Choose a scenario from your own evidence
- Domain and website
- Document ownership and access.
- Analytics and records
- Define access and the handover.
Start with your actual inquiry records and their observation period, or enter a clearly labeled assumption. The planner starts at zero so it supplies no implied annual benchmark. An entered rate does not become a delivery commitment or a forecast supported by independent performance data.
Some microsites bring no inquiries, and a network can land below or above your scenario. Trojan Digital Marketing builds networks on Garrison, our microsite software, and our Indiana networks show how far trades differ. From June 29 through August 31, 2026, our 203 Indiana metal roofing sites brought four inquiries. Our 204 Indiana water restoration sites brought 17 calls and form inquiries in July and August 2026, and 11 of those came during the August floods. They're partial periods, so we never stretch them into a yearly rate. Jeff Clerisier, our founder, will fill in the planner with your records: the first strategy call is free, and during business hours we aim to reply within five minutes.
The microsite membership planner makes the inputs editable. A visible assumption should remain beside the result when the model is shared, so a planning number cannot easily become a claim detached from its conditions.
Define inquiries before applying qualification
For this model, an inquiry is a unique customer request under the stated duplicate rules. A qualified opportunity is a request that meets the agreed service and project criteria. A booked job comes later still. We keep those stages apart in labels and math, which is why our own network counts say inquiries and never jobs.
If an input already measures qualified opportunities, do not apply another qualification percentage to it. If the input measures raw form records, first account for tests, spam and duplicate interactions before calling the result unique inquiries. Changing the unit can change the apparent forecast without changing the underlying customer activity.
Google Analytics distinguishes generated and qualified lead events. The same discipline belongs in a spreadsheet, calculator and sales conversation, even when the actual business record is maintained in another system.
Show a worked example with every assumption labeled
The model multiplies your chosen site count by your inquiry assumption for the stated period, then applies the qualification percentage you enter. Keep each input labeled as an assumption unless a consistent observation record supports it. The table below gives the calculation without suggesting an annual rate.
| Step | Calculation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio inquiry scenario | Site count × your inquiry assumption | Hypothetical unique inquiries for the stated period |
| Qualification scenario | Hypothetical inquiries × your qualification assumption | Hypothetical qualified opportunities |
| Sales outcome | Not calculated without another input | Qualification does not establish booked work |
At a zero inquiry input, this model produces zero inquiries and zero qualified opportunities. At a zero qualification input, it produces no qualified opportunities even if inquiries exist. We keep those zero cases in the planner on purpose, because a model that only shows good outcomes is no help when you're deciding whether to buy.
Account for launch timing before comparing totals
- A: current page
- Observe the starting version.
- B: one change
- Compare with the same measurement.
A portfolio launched throughout a year has not had a full year of operation for every site. Record when each destination became usable and when meaningful changes occurred. A registered domain, a live page, an indexed page and a functioning inquiry route are separate milestones.
A simple model can scale a rate by active months, but label that as a linear approximation. New sites may not receive traffic evenly, and seasonal demand can make a six month observation very different depending on which months are included.
When we plan, we show a complete year scenario apart from a rollout year scenario. For measurement, use actual dates and the launch cohort report. That preserves the difference between a convenient assumption and the observed operating history.
Give year two its own input
Compounding organic leads describes the aim of building on useful content, retained assets, learning and ongoing improvement. It does not require the next year to be larger. Competition, service capacity, demand, maintenance, visibility and customer behavior can change in either direction.
We set year two on its own. An unchanged rate is a fair scenario. A lower rate or zero is also legitimate. If a higher input is used, write down why the business is considering it and what work or observed evidence would support that change.
Do not label the difference between two manually entered rates as measured growth. It is a scenario difference. The portfolio decision guide connects future investment to specific constraints instead of assuming age alone improves the outcome.
Keep costs and profitability outside the lead count
Organic clicks do not carry the same per click advertising charge as paid search, but the channel still requires resources. Include the relevant build, content, maintenance, hosting, renewal, management and internal response costs when reviewing an investment.
Cost per qualified opportunity requires both a defined cost period and a nonzero qualified opportunity total. If the model has no qualified opportunities, that ratio is not meaningful; show it as unavailable rather than displaying zero cost or hiding the result.
Revenue requires additional assumptions about proposals, accepted work, project value, fulfillment, cancellations and timing. Those assumptions can compound uncertainty. Keep a lead scenario focused unless the business has the data needed for a fuller model. The owned channel value guide explains the cost ledger separately.
Replace assumptions with evidence carefully
When observations become available, preserve the original scenario and add the measured period beside it. Use consistent inquiry definitions and disclose attribution gaps. A strong month from a small number of sites does not automatically establish the rate for a much larger future portfolio.
Search Console reports search performance, which can explain discovery but does not supply a completed business outcome ledger. Connect it with unique inquiry and qualification records without assuming every visit can be linked to a customer.
Discuss a microsite planning scenario with your actual launch schedule, service criteria and available records. The result should help decide what to test and what would change the plan, while keeping every unvalidated input visible.
Frequently asked questions
Does the planner supply a promised first year result?
No. Its inquiry inputs start at zero and remain assumptions you choose. A site or portfolio can produce no inquiries.
Where does the qualification rate come from?
The rate is an editable assumption. Use a consistent lead definition and your actual observation records to justify it. It is not a measured Trojan benchmark.
Does year two have to be higher?
No. Set it independently. Lower, unchanged, higher and zero scenarios should all be possible because future results are uncertain.
Can I multiply a recent monthly result by twelve?
That can be shown as a simple annualized scenario, but it does not account for seasonality, launch maturity or changing conditions. Keep the actual observation period and the assumption clearly labeled.
