseline is a reference point.
Related Questions
- Why are baselines important?
- What is a comparison?
- What is continuity?