Current state analysis
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Before next year’s budget is set, you need to know what is working today and where there is most to gain. A current state analysis shows how your digital channels are performing, whether the figures can be trusted and which actions should come first.
What a current state analysis covers
A current state analysis is carried out before strategy and action. It can cover all digital channels or one area you want to prioritise.
| Area | The question we answer | Data |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic | Where do visitors come from, and how has that changed? | Web analytics |
| Searches | Which searches give you visibility, and which are you missing? | Google Search Console |
| AI services | Are you mentioned when buyers ask ChatGPT or Gemini, and do you appear in Google’s AI Overviews? | Test prompts and answers |
| Competitors | Who is visible where you are not? | Search and advertising data |
| Ads | What does a sale or enquiry cost per campaign? | Ad accounts |
| Conversion | Where on the website do visitors drop off? | Web analytics and page review |
| Customers | Which customers buy again, and which ones leave? | Customer database |
Check the measurement first
A curve that changes direction may be caused by the measurement rather than the business. So go through what has happened to the measurement during the period you are analysing:
- a change of analytics tool or changed conversion goals
- a new cookie banner, which affects how many visits are measured
- tags that have been added, moved or stopped working
- a new website or new URLs
- changes on the platforms’ side
In September 2025 Google stopped supporting the num=100 parameter, which showed 100 search results per page. In many Search Console accounts, impressions fell while the average position improved, and clicks stayed roughly the same. Anyone comparing before and after that break may think they see both a drop and an improvement that never happened.
Compare the right periods
Compare the past year with the same period in earlier years. That way the comparison is not affected by seasonality, and you can see whether a change is a trend or a one-off peak. If something major has happened during the period, such as a launch or a new website, the time before and the time after need to be analysed separately.
Work out what the improvement is worth
Where there is most to gain depends on how many visitors the website has and what share of them convert. The figures below are made up.
| Scenario | Visits per month | Conversion | Enquiries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 40,000 | 1.0 per cent | 400 |
| 10 per cent more traffic | 44,000 | 1.0 per cent | 440 |
| Conversion 1.2 per cent | 40,000 | 1.2 per cent | 480 |
In the example, conversion rises twice as much as traffic in relative terms, and so also brings twice as many new enquiries as the increase in traffic. Then weigh the gain against what each action costs and how long it takes.
What you get
The result is an action plan with the actions in order of priority. We need access to the tools you use today, and if something is missing we can help set it up.
In a pre-study, we carry out a current state analysis before ongoing work begins.
Want to know where you stand today?
Call us, or fill in the form and we will get back to you.