Online reputations are won and lost in a matter of seconds. As soon as a visitor lands on your site, you have to ensure that you are able to provide them with the information they need instantly. It is your job to ensure that they are confident they have found the right site and that you can be trusted.

Once visitors get past their first few pages, they often want something more. If you are to be taken seriously there needs to be something that highlights your professionalism. Evidence that you can deliver on the promises made elsewhere on the site. A case study is the perfect way to do this.

The joy of a case study is that they don’t have to be extensive, in fact far from it. They shouldn’t be any more than about 350 words. So don’t get too stuck into the self-congratulatory language. Keep it balanced, to the point and make sure that you maintain their attention.

By ensuring that there are a variety of case studies for visitors to explore, you can better cater for a wider audience. Everything needs to be covered. Depending on what it is that your website offers, that could mean doing dozens or just a few individual case studies.

But what exactly should a case study contain?

Well, a case study is very much the story of a successful project. It charts the various stages from start to finish. So at the beginning you really need to have the problem. What was it that made the subject of your study come to you in the first place? What did you identify as the major issue? This will contextualise the rest of the content.

Next up is the solution that you recommended. How did you arrive at that conclusion and what did you do to implement the necessary changes? This is where you have the opportunity to open up your processes and give the perspective client an insight into your business. When contrasted against other case studies, it will also highlight that you don’t simply provide the same solution to all your customers.

Be as specific as you can. Speaking in generalities implies the same kind of lethargic approach to work. By picking up on a few key points for this particular case and highlighting the major areas where improvements were required and subsequently made, you will highlight a more understanding and focussed approach to your work.

Finally there are the results. This of course is the time to really show off what you have done. Moving on from the theory of previous sections, this is the absolute bottom line. What your client got out of your involvement.

As previously mentioned, you can’t doctor your results. That will only come back to shoot you in the foot later. However, if some parts were more successful than others, make sure you highlight those that went over and above the client’s expectations.

Okay, so that may sound underhanded, but the truth of the matter is that you are presenting the truth. Of course it has to be abridged in areas and nobody expects a site to be full of negative case studies, just maintain a reasonable level of balance but always keep in mind that this is ultimately a marketing tool.

So what does this all mean for your website?

Well, with a good selection of case studies for perspective clients to browse through, they can effectively your marketing for you. People are looking for assurances, they don’t want to be fobbed off with endless sales speak and no concrete evidence to back up claims.

Give your visitors what they want. Each individual case study will help you to cement your reputation and provide an opportunity to give a scenario that your visitors are likely to have encountered themselves. If you can prove that you are able to provide the perfect solution for their problem through a straightforward case study, why would they want to go anywhere else?

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