How to Write a Case Study for SEO and Digital Marketing Agencies

It’s no secret that competition is fierce in the digital marketing and SEO world. 

One of the best ways to stand out and show that you deliver real results? Case studies. 

However, case studies aren’t just about popping in a few analytics data points and calling it a day. 

Highly compelling case studies combine unique customer perspectives or experiences and data in a way that gets attention and holds it. 

Short on Time? Here’s What’s in This Article 

• The best case study structure to make sure your successes stand out.
• How to highlight unique selling points that make your case study shine.
• How to keep key points short and sweet for maximum impact.

Why Are You Creating This Case Study?

The first question you should ask is: “Why are you creating this case study?” 

Do you want to:

• Attract new clients.
• Shine a spotlight on your newest services or a recently launched product.
• Share an innovative strategy that worked wonders for a specific client.

Who is your target audience? 

Keep in mind who will be reading the case study. 

For example, if it’s targeted at corporate clients, you’ll want to use more formal and professional language or include technical details. 

On the other hand, smaller business owners may appreciate a more time-saving breakdown of just the key points. 

Selecting a Client to Show Off Your Results

You want to ideally highlight a project where your efforts showed proven, measurable results. 

Be sure to ask the client for their permission and consent to be featured in your case study. 

You can offer to link back to them or float the idea of co-promoting the case study together. 

Craft Your Case Study Structure

When it comes to the actual content of “How to write a case study”, you’ll want to structure it in a way that flows logically. It should make sense while still being easy to read. 

Let’s review the structure of a case study:

Headline

Start the headline with a specific, attention-getting result. Include relevant keywords to help boost your SEO. 

Example: “How (Client) Increased Conversions by (%) Using Local SEO” 

Executive summary

If you had to condense the case study down into just two or three sentences, what would they say? That’s your executive summary. 

You can use the following as a template:

Faced with (Challenge) and (Challenge), (Client Name) hired (Your Company) to help. As a result of our (Service) and (Other Service), (Client Name) was able to grow their organic website traffic by (Percentage) in less than (Timeframe) while reducing their cost-per-click by (Percentage), generating them an extra ($Amount) in revenue. 

Introduction

The introduction is your opportunity to provide a bit of background about your client. 

This is an ideal place to mention statistics, such as the client’s general company size and industry, as well as broader industry statistics to provide context. 

Example: “(Client Name) is a mid-sized e-commerce business that specializes in eco-friendly cosmetics. The worldwide sustainable beauty and cosmetics market is valued at (dollars) in 2023 and that growth is expected to (grow by this much e.g. triple) by 2031. 

Challenges

Next, talk about the key challenges your client faced. 

• You can start with the main problem.
  • Example: low organic visibility in search engine rankings. 

• Next, expand on the main difficulties.
  • Example: A lack of long-tail keywords that led to lost sales potential.

• Then, dive into the specifics.
  • Example: The lack of long-tail keywords in newly published content led to a (percentage) decrease in organic traffic from (date range).

If you’re able to back up these challenges with data that references those key points, such as charts or graphs, it can make the case study easier to understand.

The graphics are an excellent way for readers to visualize the challenges the client faced, while still focusing squarely on the results you were able to achieve. 

Solution

Next, break down the approach you used to solve the issue, step-by-step. 

For example, in the case of SEO and content marketing, you could talk about:

• Running a content optimization audit.
• Implementing schema markup to make pages stand out in the SERPs.
• Developing pillar pages or content clusters to position your client as a go-to source in their industry or niche specialty. 

Results

When it comes time to share the results, you’ll want to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative data. For example: 

• Monthly traffic increased from (# of visitors) to (# of visitors). 
• Bounce rates decreased by (%).
• Revenue from paid ads grew by (%).

Include before and after graphs to show the differences in growth. 

Testimonials and CTA

Adding in a testimonial from your client helps give your case study greater credibility.

 Lastly, tie it all together with a compelling CTA (call to action) to give it that final polish. 

Add in Visuals

Charts, graphs, screenshots, and infographics can break up the text while presenting your results in quick, visually digestible sections that make it easy to grasp and easy to take action on.

For instance, if you can share the growth of traffic or conversion rates over time, or share screenshots of copy before and after, it will help give readers a sense of what they can expect if you work together.

Tell a Story

You don’t have to be a natural storyteller to transform your case study into a unique narrative. Just follow a “Hero’s Journey” structure by including: 

1. The setup: The client’s initial struggle and situation. This is where you’ll set the stage and help cultivate greater empathy for what the client is going through.
   
   
2. The conflict: Challenges the client faced beyond surface-level details.

• Example: “The client’s website suffered from a number of technical issues, including slow-loading pages, broken links, and non-existent mobile optimization. Competitors were able to easily outrank them for what should have been lucrative keywords.”
  
  
• Optionally, you can include any previous efforts that the client undertook to fix the problem. Specify why the problem required an urgent fix.
  
  

3. The resolution: This is your opportunity to position your company as the hero. Talk about the strategy you used and how it addressed the client’s challenges. Keep it action-oriented. 

• Break the process down step-by-step and mention your team as well as their respective roles and how they contributed to the result.
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4. The results: This is where you tie everything together, highlighting the before and after, sharing any surprising or bonus benefits and ending with a powerful testimonial. 

Great storytelling with case studies taps into a core experience that all humans share, whether that’s being the underdog, struggling to overcome a challenge, or finally finding a solution after a lot of trial and error. 

Showcase Your Unique Selling Points

Finally, highlight what, specifically, about your approach differentiated you from your competitors. 

For example, if you use specialized keyword research or content marketing strategy, highlight this.

Common angles you could look to include: 

• A specialized approach or strategy you’ve created that surpasses traditional methods.
• Expertise that you or your team members have, particularly in specific industries or niches.
• The tailored plan to achieve the result, such as bespoke data interpretations for a specific landing page.
• Your data-backed approach and the various tools you used (including AI) as well as the insights they created for you.
  

Keep in mind that even after you publish your case study, it’s a good idea to periodically go back and update it, especially if your relationship with the client is ongoing. 

Getting Started with Your First Case Study

If you haven’t created a case study before, following this guide will walk you through the process of how to write a case study. 

By following these steps and focusing on the story, you’ll be able to attract attention while showing your company as the best possible option in your prospects’ eyes. 

Be sure to position your case study as a narrative by referencing shared experiences, whether they’re a large corporation or small business. 

A well-crafted case study will make it clear that you’re the best choice. 

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