Growth · Paid-media governance · 06
Quarterly spend review
A quarterly spend review puts paid spend in front of leadership with the evidence to decide whether it should rise, hold or fall: inquiry volume by source, cost per qualified inquiry, the share of inquiries now arriving from earned and AI-cited demand, what paid spend is still buying, and the recommendation for the next quarter with its reasoning. It is needed when budgets are renewed by default, when leadership wants paid spend governed against outcomes, when an authority and GEO program is expected to replace paid demand over time and the replacement must be measured, or when a board asks what the advertising budget actually buys. The review produces the quarterly evidence, the recommendation, the decision recorded, and the trend across quarters.
Scope
What the review covers.
- Inquiry volume by source: paid, organic, AI-referred, direct, referral
- Cost per qualified inquiry, trended
- Earned-demand share and its trend
- What paid spend still buys and where it has become redundant
- Recommendation for the next quarter with reasoning
- Decision record and trend
Deliverables
What you receive.
| Deliverable | Form |
|---|---|
| Quarterly spend review | Evidence and recommendation |
| Decision record | What leadership decided and why |
| Trend report | Across quarters |
| Next-quarter plan | Budget and priorities |
Prerequisites
What we need from you.
- Conversion tracking integrity and attribution in place
- Measurement and evidence reporting for the quarter
- The budget decision-maker’s participation
Related
Where this sits.
By David Selakovic · Published 2026-10-16 · Revised 2026-10-16 · Reviewed every 180 days
Questions
Asked before engaging.
Is the goal always to cut paid spend?
The goal is inquiry volume at the lowest cost that holds it. Where paid spend still earns its place, the review says so. Where it does not, the review says that too.
Who attends the review?
Whoever owns the budget decision, with the people who can act on it. It is written to be understood without a marketing background.
How does this relate to the monthly evidence report?
The monthly report measures; the quarterly review decides. See Monthly evidence report.