For campaigns that begin without reliable historical performance, the first 90 days provide an opportunity to replace initial estimates with the account's own data.
This makes GPS more specific to the actual client over time. Pasted text
What Happens at the 90-Day Mark?
The campaign's actual performance can be compared with the assumptions used to establish the initial GPS plan.
Depending on the campaign, we may review:
Lead or purchase volume
CPL or acquisition cost
Conversion rates
Primary and Secondary KPA performance
Channel performance
Updated client business information
Downstream business results, when available
Do Industry Benchmarks Go Away?
Where sufficient account data exists, the goal is to rely increasingly on the client's own performance rather than broad industry assumptions.
For example, if an industry CPL was used because a client had never run Paid Search, we can now compare it against approximately 90 days of the client's actual Paid Search performance.
The account's own data reflects factors that a broad benchmark cannot fully account for, including the client's market, offer, geography, website, and competitive environment.
Does the GPS Goal Automatically Change?
No. Reaching 90 days does not automatically trigger a new or easier goal.
The purpose is to evaluate whether the assumptions used to establish the original goal still make sense based on what we've learned.
If the underlying data supports the existing goal, it can remain in place.
If the actual performance or business inputs materially differ from the original assumptions, the goal and plan can be reassessed accordingly.
Why Does the Performance Range Become More Specific?
Industry benchmarks cover many advertisers and market conditions, which naturally creates a wider range.
As the account develops its own history, actual performance can replace some of those broader assumptions, allowing future expectations to become more specific to that account. Pasted text
The Key Takeaway
The first GPS plan establishes the starting point.
The first 90 days give us client-specific evidence.
From there, GPS can increasingly operate on what the account is actually producing rather than what we estimated it might produce.
Estimate when necessary → measure actual performance → replace assumptions with evidence → refine the plan.