20/55 businesses had case studies recommended. Almost none had written any. One had ‘loads of case studies in her head but never put pen to paper.’ A jeweller with worldwide reputation had product photos but nothing about bespoke commissions. A training company had changed outcomes for organisations but the proof lived in the founder’s memory. Service descriptions tell people what you do. Case studies show what happens when you do it. One is a claim, the other is evidence.
The three-part structure
Every case study needs three things. 1) The situation: what was the problem before you got involved? Be specific. Not ‘they needed help with marketing’ but ‘they were getting 200 website visitors a month and none of them were making enquiries.’ 2) What you did: your approach, methods, decisions. 3) What changed: results, outcomes, the difference. Numbers if you have them. Quotes if you can get them. That’s it. 300-500 words. Reference the eLamb report: case studies on high-profile clients were already on the site and flagged as excellent. They worked because they were specific.
The SEO benefit most people miss
A case study about ‘website redesign for a veterinary practice’ ranks for search terms your services page never will. It’s specific, it’s unique content, it includes naturally the kind of language your potential clients actually use. Multiple reports recommended case studies specifically for SEO impact (FSR, Stovell and Millwater, Overview Drone, Eagle Eye). One report recommended creating case study pages as the primary content strategy because they serve double duty: trust-building and search visibility.
Getting permission and quotes
Ask. Most clients are happy to be featured if you ask. Send them a draft, let them approve it. If they say no, anonymise it (like this entire case study). A case study without the client name is still better than no case study. Get a testimonial quote while you’re at it. Reference the eLamb report: ‘Approach each case study client and ask for a testimonial; this can be added to the case study and threaded through the site.’
Where to put them
On your website, obviously. But also: on the relevant service page (not buried in a separate case studies section). Link from blog posts. Share on LinkedIn. Use them in proposals. Reference Mark Lloyd: ‘Add case study pieces where you take a custom enquiry, how you developed the design.’ Stovell and Millwater: ‘The client area needs depth of content adding, via some relevant case studies.’ They work everywhere because they’re real stories, not sales copy.
Close
Write one this week. Pick your best recent client. 300 words: what was the problem, what did you do, what changed. Put it on your website. It’ll do more for your credibility than any amount of service description rewriting. Read the full case study – 55 digital audits. Here’s what I found.
- 20/55 had case studies specifically recommended
- Only 1 of those 20 already had good case studies on their site
- Case studies were recommended for SEO in multiple reports
- One business had ‘loads in her head but never pen to paper’
- A jeweller with worldwide reputation had zero case studies
- CTA fixes (37/55) and case studies (20/55) were often paired as recommendations