seo case study template

• About the Content Factory
• The Content Factory in the Media
• SEO & Content Writing
• Social Media Marketing
• Google Analytics
• Website Design and Rebranding
• Case Studies

How to Build a Killer SEO Case Study (+ FREE TEMPLATE!)

Let me let you in on a secret: half of being “good” at SEO is knowing how to communicate results to your current and future clients.

A lot of folks in the SEO business tend to think that higher-ups in marketing will just innately understand the value they bring to the table. They’ll typically think that showing a bunch of green arrows and big numbers will be enough. They’re wrong.

Building a GOOD SEO case study isn’t just about fancy graphs and arrows reaching toward the sky: it’s also about building a story, showing just what all of those numbers REALLY mean for clients.

What does it practically mean for clients to rank for keywords? What does a 500% increase in traffic really translate into?

If you work in SEO, you’re going to be screaming at your screen right now. “It’s an increase in traffic! What else needs to be said?”

Yeah. No — trust me, we get it. But clients won’t — and if they aren’t getting it, that’s your failure, not theirs. 

So, let’s talk about how to make sure that doesn’t happen. 

Image by tirachardz on Freepik

SEO Case Study Basics: Where to Begin

First, it’s important to understand what the point of a case study really is. Case studies are built to show clients that yes, you do know what you’re talking about — and that you have some experience in your field.

Think of them as brochures showing how your company has helped similar clients in the past.

Case studies (and what they exactly contain) will differ a bit from industry to industry (hence why this is the SEO case study guide and not, say, the marketing case study guide).

If you’re trying to build an SEO case study, you’ll have to do three things:

• Show the client what’s possible with SEO.
• Show the client how you are responsible.
• Show the client how it can work for them.

… and you need to do it all within a quick, easy-to-digest narrative.

Let’s break that down a bit:

Showing Potential Clients What’s Possible

This bit is simple: it’s just showing them what success looks like. While not every client you have will show smooth, linear progress, you’ll generally want to limit your case studies to ones that fit that bill.

You want their success to be easy to follow, because you want your future client to be able to imagine this path for their own company.

This is the part of the case study where you can show off all those fancy numbers. Keep it general, though — there’s no need to get hyper-specific. Talk about how many keywords you helped them rank for. Feel free to shout out any particularly impressive keywords you’ve snagged for them — but only if they don’t require much explanation.

Most importantly, though, you need to tie those numbers to dollars.

Keep this question in mind when writing a case study:

Did the client get a return on investment — and was it significant?

As an example here, we can use a screenshot from one of our clients:

One client paid us to write content for them. We did — and in six months one blog post had made $14,248.00 in revenue . It had brought in 186,751 sessions . And that was just one of many posts that generated thousands in sales.

We charged $2,000 for each of these posts. In total, they were worth $40,959 for this particular six-month period — and keep in mind, that value doesn’t just go away after a few months, either.

(You can get our generic proposal here, if you’d like to know more about our rates.)

This was in a hyper-competitive space and our client was being heavily outspent by competitors. Yet, this is what we were able to achieve in a relatively short amount of time.

Your SEO case study should show that money spent on SEO = an increase in revenue.

Of course, you won’t be able to do this all the time — but you should be able to say something like, “This led to an increase in X% more sales,” or “This led to an X% increase in new leads.”

Showing You’re Responsible

This is where that part two comes in: you’ve got to highlight what you bring to the table that no one else can. 

We can’t tell you what that is, necessary. What is YOUR value proposition? What is your unique angle?

For TCF, it’s our expertise and our writing talent. We put our blog content up front in a lot of cases because we’re confident that our writers are better than… well, just about anyone.

We’re also confident in our expertise. 

We can talk endlessly about how our CEO, Kari DePhillips, was named one of the top 3 women in SEO by Serpstat . Or how we practice what we preach and have driven our entire business through SEO. 

Or how we were ten years ahead of the curve when it came to working remotely .

All of that allows us to weave a simple narrative in our case studies we hand to clients: SEO works, we’re better at it, and we can utilize our specific advantages to do incredible things for your business.

What Data Range Should You Include in Your SEO Case Study? 

As a quick aside, it’s important to point out just what data you’re including. Or, more accurately, what data range you’re including.

The obvious answer is whatever shows your impact in the most dramatic way.

A little less obvious, however, is something standard — something that both shows your impact while being a relatively common metric of success. This is why we typically show year-to-year results in our case studies. When you start breaking things up into smaller units, it can start to look like cherry-picking.

Year-to-year results typically are big — and to marketers and execs in the know, they’re also impressive because they tend to include spin-up time. This means that they tend to be realistic, too — something that can earn you kudos in a space known for being, uh, let’s say a little less than honest.

As far as what data you’re showing, we suggest sticking to the big numbers: sessions or users, conversions, and number of ranking keywords. SEMrush can be useful here — we find their historical data to be the best. (PS: If you want to give SEMrush a try, you can get a free week by using our link. )

Showing It’ll Work For Them

This is a special bit that’s going to require us to go on a bit of a tangent.

At the end of 2019, a client came to us with a unique problem: their customer is a needle in a haystack.

They were convinced that they were different. They were the exception. SEO wouldn’t work for them.

Because they sell luxury doors, windows, and security solutions to some of the richest people on Earth. Basically, if you need a bulletproof panic room for your yacht, we know a guy. 

Could SEO really help them find their target market? Were these hyper-rich folks really looking at Google to find the best security solutions for their home? 

Maybe they weren’t — but someone certainly is.

We convinced our client that high-end architects and interior designers are absolutely Googling this sort of thing. 

They want to know about the latest options and building materials to woo clients over. With the pandemic eliminating the ability to make in-person sales calls or attend conferences. Googling is the easiest and next best option

We were able to tell — thanks to keyword research — that security consultants were looking for options for their clients.

A year later, and surprise:

Before our client signed with us, he was going door-to-door around the United States trying to sell millionaires and billionaires these products.

Now? He gets clients coming to him — clients he otherwise would’ve never reached.

Big clients, with big budgets – even some famous people from Hollywood! Their security and interior design teams Google various terms we’ve optimized our client’s website for, and BAM.

Within six months, our client received so many new leads from SEO he had to hire new salespeople to keep up with demand.

But what does this hyper-specific case study show? How is it relevant to potential new clients?

That’s easy: because it shows we’re competent, and it also shows that we can develop an SEO strategy that works for industries that aren’t typically thought of as “SEO friendly.”

It’s for this reason that we think that any simple story you can tell about a client’s success is good — even if they aren’t in an especially common industry.

Good stories are good stories. It’s as simple as that.

Include a Narrative in Your Case Studies

Marketing is just storytelling. SEO folks tend to be very focused on the data — but the reality is, even good data can’t sell itself. You’ve got to include a narrative.

Why did your client come to you? What did they need? What were they struggling with? How did you solve their problem? How does that relate to the potential client reading the case study?

To make this easy, most of our SEO case studies follow a simple formula:

• The Problem
• The Strategy
• The Results
• What This Means For Your Brand

Here, the problem refers to the initial dilemma. Why are they coming to you? What do they need? What questions do they have?

The strategy is exactly what it says on the tin — just boiled down into a paragraph or two of easy-to-digest copy.

The results is where most of the three things listed above this section. We talk about the numbers, what they achieved, and what that means for the client.

Finally, the last section translates our past (or current) clients’ success into the potential success of the person reading the case study. We’re careful to point out how the client in the case study is unique, but at the same time, we make sure to point out that the nature of SEO is inherently universal.

That is, SEO can work for all businesses — it might not work in the same way, and it might not have the same results, but there’s a strategy there that CAN work to some extent for YOUR business.

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/business-desktop-with-office-elements_4702652.htm#page=2&query=notebook%20glasses&position=2&from_view=search&track=sph

What to Avoid When Making an SEO Case Study

Don’t fall into the trap of relying on big names.

Many of the folks on TCF’s staff have had the luxury of sitting on both sides of the table. That means that, in addition to having to pitch businesses before, many of our team members have also had to court agencies.

This means that we are familiar with what some of your pitch decks look like.

And… we have to be honest, we’re a little embarrassed for you.

Far too many big (like, if you work in marketing, you’d know their names) agencies rely on case studies that just name drop Fortune 100 companies, talking about how they “helped” them “achieve results.”

...but if you ask for details?

“Well, everyone said we did a great job!”

If you can’t cite specific details about the project and what you did, then you aren’t writing a case study — you’re just writing copy for your execs to high-five over.

Your case study shouldn’t look like an algebra quiz.

Numbers are good. They’re concrete. 

But we’re marketers, folks. You’ve got to tell a story. 

What problem did you help your client solve? Why did they come to you in the first place? What did you DO for them?

Numbers and graphs can help illustrate these points, but they aren’t the whole story.

Don’t just show green numbers. You’ve got to explain what they mean.

At the same time, you don’t want to go overboard here. Don’t start getting into technical details. 

Your client probably doesn’t need to know the differences between sessions and users. They don’t need to know about algorithm updates, or E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness), or crawl depth.

They just need to know about results — and the general strategy of how you got your client to wherever it was they wanted to go.

Your case study shouldn’t look cherry-picked.

Your data should look honest. If it’s obvious you’ve been trimming down your graphs, or moving around numbers to make your impact look bigger than it is… well, your future client is going to have some uncomfortable questions for you.

It’s okay to only report on pages you had control over — or if you walk away from a client, only focusing on the time you were there (and the direct results that came from your effort).

Just keep in mind — you’re going to have to answer for any discrepancies.

What an SEO Case Study Looks Like (Download our Case Study Template!)

To help you figure out how to put a case study together, we’ve gone ahead and put together a just for this guide.

We’ve commented on it extensively, so you can see precisely why we’ve made the choices we have. 

We’ve done this because — let’s face it — it’s one thing to tell you how to do it, it’s another thing to see it in action. 

By   Guest Contributor

30 Best SEO Case Studies: Real Examples & Results That Work

How would you like to read the best SEO case studies ever published?

More importantly, how would you like to copy the best practices in search engine optimization that are based on real-world examples and not just theory?

Below, you’ll find a list of the top 30 SEO case study examples along with the results and key findings. By studying these SEO case studies and applying the lessons learned on your own site, you can hopefully achieve similar results for your SEO campaigns.

Table of Contents

Best SEO Case Studies

How i increased my organic traffic 652% in 7 days  – backlinko seo case study.

Learn how Brian Dean used the “Skyscraper Technique 2.0” to increase his organic SEO traffic to one of his web pages by 652%. This same approach helped a brand new post hit the #1 spot in Google within a few weeks. The case study is full of screenshots, key findings, and guided steps for you to follow.

SEO Investment – Google Search Central Case Study

Find out how an investment in SEO and implementing applicable structured data can improve user experience and increase organic traffic on Google Search.

How to Create a Squeeze Page That Converts at 74.5%  – Gotch SEO Case Study

See how Nathan Gotch used 9-step approach to create a squeeze page that converts at 74.5%. The tactics revealed in this case study also boosted another one of the pages by 69%, so you know it’s a proven method that works.

From 126 to 121,883 Unique Visitors in Under 6 Months – Ahrefs SEO Case Study

This SEO case study example focuses on Northmill, a Fintech company founded in Stockholm. It reveals how you can analyze your business competitors to develop higher-quality content that will gain a huge amount of traffic and convert those readers into customers. Read it to find out exactly what Northmill did during an SEO campaign to go from 126 unique visitors to 121,883 in under 6 months.

Ranking in 24 Hours in the Competitive SEO Niche – SEO Chatter Case Study

This case study was a partnership between SEO Chatter and Keyword Chef. It shows you how much organic traffic and money was earned by publishing 45 blog posts based on keywords found with the Keyword Chef tool. You’ll also discover the steps taken to get those posts to rank in the top 10 positions on Google within 24 hours or less after publishing.

From 0 to 75,000 Visits A Year – Ryan Darani Case Study

Find out complete details on the challenges, limits, budgets, and timeframes for a client that went from 0 clicks per day to now 300-400 on average with only 60 pieces of content on the site.

How We 4x’d Traffic and Doubled Revenue in E-Commerce – Diggity Marketing SEO Case Study

This is one of the best SEO case studies for e-commerce. Inside, you’ll learn how an e-commerce client grew their traffic by 417% in 8 months. You’ll get the exact SEO strategies deployed, content improvements, and backlink tactics. The results speak for themselves: an extra $48,000 in additional monthly revenue was achieved for a total of 112% increase in overall revenue.

Diggity Marketing is also featured on my SEO secrets page and is a good resource for more SEO success case studies.

6-Step Process That Generated 150,732 Visits  – Robbie Richards SEO Case Study

In this SEO case study, you’ll learn a repeatable 6-step process that one SEO marketer used to get his client to #1 in Google. This strategy helped him outrank big name brands like Mashable, and increase organic traffic by 11,065% in just 6 months.

Scaling an Outdoor Niche Site to a $175K Exit – The Website Flip SEO Case Study

Get a complete month-by-month breakdown of how one business bought a website on Flippa and scaled it for a $175,000 exit. You’ll learn every step they took with SEO and site improvements from day one of the purchase at $23,000 and the sale 22 months later, all while making $100,938 revenue on top of the final sales price.

How Long Does It Take to Rank for A Keyword  – Bloggers Passion SEO Case Study

Find out how long it really takes for a keyword to hit the first page of Google in this case study. SEO for a new post can take some time to kick in before the page generates thousands of visitors from search. But how long do you have to wait? Is it one week, 30 days, or longer? Read this data-packed example to find out as well as get actionable steps you can take to speed up the ranking process.

Traffic Improves SEO and Affects Google Rankings – Cognitive SEO Case Study

This company tracked a strong correlation between a spike in traffic from a Reddit post to an increase in Google rankings for an ultra-competitive keyword. Find out how they experienced a boost from the 74th position to the 8th in Google search results in just one day.

$780 Revenue In Month 1 with An Aged Domain – Stream SEO Case Study

This is an ongoing case study of a website built on an aged domain. In this first post, you’ll learn how the aged domain was resurrected and what SEO steps were taken in the first month to generate $780.

Large Images In Google Search – Google Search Central Case Study

Learn how having large images in Discover on Google can improve click-through rates and increase visits to publisher websites.

How I Increased SEO Traffic by 600% in 24 Months  – WordStream SEO Case Study

The author of this case study took a site from 20,000 monthly visitors to over 150,000 (a 600% increase) with mostly on-page SEO updates and internal linking methods. He even unpublished 90% of the content on the blog. Learn the four SEO techniques that he used in the right way to explode the search traffic.

A Case Study of Winning in Local SEO  – SEMrush Blog SEO Case Study

This case study talks about how to improve local SEO for a business. It uses the example of a local taxi company in a competitive market. Local SEO can be tough to crack because you’re dealing with two sets of algorithms: organic search results and maps; and maps can be fairly tricky to get ranked in. Find out what courses of action the author took to get this taxi business to appear within the local map pack for almost all main search queries within the city itself.

How To 4x Organic Traffic In 6-Months Using Pure SEO Basics – Authority Builders SEO Case Study

This is an interesting case study on SEO because the site that was studied had increased organically from 7,000 visitors per month to about 68,000 between January to April. The site owner was doing a lot of things right but many simple things were also being done wrong. Find out here how you don’t need fancy SEO tricks to get high rankings and traffic to your blog or website. Once the author performed a technical SEO audit and put into place some off-page optimization strategies like link velocity, anchor text ratios, and relevance, the site’s traffic quadrupled in the next 6 months.

How to Rank in the First 2 Results on Google – Leanne Wong SEO Case Study

In this case study, you’ll learn five essential steps to optimize your blog posts to rank in the first #2 results on Google. The author used these same methods to rank above 1 million competing pages. She talks about using medium tail keywords, Google’s predictive search queries, strategic keyword placement, and more.

How To 14x Search Traffic In 8 Months – Matthew Woodward SEO Case Study

Matthew Woodward is an expert in search engine optimization and he publishes a lot of SEO case study examples. This one in particular is worth the read because it shows you how SEO doesn’t have to be complicated to get exponential results. Inside, you’ll learn how to create a strong plan of action based on 7 steps. Using these same strategies in this case study, the author We increased traffic on an affiliate website from 2,732 visitors per month to 38,420 in just 8 months (14x higher or 1,306% to be exact).

Data-Informed Strategy Delivers Results – Rise Interactive SEO Case Study

This is an SEO case study for the American Egg Board (AEB), a U.S. The AEB is best known for its long-running slogan, “The Incredible, Edible Egg”, and the Just Mayo scandal. The AEB relies heavily on organic traffic to drive awareness; however, it was experiencing a steady decline in traffic and organic visibility, year-over-year. Learn how the Rise Interactive agency used an integrated site-wide keyword strategy, an SEO-first approach on the site structure, and ways to capitalize existing SEO equity to generate an 87% increase in mobile traffic and 22% improvement in desktop traffic.

How an Integrated, Keyword-Driven Blog Strategy Increased Organic Traffic to a Leading Analytical Laboratory’s Blog by 58% – TopRank Marketing SEO Case Study

This is one of the shortest and best SEO case studies you’ll ever find. You can read through it in under 3 minutes. But don’t let the length fool you; the data and actionable takeaways are priceless. Discover how Innovatech Labs, a leading analytical laboratory in Minnesota, used an integrated keyword-driven blog strategy that consisted of a five-step targeted plan to generate an increase of 58% traffic to the blog. As an indirect improvement, the site also received a 33% growth in newsroom traffic to qualified product pages and 19% increase in overall pageviews.

Organic Visitors Increased by 87%, Located in Target Local Cities – Wastecycle SEO Case Study

The client behind this case study is Wastecycle, a sustainable waste management company that provides a recycling and waste management service. Wastecyle wanted to get more business by reaching customers looking for local skip hire and Hallam digital marketing agency provided local SEO strategies to achieve this goal. Read the SEO case study to find out how the agency generated an 87% increase in organic visitors in local cities, 150% increase in clicks for the targeted term “skip hire”, and 297 varied phrases achieving page one rankings on Google.

How We Ranked on the First Page of Google for 4 Competitive Keywords in Just 8 Months – OutreachMama SEO Case Study

This case study is a few years old but everything in it still highly relevant for today. Find out how a link building company used a 3-step strategy to rank on the first page of Google for four target keywords and in the top 3 results for two of those keywords. The case study explains the way the company built links, what pages were targeted, the anchor text used, and the timelines for each phase.

Design Modo Penalty Removal Boosts Organic Traffic by 61.79% – Reposition SEO Case Study

This is a good SEO success case study to read because it focuses on Google penalty removals. You can skim through in less than one minute too. Design Modo, a resource for digital designers and developers, had an apparent partial penalty that had gradually decreased its organic traffic month on month. Reposition SEO agency got involved and found out that the root of the penalty was due to Design Modo’s outbound links rather than the usual inbound links. After a few tweaks and a reconsideration request to Google, the organic traffic increased 61.79% along with an 86% improvement in all keyword rankings.

An Increased In Total Organic Users By 555% – Victorious SEO Case Study

This case study follows the journey of Oji Vape, a wholesale vaping supplied company, that initially got burned by an agency that used outdated SEO tactics that no longer applied to Google’s constantly evolving algorithms. After switching to Victorious SEO agency, Oji Vape experienced a 555% increase in organic visitors within 8 months. This has translated to a 745% improvement in goal completions that took into account sales inquiries by phone and online form submissions. Find out what Victorious did to achieve these amazing results.

Content Strategy for a B2B Furniture Supplier – Web Talent Marketing SEO Case Study

This case study goes beyond SEO tactics and enters the realm of conducting a good content strategy. The B2B furniture supplier client had invested in search engine optimization for a few years with a primary focus on link building. But the newly hired agency felt like the furniture company needed to diversify its SEO strategy in order to remain competitive in the organic search results and acquire new customers that were not familiar with the brand. After a bit of work, the agency achieved these results: 34,878 organic entrances to blog posts (48% of all organic traffic), increased conversions from blog entrances by 70%, 74 keywords on page one of Google search results, and 13 featured snippet results.

313% More Organic Traffic with REAL Examples – From the Future SEO Case Study

This case study examines the SEO results from 3 different websites, in 3 totally different niches, that all have different conversion metrics for “success.” Learn what steps were taken to run an SEO campaign for each website to meet the key goals for success.

How We Got a 32% Organic Traffic Boost from 4 On-Page SEO Changes – Moz SEO Case Study

In this case study, you’ll learn about Wall Street Oasis, an online community focused on careers in finance with over 2 million visits per month. Inside, you’ll discover two of the site’s main SEO problems as a large forum with over 200,000 URLs and the simple solutions that helped it regain its growth trajectory.

A 48% Boost in Year-On-Year Organic Traffic – Brand New Copy SEO Case Study

This case study focuses on Field & Lawn, a marquee hire company that operates throughout the UK. As a result of the hired agency’s efforts, Field & Lawn saw a 48% increase in Year-on-Year traffic, a 5% reduction in bounce rate, and a significant ranking improvement for almost all 42 targeted keywords. Find out what methods were used to gain these increases in visibility and how you can copy them for your own success.

How I Ranked 1800+ Keywords on Page 1 of Google in Just 6 Months – Shane Barker SEO Case Study

In this SEO case study, you’ll discover exactly how Shane Barker ranked 1800+ keywords on the first page of Google search results. He outlines a 6-step strategy that any business can use to achieve similar metrics. What’s also nice about this case study is that the author has a lengthy FAQ section at the end where he answers common questions people have about the methods used for growth with search engine optimization.

7 Steps To 197,514 Monthly Traffic – Apollo Digital SEO Case Study

In this SEO case study, you’ll discover the step-by-step formula of the entire search engine optimization process that Apollo Digital uses to rank its clients’ websites. This study in particle focuses on a SaaS business process management software and how it went from around 8,000 monthly visitors to about 200,000 in less than 2 years. You’ll get everything explained in detail like the content writing process, interlinking strategies, visual improvements, headline tweaking, and of course, SEO tactics.

Read More Case Study Examples

I also have more digital marketing case studies with real results from other industry experts that you can study and use to improve your online marketing campaigns:

• Affiliate marketing case studies
• Content marketing case studies
• Digital marketing case studies
• Email marketing case studies
• PPC case studies
• Social media case studies

What Is an SEO Case Study?

An SEO case study is an in-depth study of search engine optimization in a real-world context. It can focus on one SEO tactic or a group of SEO strategies to find out what works in search engine optimization to improve traffic and organic visibility.

Are Case Studies Good for SEO?

Case studies are good for SEO because you can learn about how to do search engine optimization in an effective way. Instead of just studying the theory of SEO, you can learn from real examples that applied SEO methods to achieve success.

In addition to learning from case studies, you can also get valuable insights from my SEO books list that contains expert search engine optimization training.

Summary for the Best SEO Case Studies

I hope you enjoyed this list of the best SEO case studies that are based on real-world results and not just theory.

As you discovered, the SEO case study examples above demonstrated many different ways to perform well in search engines. By studying the key findings from these examples, and applying the methods learned to your own site, you can hopefully achieve the same positive outcome. New SEO success case studies are being published every month and I’ll continue to update this list as they become available. So keep checking back to read the current sources of information on search engine optimization.

Case Study Template

• Content Marketing Templates

Craft an incredible case study the easy way with this free case study template (available in Word, Google Docs and as a PDF). Whether you want to use your case study as a piece of blog content, or as a sales tool to close more clients, this template will give you everything you need.

Download the Case Study Template

The Digital Marketing Templates Library

Download as Microsoft Word

Download as PDF

Open as Google Doc

Why Use a Case Study Template?

Case studies are one of my favorite types of content. They’re useful like a how-to guide. But they’re backed up with proof to show that the steps actually work.

Plus, bloggers LOVE linking to case studies. Why? Because they contain real numbers. Case studies also get a lot of social media shares (people love to share a good story) In fact, one of my most popular posts ever is when I first introduced the Skyscraper Technique . And it’s a case study.

Now: I’ve written a lot of case studies over the years. And I’ve noticed that there’s one particular structure that works like a charm. Every time.

So I created a template to help me bang out case studies FAST. Now, rather than staring at a blank page, I just whip out my tried-and-true template and start filling in the blanks. Starting today, you’ll be able to do the same.

What’s Included

Here’s what’s included in this case study template:

• The 3 major components to any winning case study: How to capture your audience’s attention, make them want to read the entire thing, and get them to share your post when they’re done.
• How to write your case study: What to include, what to leave out, and where to put everything in order.
• Paint-by-numbers walkthrough of every section of your case study: From the “setting the scene”, outlining the results, wrapping things up and more.

How to Use This Template

• Identify an accomplishment you’d like to highlight, whether your own or someone else’s (like a friend or client’s)
• Download the free Case Study Template on this page
• Follow the instructions in the template and fill in the blanks, adding plenty of detail
• Paste the template into the content editor of your website, format it and add images
• Publish and promote your case study

How to Make Sure Your Case Study Gets the Attention It Deserves

94% of all blog posts have 0 external links . Using a template will help you nail the fundamentals of your case study. Which is important. But if you want to attract lots of links and social shares, you’ll need to go above and beyond.

• Spend lots of time on your title. After all, people will only click through and read if your title draws them in. I include two things in every case study title: a very specific result with a number (like “How I Increased My Organic Traffic 652%”) and another detail that provides context and makes it more impressive (like “in 7 Days”).
• Speaking of titles, for more social shares, use a title that’s 14-17 words long .
• Make your case study beautiful and easy-to-read. According to Nielsen Norman Group , good visual design is one of the best ways to make your content appear more trustworthy. Definitely use as many high-quality images as you can. But don’t forget about font. Go with a font that’s between 15 – 18 pixels for the body of your content.
• Create a new, “branded” name for the technique your case study covers. (I call this the Branded Strategy Case Study , which is itself a branded name.) Giving your technique a branded name makes people more likely to remember and link to your case study.
• See my Complete Guide to SEO and Content Marketing for more best practices to follow.

Here Are The Templates One More Time...

Create ready-to-rank articles in minutes with Surfer AI. Now only $19.

Research, write, and optimize across industries with the click of a button.

It’s better on top. ‍

Grow your business and drive organic traffic with a strategy—not a shot in the dark. Let Surfer light your way to smarter, simpler SEO growth.

Don’t miss out. Join 150k+ Agencies, Marketers, and SEOs.

How To Write A Case Study [Template plus 20+ Examples]

In an era where every niche seems completely saturated, learning how to write a case study is one of the most important time investments you can make in your business.

That’s because case studies help you present a compelling story of success to bottom-of–funnel decision makers. Do it right, and a solid case study can greatly increase your chances of closing new deals.

A 2023 study from the Content Marketing Institute found that 36% of B2B marketers consider case studies to be effective tools for converting prospects into customers.

In this article, I’ll show you step-by-step exactly how to write a case study that makes an impact. Along the way, I’ll highlight several stellar case studies that illustrate how to do it right.

What you will learn

• What a case study is and what it's not.
• How an effective case study can help establish you as an expert and land more clients.
• How to choose the right topic for your case study, taking into account client successes and broad appeal in your customer's industry.
• The essential parts of a good case study and how to write each one.
• Style and formatting points that will make your case study stand out for readers to understand.
• 4 tips for conducting an effective client interview.
• 6 real-life case studies that you can use as examples for creating your own customer stories.

What is a case study?

A case study is a detailed story about how your products or services helped a client overcome a challenge or meet a goal. Its main purpose is to prove to potential customers that you understand their problems and have the experience and expertise to help solve them.

But, even though a case study can help you attract and win customers, it's not just an advertisement for your offerings.

In truth, your company shouldn’t even be the main focus of a good case study.

Instead, a winning case study follows a successful business transformation from beginning to end and shows how you made it all possible for your client.

An example of a case study that conveys a strong customer story is the deep dive we did into how ClickUp used SurferSEO to boost their blog traffic by 85% in a year.

Why you should write a case study

The most obvious reason why you should write a case study is that it's a great way to show potential customers how others in their position have benefited from your product or service.

Here are a few of the key benefits of writing a case study, all of which can help you turn readers into customers.

Demonstrates expertise 

A well-written case study shows clearly how your company solved a complex problem or helped a particular customer make improvements using your solution.

This is the sort of expertise other potential clients will look for when they run into the same sort of issues.

For instance, one of CrowdStrike's case studies shows how they helped Vijilan scale its logging capacity so they could stop turning away business.

This positions CrowdStrike as experts in helping deal with log management issues.

Other companies dealing with their own logging problems will definitely find this to be a compelling story. And you can bet CrowdStrike will be on their short list of potential solution providers after reading this case study.

Educates potential customers 

You might have the best product on the market, but it won't do you any good if potential clients don't understand how it might help them.

A case study breaks down those barriers by showing real-life examples of your product in action, helping other customers solve their problems.

A good example is the Trello case study library .

Each story gives detailed examples showing how the customer uses Trello and includes actual screenshots from their workflows.

Here is an interesting snapshot from the BurgerFi example.

Here, you get a glimpse of a live Trello board that BurgerFi uses to manage their marketing assets.

By showing how existing clients use your product, you make it a lot easier for future customers to imagine how it might work for their needs, too.

Generates leads 

A strong case study is a valuable piece of content that provides insights and can help companies make decisions.

Many of them would be happy to give you their contact information in exchange for the chance to read about potential solutions to their problems.

That combination of valuable content and a hungry market makes case studies great tools for lead generation.

You can either gate part of your case study and leave the rest of it public, or require an email address and other contact information in order to download the full study.

That's the approach Pulsara took in detailing how their telehealth communication platform helped EvergreenHealth improve efficiency:

The names and addresses you collect with this approach will be about as warm as you could ever hope for since they probably have the same sort of problems you solved in your case study.

Along the same lines, case studies can be extremely effective in upselling or cross-selling other products to the decision-makers who read them.

And they are great tools for persuading a client to make a purchase with you.

Indeed, a great case study can often be the "final straw" that lands you a client considering your services.

A 2023 survey by Uplift Content , for example, found that 39% of SaaS marketers ranked case studies as being very effective for increasing sales.

That made it their #1 tactic for the second year in a row.

Builds trust 

Potential clients want to know that they can trust you to handle their business with care and to deliver on your promises.

A case study is the perfect vehicle to show that you can do just that.

Take advantage of that opportunity to present statistics, client testimonials, graphics, and any other proof that you can get results.

For example, in their case study about helping a law firm uncover critical data for a tricky case, Kroll shows us just how much they were able to cut through the noise:

Any law firm staring at its own pile of documents to search through would love to have that haystack reduced by a factor of 32.5x, too.

And Sodexo makes good use of customer testimonials in their case studies, like this quote from the procurement lead for a Montana mining company.

Having existing customers tell the world that they count on you is powerful free advertising and builds trust with your readers. That can help transform them into customers down the road.

Provides social proof 

You can also use your case study to show that your product or service works in a specific industry.

Real-world examples of customer success stories position you as someone their peers and competitors can turn to, too.

For instance, Stericycle details how they helped seven children's hospitals get a handle on their "sharps" management:

They also include glowing quotes from hospital leaders in the same study.

Other hospitals looking for help in disposing of their hazardous waste will know right away after reading this study that Stericycle understands their needs.

This is the type of social proof that can really help establish you as a go-to solution for the industries you serve.

How to choose a subject for your case study

In order to get the most bang for your buck from your case study, you need to make sure you pick a topic that resonates with your target audience. And one that can make your solution look its best.

Below are 4 ways to select the best subject for your case study.

1. Choose a popular topic

Make sure the topic you tackle in your case study is one that most of your potential clients are searching for.

You may be tempted to highlight an unusual project that you find especially interesting. But that usually won't have the same sort of selling power as a topic with more broad appeal.

For instance, Aruba Networks has helped colleges and universities with all sorts of networking projects. Some of those involve really fascinating edge cases like research labs, esports arenas, and other innovative solutions.

But what most schools are looking for in a network upgrade is improving connectivity across campus while enhancing security and saving money.

Those are exactly the outcomes Aruba focuses on in its Doane University case study .

Remember that your case study is likely to be read by decision-makers at the bottom of the sales funnel who are ready to buy.

Your content needs to resonate with them and address the questions they want answered in order to make their decision.

Aruba tackles their customers' concerns head-on throughout the Doane study, as you can see from their section headings:

• "Realizing a hyper-connected vision"
• "10X throughput eliminates academic barriers"
• "More secure with less effort"
• "Greener and more resilient at better insurance rates"

College administrators can see at a glance that Aruba understands their needs and has helped other institutions with similar problems.

2. Consider relevance and attractiveness

Although you want to choose a popular subject for your case study (as discussed above), it's also important to make sure it's relevant to your target audience.

For instance, if you provide design services, a one-off project you did to help a local company set up its website might have taught you a lot. But most of your potential readers will be much more interested in reading about how your designs helped that client improve brand perception.

It’s also best to choose a situation where your product or service is used in a way that you expect most potential users to adopt. 

For example, Allegion's Mount Holyoke case study (PDF) details how one campus used their products to move to contactless and mobile entry systems.

Students today demand more control over their physical security than ever before. And the administrative overhead of managing thousands of doors and physical keys on a college campus is enormous.

As a result, most schools are interested in using technology to enable their students and reduce staffing costs.

Allegion hits those points dead-on with this case study.

An added benefit of choosing a topic with broad appeal among your target client base is that you can use the content in your normal distribution channels.

For example, you can publish all or part of it as a blog post, include it in your newsletter, or use it as the basis for a YouTube video. Wherever your audience is, that's probably a good place to promote your case study.

3. Identify a 5 star use case

A case study is like a sales executive for your company.

It needs to show your product or service in the best possible light and highlight its features and benefits while distinguishing it from other products.

Choose a client example that really makes your solution look like a superstar and showcases its most outstanding attributes.

You should also avoid showing your product or service being used in a novel or completely innovative way. While that can provide some solid insight, you risk alienating your typical client who needs to know that you can solve their specific problem.

Instead, your case study should demonstrate how your solution took on a common industry problem and delivered stellar results.

A great example is Beckman Coulter's case study that details their work with Alverno Labs.

The objective was to reduce the time it took Alverno to deliver lab test results while reducing operating costs, which are common goals for many testing labs.

The case study presents a detailed description of how Beckman Coulter implemented a continuous improvement process for Alverno. They enhance the discussion with several meaty visuals like this project roadmap:

They also include plenty of tangible data to prove their success.

And of course, include direct client testimonials:

From top to bottom, this case study proves that Beckman Coulter understands their customers business needs and can offer top-notch solutions.

4. Find a satisfied customer

You're going to need input from your client in order to build the most complete and accurate case study that you can.

So when you're trying to choose a customer story to use, look for a client who is happy to share their positive experience working with you.

Try to find one who seems genuinely eager to talk so that they will be timely with their responses to your questions.

If you have a customer who is willing to sit down for an actual interview with you, they're a great candidate. You'll get answers quickly, and the client is obviously comfortable enough with your relationship to talk with you directly.

A good example that focuses on a satisfied client comes from Aerofloat, an Australian wastewater treatment company.

In their Norco Food Case Study , Aerofloat reports that Norco hired them for additional projects as a result of their successful prior engagement:

It's always good to show prospective clients that your existing customers stick with you.

So try to pick a case study done in collaboration with a current client, not one from the past.

Aerofloat also highlights their ongoing relationship with Norco by also including them in the customer list on their About page:

How to write a case study

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of writing a case study and figured out how to pick the best topic for your situation, it’s time to get down to the business of writing.

Below is a rundown of the sections that make up the structure of a typical case study. For each piece, I’ll show you what types of content you should include and give you an example of a study that does it right.

Here are 8 tips to writing a case study.

1. Attention grabbing title

The title of your case study needs to grab potential readers attention and convince them that this is a valuable piece of content.

Make your title catchy, concise, and descriptive, just like you would for a good blog post. But you also need to make sure you give your readers a clear idea of what the case study is about.

Offer them at least a hint of the type of results you were able to deliver, too.

It’s a good idea to use numbers here – the higher, the better. It's especially effective if you can show how quickly you got results and how much money your client saved or made as a result of working with you.

Our ClickUp case study that I mentioned earlier is a good example. The full title is

SurferSEO Helps ClickUp Publish 150+ Articles And Achieve Blog Traffic Growth of 85% in 12 Months.

Here are some other case studies that make effective use of numbers in their titles:

• Healthcare Administrative Partners Increases Online Patient Payments by 20% in Two Months
• Case Study: Taylor Kotwa, Sprinter, Increases FTP 7% in 4 months
• Case Study: Lakeview Farms Reduced Downtime by 36% in 6 Months
• CASELY case study: Improved first response time by 10x while experiencing 16,954% growth

This type of headline gives potential clients a sense that you will work with urgency to improve their bottom-line results.

2. Hook readers in your introduction

The introduction of your case study should set the stage for the comprehensive narrative that follows.

Give a brief description of the problem for context and quickly introduce the customer's story. Touch on the results you helped them achieve, but don't go overboard on details.

Overall, the introduction should give your reader just enough information to keep them engaged and ready to move into the heart of the case study.

It should also establish that they're in the right place and that you are the right person to be telling this story.

This case study about the cybersecurity program at Investors Bank includes a solid example of an effective introduction:

3. Highlight the challenge

This section should clearly outline the problem or challenge that your customer is facing.

Help your readers understand why a solution was necessary, and why that specific pain point was bothering the client. 

And, since this is the entire motivation for the project in the first place, don't skimp on details.

For instance, one of Verkada's case studies explains why maintaining security cameras is a huge challenge for Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington state. They start off with a direct quote from the resort's IT director:

The elevation tops out at a little over 7,000 feet, so the weather conditions can get extreme. We needed durable cameras capable of handling everything from snowstorms to 100 MPH winds.

That makes it crystal clear what sort of problem Crystal Mountain was facing.

The case study then adds more detail with separate subsections about hardware durability, image quality, and cumbersome footage retrieval.

By the time they finish reading this section, your readers should have no doubt about what the problem is and why a solution is needed.

4. Solve their problem

The solution section is one of the most important parts of a case study.

This is your chance to describe how your product or service provided a solution to the problem or challenge your client was having.

It's where you can really start to make a connection with potential new clients by showing them that you understand the issue at hand.

First, provide some details about how you analyzed the situation. The Kroll case study on handling critical legal data mentioned earlier does a great job of this with bullet points describing their research process.

This type of analysis helps build confidence that you take a thorough approach to your engagements and are looking out for your clients best interests.

Now you can move on to describe the solution you and your client chose based on your investigation.

In their legal case study, Kroll determined that the best solution involved digitizing thousands of paper documents and using AI to analyze more than a million documents.

Kroll describes in detail how they used their RelativityOne system to achieve those goals:

This level of detail helps prospective customers better understand the root cause of their problems and positions you as the right company to solve them.

5. Showcase your results

The results section is all about proving that you can actually deliver on the promise of your proposed solution. Go heavy on the details here, too, and make sure your readers understand the results you achieved.

Wherever possible, use specific numbers and data points to show exactly how effective your solution was for your client.

A good example is this BetterBricks case study showing how they helped an aerospace company slash energy costs.

They distilled their bottom line results into a simple table:

The text of the study then goes into more detail about what these numbers mean, but this quick graphic lets readers know right away the scope of the results achieved.

Here is a sampling of BetterBrick’s more detailed explanation of their results in this case:

This is your place to really crow about the success you achieved with your client, so make it as obvious as possible just how impactful you were.

6. Use multimedia well

One way to make a lasting impression on potential clients is to include relevant visuals throughout your case study.

Graphs, screenshots, and product photos help break up the text and make your study more engaging overall.

But they can also add details to your story and make a memorable visual impact beyond what mere words can accomplish.

We got a taste of that with the table of results in the BetterBricks example above, but that's just the start.

Inrix is a good example of a company that loads up its case studies with insightful and engaging media to tell a better story.

For instance, in their breakdown of a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT), Inrix uses charts, tables, and graphs throughout.

One innovative example is this diagram about crash distances:

This really brings the idea to life in a way that words alone can't, and it's likely to stick with readers long after they've clicked off the case study.

Other types of media that companies use to good effect in their case studies include pictures of key client stakeholders, interactive charts, tables, and simple graphs.

You can see in this high-level overview that Inrix includes most of these in their Pennsylvania DOT case study:

You can even use video to demonstrate your solution or to share a client testimonial.

If possible, include direct quotes from your client to add authenticity to the case study.

This will show potential customers that you and your existing client have a good relationship and that they value your work.

It’s pretty compelling stuff to have a ringing endorsement like this one from an EnergyCAP case study , to show your readers:

You can place customer quotes throughout the case study to highlight important points, and you should definitely try to include at least one that shows overall customer satisfaction.

Chances are you have some of these quotes already in the form of testimonials or as part of the customer interview you conducted in preparing for your case study (more on that later).

You can use those quotes here if they fit the context of your case study.

That will save time and red tape for both you and your client since they'll be reviewing your final case study before it goes live anyway.

8. Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize the key points of the case study and reinforce the success of the solution. It could also include a call to action, encouraging readers to try your product or service or to get in touch for more information.

You might also include information about future plans with the client to reinforce the idea that your relationship is strong and ongoing.

That's the approach that Gravitate Design used in their case study about helping GoBeyond with their bounce rates and time on page:

Like the introduction, the conclusion section of a case study should be short and sweet, giving just enough detail to make the reader want to hear more from you.

Checklist for case studies

Beyond the story that you want to tell in your case study, you also need to pay attention to several other factors. Indeed, the layout and format of your study can have a big impact on how effective it is at keeping your readers engaged and delivering your message.

Here is a quick checklist for creating case studies.

Break up the text with headings and subheadings

Big blocks of text can be intimidating and make it tough for your audience to stay on track.

In contrast, a case study with clear headings and subheadings throughout breaks up the story and gives readers visual clues about what's coming.

This also makes the case study easier for readers to scan and helps you keep each section focused on a single idea.

Use bullet points for lists or key points

Along the same lines, bullet points let you present important information in small bits that are easy for readers to digest.

Some of the best uses of bullet points include:

• A series of facts or tips
• A list of product features or benefits
• A quick summary of results
• Steps in a how-to procedure
• A rundown of multiple statistics

For these bite-sized hunks of detail, bullets often make for a much cleaner and readable list than jamming all the information into a single paragraph. 

Bullet point lists also make great quick references for readers to come back to later.

Highlight key points with bold or italic text

Bold and italic text draws the reader’s eyes to the words you highlight, which lets you really drive home key ideas in your case study.

You can use this technique to introduce new terms, place emphasis on a sentence, and showcase important parts of your approach or results.

Like bullet points, bold and italic text also give readers a visual anchor for reference as they’re working through your document.

Make paragraphs short and to-the-point

Aim for 3-4 sentences per paragraph to keep the text readable and engaging. Each paragraph should focus on one main idea to support the subject of the section it’s in.

Using short paragraphs tells readers at a glance that there are break points throughout your case study and helps keep them engaged.

Keep consistent length across the case study 

Throughout all parts of your case study, try to cover your main points in detail without overwhelming the reader.

Your potential clients are there to find a possible solution to their problems, not to read a novel.

Give them an inviting document structure and then lead them through each section with clear explanations and no fluff.

Adjust the length based on the complexity of the subject 

The flip side of the tip above about keeping your case study tight and focused is that you need to make sure you cover your topic in detail.

Very complex topics will require more explanation and longer overall case studies than simpler subjects.

For example, a case study about paving a church parking lot might be pretty short.

But a story about implementing a comprehensive information security program for a state government will likely be much longer and more detailed.

Include a summary with some takeaways 

At the end of your case study, summarize the key takeaways and results to reinforce the message you’re trying to get across.

Briefly recap the problem your client was facing, the solution you came up with, and the results you achieved. Think of this as an executive summary that gives business leaders the TL;DR version of your customer’s success story.

Content Snare includes an eye-catching summary in the case study detailing their efforts to grow their email list:

The overall goal is to leave potential clients with a good last impression and invite them to contact you with questions.

Use visuals to break up text and illustrate points

As we saw in the "How to write a case study" section above, graphs, charts, or images can make your case study more engaging and help illustrate key ideas or results. They also add visual variety and help break up the monotony of text-heavy studies.

Use these types of visuals to help keep your readers interested and make your story more complete.

Below is a high-level view of a portion of Advanced HPC’s Philips case study , which does a great job of incorporating the points in this section. It pulls together all the visual elements to create a very appealing reader experience.

4 tips to create an effective case study

You’re going to need your customer’s input in order to craft the most effective case study possible. It’s their story, after all, and they’re the ones who know what it was like to work with you throughout the process.

They also hold key details that you probably don’t know.

So, once you have their permission to write about the project, you’ll need to talk to them about the specifics. But you also want to respect their time.

Here are 4 tips on how to conduct an interview for your case study.

Prepare questions in advance

Know what information you need and prepare questions to pull that information from your client.

Doing this in advance will help you formulate the questions and sequence them properly to avoid bias and wasting time.

Have a few follow-up or emergency questions ready, too, in case you run into a dead end. 

Record the interview

With your client’s permission, record the interview to ensure accuracy and so you can come back to listen to important points again.

This helps you avoid bothering your clients with follow-up questions and also gives you more freedom to let the interview evolve in a natural conversational manner. 

Make the interviewee comfortable

Explain the interview process to your client, why you're asking them to talk, and how the information will be used. Remember that you are the one who “needs” the case study, not them. 

So you go the extra mile to ensure that your guest is as comfortable as possible.

That also means being flexible with the format of your interview.

If your client doesn’t have time for calls, offer to trade voice notes. Or give them a shared Google document for trading questions and answers.

And if you do end up conducting a live interview, agree to meet at a time that’s best for them.

No matter how you end up conducting your interview, make it clear that your client will be able to review the final version before you make it live.

Give them veto power over any of the information you put together.

Ask open-ended questions

Even though you’ll start out with a series of questions you need answered, don’t limit yourself to those. Instead, encourage your interviewee to share their story in their own words. 

Leave some room to ask open-ended questions and let the conversation evolve naturally.

Here are a few examples of the types of questions for discussion:

• What would you do differently if you were starting this project again?
• What do you think about XYZ emerging technology in relation to your industry's challenges?
• What sorts of other projects do you think Acme's solution might help with?
• How do your company's day-to-day operations and needs from how the relevant theories describe the industry?

Especially if you’re recording the interview, as suggested above, you can go back later and put things in a logical order.

Once you have all of the raw material, then you can curate the information and edit it to come up with your final product.

6 case study examples to follow

Now that you know what makes a great case study and how to write one, let's finish up with a few more top-notch business case study examples.

Each of the case studies below hits many of the points in this article, but they all take a different approach. Use them for inspiration or when you need a little refresher on how to write a case study.

This case study provides a detailed account of how Monograph, a B2B SaaS company, improved its marketing projects and reporting using Databox.

It's a pretty straightforward example of the best practices we've discussed in this article, with an introduction followed by background information on the company (Monograph) and the challenges they faced with manual tracking of each data point.

It describes the solution that Databox helped put in place and then shows clear evidence of the results their customer achieved:

Case studies don't come much more textbook than this one, which makes it a great example to follow.

Growth Design on Airbnb

Growth Design takes a totally unique approach to case studies, each one is an online comic book!

Read through their case study about Airbnb , though, and you'll see that it meets all the criteria for a complete case study even if the setup is a little different than most.

Here is a look at the landing page for this beauty of a study.

The author starts out with a problem: the need to book a place to stay in a foreign country in a hurry. So he heads to Airbnb but ends up overwhelmed by choices and bounces to Google Maps to make his reservation.

He concludes that Airbnb was not the full solution for him in this case and suggests several places they could make improvements.

It's a pretty neat dive into a well-known user experience, and it's also a great lesson in how to use visuals to keep your readers engaged in your case study.

This case study about how Grubhub used Webflow to build a viral marketing campaign hits you with stunning results right off the bat.

From there, the study tells the full story of how they achieved these results. Even though the author doesn't explicitly break out the problem, solution, and results sections, she still takes the reader through that journey.

It's a concise but complete story broken up by a few choice graphics.

This case study dives into how Employment Hero uses Slack to keep their remote employees engaged and productive as the company grows.

It details how Employee Hero continuously reevaluates its app usage to identify possible solutions to issues that arise and how Slack consistently helps meet the challenges.

This case study is a great example of picking a use case that is relevant to most of Slack's user base -- improving communication and productivity among remote employees.

Slack also makes effective use of quotes from the decision makers at Employment Hero.

We already talked about our ClickUp case study a little earlier in this article, but it's worth a deeper look as an example to help guide your writing.

As you would expect, this case study hits main points we've covered here: problem statement, solution, and results.

But there are a couple of "extras" that make this one stand out.

For starters, it doesn't just present a single solution. It presents three , each one addressing a different aspect of ClickUp's objectives and each one showcasing a different Surfer feature set. 

For example, solution #1 describes how ClickUp improved their on-page SEO with the help of Surfer’s Content Editor . 

This case study also provides a high-level view of ClickUp’s project management processes and describes how they incorporated Surfer into their content workflows.

It’s a really instructive example of how you can use a case study to help prospective clients envision how your product might fit their situation.

Zoom’s library

This one isn't a single case study at all but a library full of case studies designed to help potential clients understand how Zoom can benefit them.

Here you'll find stories about how very recognizable organizations like Capital One, Vox Media, and the University of Miami are using Zoom to boost connectivity and productivity among remote workers.

There are plenty of good examples here that you can consult when you get stuck writing your own case study.

And the entire library is a great example of using case studies to demonstrate expertise with the help of social proof:

The Zoom case study library also makes liberal use of video, which might give you some good ideas about how you can, too.

Key takeaways

• Case studies are one of the best ways to generate leads and convert readers into customers.
• By showcasing the success you've had helping previous customers, case studies position you as an expert in your field.
• Good case studies can be the final push businesses need in their decision making process to buy your products or services.
• Pick a use case for your study that has broad appeal in your industry and that showcases your products and services in the best light possible.
• Effective case studies follow a predictable format: introduction, problem statement, solution, results, and conclusion.
• Make your case studies as readable as possible by including visual elements like graphs and images, and by breaking up the text into smaller sections, subsections, and concise paragraphs.
• Be as thorough and accurate as possible by conducting client interviews to gather background information for your case studies.
• Follow top-notch case studies for inspiration and ideas about how to make your own case studies as good as possible.

A well-written case study shines a light on your products and services like nothing else and helps position you as an expert in your field.

By showing that you understand their problems and have helped others overcome similar issues, you can prove to prospective clients that you are well-suited to help them, too.

Use the step-by-step instructions in this article to craft a case study that helps you and your company stand out from the competition.

https://surferseo.com/blog/write-case-study/

7-Day Free Trial

Choose a plan that fits your needs and try Surfer out for yourself. Click below to sign up!

Traffic Think Tank Traffic Think Tank

• Money Site from Scratch (Course)
• Career Growth
• Link Building
• Google Data Studio (Course)
• Keyword Research
• Subscribe to the Rich Snippets Newsletter

Intermediate

• International SEO (Course)
• Links Building with VAs (Course)
• Technical SEO
• Content Marketing
• Google Updates & Penalties
• SEO for SaaS
• Acquiring Websites (Course)
• 7-Figure Agency (Course)
• Running an Agency
• Information Architecture
• SEO Automation
• Templates & Tools

SEO Strategy

• 14 days free trial
• Active Users
• All Content
• Code of Conduct
• Community Points & Milestones
• Community Rankings
• Content Export
• Edit your profile
• Update Billing Card
• Your Membership
• Exclusive Content Coming Soon
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Help, Support & FAQs
• Jobs from the Community
• Legal, Privacy, Terms & Conditions
• Membership Perks
• Press & Media Kit
• Privacy & Cookie Policy
• Rich Snippets
• Semrush Guru Offer
• Semrush Offer
• Semrush Pro Offer
• Traffic Think Tank Live 2021

Reviews & Comparisons

8 seo case studies: examples that will energize your strategy.

Looking to level up your SEO strategy, but need help figuring out where to start? What if you could learn from real-world examples of companies that have successfully improved their rankings and attracted more organic traffic?

I’ve got many compelling SEO case studies from the years I’ve spent learning everything I can about search engine algorithms. I hope these stories help spark ideas and develop strategies you can model in your own efforts.

By seeing what has worked for other businesses, you’ll gain invaluable insights on refining your approach and achieving your SEO KPIs . The case studies we’ll explore cover various industries, goals, and tactics — from revamping on-page content to building high-authority backlinks to recovering from Google penalties.

Discover eight concrete SEO success stories and get actionable tips you can implement today.

What Is an SEO Case Study?

An SEO case study is an in-depth analysis and strategic review of how a website improves its search engine rankings and organic traffic growth over time. SEO case studies explain the goals, technical approach, and results of specific optimization tactics.

The purpose of documenting SEO stories is multifaceted. 

First, they provide a blueprint for success that others can model because they outline the step-by-step process of what worked to boost rankings and traffic. 

Second, case studies build trust and credibility by showcasing real examples with data and metrics. This is particularly valuable for SEO and SEM agencies creating bottom-of-funnel content to show their potential ROI.

Lastly, case studies are a learning opportunity for all SEO practitioners to improve their own strategies. Analyzing the factors that led to positive ROI, search visibility, and conversions for others helps you identify smart tactics to test on your sites.

In terms of content, a complete SEO case study will cover:

• Initial objectives
• Ranking situation
• Technical audit findings
• Specific on-page and off-page activities
• Time frames for implementation
• Associated costs
• Measurable results month-by-month and year-over-year 

Tracking detailed analytics data is critical. The most compelling case studies also outline the estimated revenue and long-term ROI from the SEO initiatives.

Have you ever created case studies of your own work? They can help you persuade prospects and get more SEO clients .

I’m going to provide “mini” SEO case study examples to give you an idea of what’s possible.

Why Are SEO Case Studies Valuable?

Here’s why SEO case studies are worth reviewing.

• They showcase proven strategies in action. You get to see what combination of tactics boosted rankings and organic traffic for actual sites.
• You learn the step-by-step process of SEO initiatives that generated strong ROI. The case study format allows you to model what worked and avoid the efforts that don’t pay dividends.
• Since case studies focus on the metrics and data, you get real analysis based on actual results — not guesses or estimates. You see what moved the needle.
• By covering time frames in detail, you understand realistic SEO timelines — giving you a framework for smarter goal-setting.
• Well-documented case studies outline the costs associated with SEO efforts , so you can optimize budget and resources.

In short, getting detailed SEO case study examples (particularly from sites in your industry) is like accessing an SEO expert’s blueprint for increasing organic search visibility.

SEO Case Study Examples to Check Out

Here are eight compelling examples that offer key lessons you can apply to your site.

1. Edelweiss Bakery

Edelweiss Bakery is a small, local bakery in Florida that struggled with low online visibility despite having a loyal customer base. To boost their search rankings and web traffic, they partnered with the international SEO agency Why SEO Serious. 

Semrush described how the agency optimized Edelweiss’ on-page elements, conducted technical audits, redesigned the homepage, expanded its site structure, built backlinks , and created an SEO-optimized blog. 

Just four months after implementing these tactics, the bakery attracted 230 backlinks and grew its organic traffic by 214%.

2. Learning with Experts

The demand for online learning is high, and competition for top spots in the SERPs is fierce. Learning with Experts , an online learning community, partnered with UK-based agency Re:signal to boost their low organic visibility. 

Re:signal conducted keyword research, site audits, and on-page optimization. They identified keyword gaps, optimized category pages, improved site structure, and created new blog posts. After five months, organic sessions rose 59%, and Learning with Experts grew their revenue by 94%.

3. CMA Exam Academy

Accountant Nathan Liao created a CMA exam prep course but struggled to scale traffic with paid ads and social media. He saw some organic success but lacked the bandwidth to optimize this site further on his own.

Nathan hired Digital Commerce Partners (DCP), who analyzed and fixed technical SEO issues, reoptimized existing blog posts for quick wins, developed a custom content strategy integrated with DCP’s writers for scalability, and provided monthly reporting.

After a year, CMA Exam Academy saw a 125% revenue jump, increased its pageviews by 121%, and attracted 147% more users. DCP’s multilayered SEO approach drove significant business growth for CEA.

4. The CBD Supplier

UK-based CBD product marketplace The CBD Supplier struggled with low organic visibility in a competitive industry. 

Web design agency Cude targeted long-tail keywords with high search volume and low difficulty. The agency also improved internal linking and built a plan to create topical content clusters. 

This laser-focused SEO strategy grew search traffic by 557% in 12 months. It transformed The CBD Supplier into a mid-5-figure e-commerce business — which is particularly remarkable, given that it previously only generated £1,000 in revenue. 

Avis Car Rental , partnered with digital marketing agency Big Leap in 2018. The rental car company has more than 1,700 locations, so Big Leap focused on local SEO optimization tailored to each specific branch.

The agency conducted extensive audits to optimize individual map listings and citations across search engines. It sought to improve the website’s location pages to rank for key city and state-specific terms.

Big Leap performed in-depth technical SEO audits to identify high-impact areas to target. Then it assembled a team of skilled writers to produce more than 300 original, on-brand pieces of content optimized around high-volume keywords and strategic internal linking. Maintaining quality control was a top priority.

The multi-channel local SEO strategy delivered tremendous ROI. Avis ranked on the first page for 213 additional target keywords, including valuable conversion-focused terms. This led to hundreds of thousands of new qualified leads, accelerating business growth.

6. Healthspan

Health supplement retailer Healthspan approached UK agency Re:signal seeking to improve rankings after a Google Penguin penalty tanked their search visibility. 

Re:signal set goals to increase organic revenue, recover from the algorithm hit, and reduce Healthspan’s reliance on paid search. They worked through the penalty problem using link analysis and optimized for key product terms in the supplement industry. 

The results? Organic revenue rose 144% in a year, enabling Healthspan to cut back on paid search spend. Re:signal also secured high-quality media coverage that showcased Healthspan’s brand on a larger stage.

7. Regional Dentist

A large regional dental provider hired the agency Momentic to improve local search visibility across 14 cities. 

Momentic audited the competitive landscape and optimized location and service pages through content updates. 

Just one month after implementing recommendations, the dental provider increased organic traffic so much that they could turn off paid search. Appointments skyrocketed alongside a 140% increase in organic traffic year-over-year.

8. DesktopReady

Desktop-as-a-service company DesktopReady hired agency HawkSEM after a website relaunch tanked their traffic. HawkSEM audited technical SEO issues, optimized old content, created new targeted content, and enhanced DesktopReady’s social media profiles. 

This multifaceted strategy increased users by 409%, grew backlinks from 822 to 1,340, and catapulted DesktopReady to solid rankings for 468 more keywords . DesktopReady recovered from the traffic plunge and reclaimed its position as an industry leader.

TTT Academy: The Next Step for Your SEO Education

Now that you’ve seen some inspiring SEO case studies that show you what’s possible, I’ve got the next step for you. 

TTT Academy provides the ultimate training environment to grow your SEO knowledge and career. 

Here’s what’s included:

• 200+ hours of exclusive webinars and training from top SEO experts on crucial topics to solve your biggest challenges.
• Highly relevant sessions based on your skill level and current needs with a searchable archive of categorized resources.
• Monthly Q&A calls so you can ask questions and get help applying what you’re learning.
• Downloadable assets like process documents and cheat sheets to start implementing tactics immediately.
• Access to a highly active community that lives and breathes SEO.

If you’re ready to shortcut years of learning curves and trial-and-error in your SEO growth, now’s the time to join TTT Academy. Sign up today to get instant access and start accelerating your SEO skills the fast (and smart) way!

James Nelson

Just used this template!

A few minutes ago.

Templates > 

SEO Case Study Template

No credit card required

Theme alternatives

Export in PPT & PDF

Ready to use images, icons, GIFs

Share online anywhere

Ready to use themes, color palettes and font pairs

See all alternatives below

Some of other case study templates

SEN Case Study Template

Looking for a creative way to present case studies? Look no further than the sen case study template! This handy presentation template is perfect for special needs teachers who want to discuss case studies with their students. With its easy-to-use format, you'll be able to create engaging presentations that will capture your students' attention. So why wait? Get the sen case study template today and start making your presentations stand out from the rest!

Client Case Study Template

Introducing the perfect tool for small business professionals looking to present case studies in sales meetings! This presentation template is easy to use, and helps you discuss case studies in a clear and concise manner. So why wait? Get started today and see the results for yourself!

APA Case Study Template

APA Case Study Template is a beautiful presentation template that helps create APA styles in your researches. Incorporating this into any scholarly or professional document can make you seem well prepared and confident, because these templates make it easy to worry less about looking good on paper. Download here at Decktopus!

SEO is a science. It helps you rank your website to bring in more traffic and interest from potential clients. Sure, it can seem like there's an infinite amount of resources out there to choose from, but what if we told you that we already have one for you?! Meet our SEO Case Study Template - the perfect starting point for any social media marketer or professional marketing their services! Rock on with demonstrations of best practices while making your message clear as day. Includes an informative deck template complete with slides on client-specific projects showcasing results, insider tips, how-tos, lessons learned and best practices based in data & research. Brought to by: Your friends here at Decktopus.

Case Study Template About Water Refilling Station

This Case Study Template About Water Refilling Station is perfect for those who want to have a well-designed, professional document. It is easy to customize colors, fonts, and many more to make it look great every time! Plus, you can be sure that it always looks good with its watermark feature.

Patient Case Study Template

Keeping up with the latest research is a difficult task for busy medical professionals who are often faced with more work than they can handle. Decktopus saves your time and sanity – it’s the easiest way to create patient case studies that are attractive, and professional. All you need is 15 minutes of your day to fill out the presentation template with information from your last patients visit—you'll be ready for any presentation in no time!

See all templates

Templates →

Today’s market is ever-changing and fast paced. To keep up with everything, you need to embrace change. That’s why we designed the SEO Case Study Template! It allows you to customize your presentation slides so that they best suit your needs and are able to engage clients for a more personal feel while still having the power of marketing behind them.

This presentation template can be used by anyone who creates presentations about SEO strategy for Google searches ­­whether it's in webinars or conferences, this template has been developed just for you! With features like showcasing your company information as well as specific information on how analytics is calculated, the presentation will come alive and become even easier for audiences during live webinars and many more.

This deck is created by AI!

Claim your free AI credits!

Thank you for your feedback!

Pop-up will be closed in seconds...

• PPC Management Services PPC perfected
• Social Media Marketing Spark conversations, grow your audience
• SEM Services Success through search
• SEO Services Race up the rankings
• Conversion Rate Optimization Don’t just drive traffic, drive conversions
• Google Ads Services Powerful platform, powerful results
• Content Marketing Services Content that converts
• Remarketing Turn curiosity into customers

By Campaign Type

• Ecommerce See your sales soar
• Lead Generation Turn leads into revenue
• Local Increase revenue: online & in-person

By Industry

• Real Estate

Case Studies

• Ecommerce Brand Drives 50% Higher AOV
• SaaS Brand Doubles Demo Requests
• University Achieves Enrollment Goals
• Social Media Drives a 60% Revenue Increase
• PPC Management
• SEO Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Google Ads Management
• Ecommerce Marketing
• Saas Marketing
• PPC Pricing: How Much Should You Pay?
• Google Ads Not Matching Analytics
• How to Optimize Google Ads
• What's a Good ROAS?
• What is an SEO Consultant?
• Top 12 SEM Agencies
• Top 12 PPC Agencies
• Top 12 SEO Agencies
• Top 12 Performance Marketing Agencies
• Top 8 Google Ads Agencies
• 14 Best Content Marketing Agencies
• Meet the Team
• Free Consultation

14 SEO Case Studies: Challenges, Solutions & Results

Christina Lyon

August 7, 2023

Take inspiration from these successful SEO case studies to rise through the ranks.

Here, you’ll find: 

• What exactly an SEO case study entails
• A handpicked roster of stellar case studies to inspire
• Unique SEO tactics that led to big results
• How case studies can benefit your biz

Constant keyword research, consistent   content writing , user-friendly web design, backlinking … so much goes into a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

What’s more, you might invest a ton of efforts into all these tactics but still struggle to get anywhere near the top  of search results.

Two pieces of good news: You’re not alone, and there are ways to get your rankings where they ought to be.

Reading over a good SEO case study can help inspire new strategies and show you what’s possible with the right plan in place.

To give you a head start, we’ll cover dynamic SEO success stories from HawkSEM as well as other agencies. We’ll share the best tactics, common challenges to overcome, and results to support your marketing efforts. 

Get ready to ramp up your SEO.  First, let’s get back to basics.

What is an SEO case study?

An SEO case study highlights how a consultant or agency partnered with a specific client to drive significant, notable SEO results .

When brands want to beef up their SEO strategy, they often partner with an SEO agency or professional to help them achieve desired outcomes.

A case study helps paint a clear picture of how a brand went from point A to B on the search engine results page, or SERP   — with “B” being results like skyrocketed organic traffic , greater conversion rates , and high keyword rankings. 

But SEO isn’t the same for every brand. Sure, there are overarching categories like content and keywords. But different niches, budgets, and goals distinguish SEO tactics and results across the board. 

Reviewing an SEO case study helps you identify success markers and the strategies used to achieve that success.

With these insights, you can glean tips and tactics to apply to your brand’s SEO strategy. 

14 SEO case studies for top-ranking inspiration

Thousands of monthly traffic hits, 2X conversion boosts, and pumped-up keyword rankings are just a few of the incredible results our clients have experienced with the right SEO services. 

But you’ll notice each brand comes with a unique challenge that informs the right SEO strategy for them. 

  Moneta Group catches local leads with triple-boosted keyword portfolio

Moneta Group has over two decades of experience in the wealth management space. Still, competition increased over time, so we needed to study those competitors and their keywords closely. 

While Moneta wanted to improve national keyword rankings overall, their top priority was to stand out in four local markets.  If you’re also looking to boost visibility in your area, then check out the strategies used in this local SEO case study . 

Strategies:

• Local SEO – We built geo-specific web content to capture potential wealth management clients in the four areas Moneta Group was interested in. On top of that, our beefed-up citation profiles for each office helped solidify independent local ranking signals. 
• Competitive analysis to fill keyword gaps – Moneta still wanted nationwide keyword rankings, so we had to review their competitors to see what was missing. We identified keywords with the lowest competitive metrics and organized them into a brimming content calendar to rank for each one. 
• Content optimization – Moneta had a ton of great content on its website, but it needed a revamp for Google and new audiences. We conducted ongoing, on-page optimization , including backlinking and keyword development. 

Results: 

• 326% increase in net organic keyword portfolio
• 164% increase in organic keywords in positions 1-3
• Over 23% increase in Google Analytics goal completions

  Escape the Room makes a real impression — 4 million, to be exact

With locations across 18 cities and 10 years of industry expertise, Escape the Room is a leader in the live game and entertainment industry. With all those locations to manage, their marketing initiatives fell behind. 

They had a substantial base but needed strategic input to maintain a strong digital footprint. 

Strategies: 

• Metadata revamp – Escape the Room had 16 different locations, and not every website contained optimized metadata. But crawlers dive into these details, so they deserve some attention. That’s why we added new SEO elements like title tags and meta descriptions to keep Google happy. 
• Speedy load time – Slow site speed can send your audience packing after just a few seconds. We dove into each website’s assets to remove anything clunky and decrease load time. This also improved mobile responsiveness. 
• Quality content creation – From team-building ideas for company staff to escape room tips and tricks, there was no shortage of relevant content to create for Escape the Room. We paired new pieces of content with fresh, snazzy website designs to attract information-seeking readers, planting the seeds for conversion later on. 
• Achieved an account-wide peak of 62% impression share
• Hit a record number 4 million monthly impressions
• Reached an all-time-high account-wide ad position of 1.1 for the brand

  DesktopReady waves hello from the top of the SERPs

A new website launch caused DesktopReady to experience a traffic slump, despite being a leader in their industry with over 1 million users on their desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution. How could they maintain their leading position in this space with endless competition and minimal organic traffic ?

We knew what we had to do. 

• Technical SEO audit – New website launches sometimes miss the mark with SEO. We conducted a full audit to catch all issues affecting the site’s appeal to SERPs . 
• Content all around – We optimized old content with new targeted key terms and created new content to target more qualified leads and foster website traffic . 
• SEO support for social media profiles and YouTube – Believe it or not, your social profiles matter, too. So, we optimized DesktopReady’s social media to complement its strong web content and backlink profile. 
• Increased users by 409%
• Grew backlinks from 822 to 1,340
• Jumped from 4 to 468 terms in SERP rankings

Keyword revamps, backlink strategies, and content creation are not the simplest tasks to complete on a marketer’s endless to-do list. Luckily, an SEO agency can check all those boxes for you. 

  Honda doubles traffic and reaches 30 million people

Honda Motor Co. wanted to promote their new Civic hatchback and Accord models to South American audiences. The problem? They were competing for keywords with their dealership partners. 

On top of that, Honda just wasn’t reaching their target demographic with their existing content. 

• New and improved keyword targets – We needed to get Honda and its dealers on the same page. So, we looked at the digital marketing goals for all parties and created new keyword targets for each to follow. 
• Audience research – Honda had a target demographic, but SEO campaigns just weren’t reaching them. We sat down to discuss the brand’s unique selling points and linked them to their customers’ needs via tailored SEO content and keyword research . 
• 30% decrease in CPC (cost per conversion) 
• 40% increase in dealer inquiries
• 200% increase in traffic

  Zephyr sees massive gains in lead volume and market share

When leading SaaS company Zephyr came to us, their digital marketing strategy was across the board and lacked cohesion. With campaigns and goals in place, they needed help reigning everything into a sharp message and aligned approach. 

With so many team members and initiatives at play, everyone was hamster-wheeling and struggling to stay caught up. 

This lapse in cohesion created a hodgepodge of mixed messaging, and, not surprisingly, they weren’t bringing in as many qualified leads as they desired. 

• Big picture strategy: The first thing we did was get everyone on board about how to organize each and every initiative to work together cohesively. With an aligned, collaborative vision, we created a more unified strategy for all digital marketing campaigns.
• Landing page redesign and optimization: We tackled creative from the get go and redesigned a landing page that was working against Zephyr by not engaging its visitors. Plus, the lead form was long and convoluted. With an engaging, dynamic new landing page design and a more efficient lead form, Zephyr saw immediate results–we’re talking double the lead volume than the original landing page. 
• 100% increase in Zephyr’s lead volume with the new landing page
• $250 decrease in CPA

  Career Group Companies boosts job applications with keyword revamp

Imagine you’re an employer with a ton of job listings, and you aren’t receiving any applications. Career Group Companies , a staffing agency, faced this problem. The culprit? Less-than-stellar SEO was hiding their listings from prospective candidates. 

We got to work with tried-and-true SEO tactics to improve the brand’s connection with their audience, drive more traffic, and improve application volume.

• Keyword portfolio expansion – We needed to understand why people looking for certain jobs weren’t landing on Career Group Companies’ listings. The answer was a few adjustments to their keyword portfolio, including long-tail variations and keyword phrases that included specific job titles and industries. 
• Data-driven strategy – Our proprietary tech, ConversionIQ ™, helps us decrypt all the data to reveal the whole picture of your SEO and content marketing campaigns. We used our platform to gather sophisticated data across multiple channels and identify qualified and unqualified leads to inform a greater SEO strategy . 
• New content assets – Career Group Companies wanted to highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and channel company-wide goals in their content. Naturally, we created new content assets to accommodate these goals and optimized existing content as well. 
• 43% increase in job listing page views from organic traffic
• 71% increase in entrances from organic searches directly to job listing pages
• Significant growth in the candidate pipeline

  Content, colors, and CTAs bring Happy Ears Hearing Center a nearly 4X traffic increase

Happy Ears Hearing Center is a Phoenix-based audiology office that offers specialized ear healthcare services to clients. The company had two SEO goals: one, to capture the local audience that would best benefit from their services. And two? Establish their brand as a national industry expert on hearing issues. 

We tackled a wider net of keywords and user experience improvements to garner more conversions. 

Strategies : 

• U ser experience enhancement – Don’t you hate clicking on a web page only to be met with a long, boring block of text? We spiced things up on Happy Ears’ website with colors, digestible headers, and engaging calls to action (CTAs). This led to more local conversions and appointments. 
• Expanded keyword targets – Happy Ears wants to be an online go-to for all things hearing. So, we had to research what its audience was plugging into Google and expand that across the whole country. 
• 245% increase in total organic keyword rankings 
• 396% increase in organic traffic
• 44% increase in local conversions

Happy Ears had its audiology services on-point. With added focus on the online user experience, readers benefited from their knowledge and expertise.

  More visuals and updated keywords help Dilo recover lost rankings

DILO is a gas-handling product and service provider with decades of experience, but even its longstanding SEO wasn’t immune to a website redesign in 2019. 

We’ve seen it before: lost traffic and dropped keyword rankings from a new launch or migration. And in DILO’s case, those lost rankings were high-value keywords that it really needed to get back in order to re-establish its place in the industry. 

• On-page optimization – We always conduct a technical SEO audit after a redesign. This time, we fixed a few speed and navigation issues. Next step? Content optimization with updated target keywords and meta tags.
• Visual content – The gas industry isn’t the easiest to grasp, even with an organized, comprehensive article. We introduced more infographics and charts into DILO’s content to improve organic traffic and the user experience . 
• 36% increase in organic clicks within 6 months
• 24% increase in Google clicks for high-value keywords within 3 months
• 46% increase in Google impressions within 3 months

  Easly hits the SEO ground running with 70 new pieces of optimized content

Easly is a Canada-based platform that provides capital advances on SR&ED grants to innovative new brands. 

The company was new to the digital marketing world and came to HawkSEM with a brand-new website. It was our job to get it off the SEO ground with relevant content and authority to appeal to their audiences. 

• New content to the max – We had to start from scratch, and 70 new pieces of content did the trick. Of course, we had to ensure the information was flawless and accurate to capture niche audiences for this brand. And we wrote for every potential customer in the funnel, from curious onlookers to conversion-ripe audiences. 
• Domain authority – Easly was still fresh to Google’s eyes. They didn’t have enough external or internal links to channel credibility and thought leadership. We focused on creating linkable content that naturally brought backlinks from other reputable industry players. 
• Technical tidbits – New websites always have a few snags. We enhanced site speed and adjusted some web elements to improve the mobile experience. 
• 2,500% increase in referring domains
• 40+ featured snippet results on Google
• 1,500% increase in the brand’s keyword portfolio

People love reassurance, especially before making a purchase. A content library brimming with industry knowledge and helpful tips delivers that assurance to both readers and search engine crawlers. 

Wind River triples CTR with PPC and SEO management

Wind River is a global SaaS brand that helps companies with digital transformation for vital intelligence systems in the aerospace, medical, automotive, and defense spaces. 

They originally came to us for PPC services , but every cohesive marketing strategy leverages SEO, too. 

• Internal linking – We improved site navigation and organic rankings by finding relevant placements for internal links across Wind River’s content. 
• Content research – Tech niches are abundant with potential content, but you really need to ensure audience relevance before you start writing. We conducted competitive analysis and keyword research to inform our content calendar. 
• Technical and on-page SEO – We covered our technical bases by cleaning up metadata and title tags. On top of that, we ensured logical formatting for web content with H1s and H2s, as well as updated all pieces of content with relevant keyword targets. 
• 20% decrease in ad spend
• 294% increase in clickthrough rate (CTR)
• 39% increase in users

  Samanage reaps organic traffic with a poppin’ content calendar

Asset management and service-desk SaaS brand Samanage operates across 50 different countries. Despite their global presence, they still had trouble ranking in the SERPs . 

A custom-coded WordPress template impeded them from making technical SEO changes to appeal to Google’s crawlers. Plus, their blog wasn’t aligned with a cohesive SEO strategy , so they enlisted marketing agency Tinuiti to help them get on track. 

• Robust content strategy – Tinuiti published over 65 pieces of content for Samanage across various types. They started with keyword-targeted blog posts and expanded to whitepapers, landing pages, and more evergreen content to improve web visibility. 
• Blog redesign – Brainstorming ways to improve conversion rate optimization ? Take a page from Tinuiti’s playbook and optimize your blog’s design elements with overall website A/B testing. 
• 42.14% increase in organic traffic YoY
• High rankings for non-branded keywords

Mommy’s Bliss builds trust with new audiences via link building

When you’re a mom-and-pop shop, marketing might be as easy as a Facebook ad or physical sign. But when you start expanding, things get more hectic. 

Mommy’s Bliss sells high-quality baby products, and experienced immense growth that spurred an entire website redesign. Those two events can seriously throw your SEO strategy off-course.

Luckily, help from HawkSEM made all the difference, as showcased in this ecommerce SEO case study .

• Backlinking for credibility – Mommy’s Bliss expanded its audience, so new visitors might not have been aware of the company’s strong values and credentials. That’s why we needed to launch a backlinking strategy to establish E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness). Think about it: parents need to feel 100% confident in a brand before purchasing a product for their kids. 
• Daily SEO management – HawkSEM offers all clients a dedicated manager to oversee progress, strategize improvements, and catch any snags before they develop into bigger problems. We handled all the SEO oversight so Mommy’s Bliss could focus on creating new products for its booming audience. 
• Over 65% increase in organic sessions year over year
• 79% increase in total keyword rankings
• Doubled goal completions

Forks Over Knives leverages search data to recover lost traffic during COVID

The pandemic kept people at home and away from Forks Over Knives’ website. The health lifestyle brand noticed a slump in organic search traffic , along with a decrease in search volume for their target keywords . 

But the problem wasn’t their rankings. They still held top spots for their target keywords , people just weren’t typing them into Google anymore. Search intent had changed, and marketing agency Wpromote knew the keywords needed to change, too. 

• Trend research – Wpromote used Google Trends data to understand how people were shifting their search queries and which keywords were replacing the old ones. 
• Content strategy shift – When life gives you new keywords, you make new recipes (at least, that’s what Forks Over Knives did during the pandemic). Everyone was looking for recipes, so Wpromote used trend data to predict the most highly searched recipes to create content for. 
• 278,000 organic sessions for their “banana recipes” pages
• 41% increase in total organic sessions month over month (MoM)
• #1 trafficked all-channel landing page since publishing

People adapt with the times, and your SEO strategy should, too.

Even enterprise-level SaaS businesses like Vimeo need to stay sharp on their SEO . With over 260 million users uploading hundreds of thousands of videos on the daily, it’s not surprising that indexing and structure data issues arose.

Customers struggled to conduct basic SEO tasks to optimize their videos, like indexing APIs, adding structured data to their sites, submitting sitemaps, and beyond. Meaning? They weren’t getting as many eyes on their video content.

The solution? Vimeo got on board with Google’s SEO best practices to improve visibility and searchability for their active customers.

• Allowing customers to index videos at scale – Vimeo streamlined the indexing process to allow embedded videos to show up on Google’s SERPs. By using iframe embeds and noindex in tandem, embedded Vimeo videos from customer websites’ could be indexed and thus, provide more visibility to their own web page without the mess of adding individual markups for each video.
• Making Key Moments searchable – Ever searched for how to boil an egg and had to skip past the first three minutes to get to the instructions? Annoying, right? Fortunately, you won’t have this problem anymore because time-stamped segments of Vimeo’s video content now show up in Google Search. By adding Clip markup to all video pages and rolling out Seek markup (auto-generated Chapters that Google identifies as Key Moments), Vimeo customers can now attract more organic traffic to specific segments within each video.  

When it comes to visibility and video content, Google and Vimeo go together like PB&J.

The takeaway

Whether you’re running a small business or a giant ecommerce operation, SEO success is vital for a modern online marketing strategy. 

Each of these SEO case studies shows key takeaways and tactics you can apply to create the most effective strategy for your business goals.

And if you still need a hand? HawkSEM’s SEO experts have over a  decade of experience helping clients like you improve conversion rates , boost traffic, and smash any other SEO goals on your roster. 

Our clients enjoy an average of 4.5x ROI after working with us. So, let’s turn your SEO into one of our success stories. Book a call today . 

Related Posts

To build a competitive SEO strategy, content should be a priority. But who says you have to do it all on your own? Enter: A content marketing agency....

On-site SEO is a vital part of search visibility. To bring in more organic traffic, you’ll need to implement the right elements when optimizing your site....

Follow these 11 steps to create quality content marketing that educates your audience and makes your brand an industry thought leader. ...

Privacy Overview

• Google Search Central
• Español – América Latina
• Português – Brasil
• Tiếng Việt
• Case studies
• Search Central

Learn how Google Search can help you reach more people with your website

Browse SEO case studies and success stories to see first-hand how Google Search can help you reach more people with your website.

HOW THE F*CK

Seo case studies, playbooks that help you scale.

I hate bullshit. So for the SEO case studies below, I told the interviewee to leave their personal interests at the door and to give away their best secrets. ‍ And the results were...incredible. The guests got real. They shared actionable frameworks. They shared tricks, tips, and techniques that have never been shared before. We got the exact playbook used by each brand. Want to learn to scale traffic (like the most successful of SEOs)? Unlock +30 case studies for £17 ↓

Brandon Moore

"Love the case studies, they're excellent 🙌 I've been leveraging them to inform strategy and get buy-in from stakeholders it has been a tremendous help!"

Aaron Arias

"The UserPilot case study is just amazing. I've never subscribed to a paid newsletter before, but I'm hooked."

Josh Mcnicholas

"Love what you are doing and the money is 100% worth the gold you extract. You articulate it so well and save me a LOT of thinking time!"

Jump to Your Category ↓ ‍

Latest SEO Case Study

Here's the latest SEO case study we've published ↓

How to Generate Demand with SEO (Incl. 5 Case Studies)

Learn the tactics behind SEO-driven demand generation.

Our Top SEO Case Studies

These aren't really case studies. They're full playbook. They detail the exact strategy used by each company—with an interview with the person in charge.

How to Build a Content Operation Like Workello

Building an operation like this is the real secret behind a scalable search strategy.

Full Case Study

How Monday Wrote 1,000 SEO Articles in 12 Months (and then IPO'd)

In this actionable guide, the team behind monday's SEO teaches us how they did it.

How Retro Dodo Grew to 1M Clicks & $50K Monthly Revenue in 3 Yrs

Brandon has built one of the most high quality gaming websites out there.

Best SEO Case Studies for Beginners

SEO can be a little overwhelming when you're getting started. These playbooks contain a lot more "beginner" level tips and suggestions. Whether you're a SaaS marketer or starting a blog yourself, these case studies are jam packed with great strategies ↓

What is E-E-A-T?

SEO can be a little overwhelming when you're getting started. These episodes contain a lot more "beginner" level tips and suggestions.

Expert Interview

Best Practice

How to Get SEO Clients (And Get Leads to Come to You)

How we get 10 inbound leads a week between us.

3 Types of SEO Research

Learn how to do audience, keyword, and customer research with our friends and Minuttia.

How Ahrefs Grew to 1.5M Monthly Visitors and Exploded Leads

How the Ahrefs team use content and search marketing to drive leads consistently over time with less and less work.

How to Zapier, Hubspot and Animalz Create Remarkable Content That Drives Results

Give this guide to your writers. 10X your quality.

Tomb Raiding SEO: The Keyword Strategy Behind the "Beast"

A fundamental keyword research technique that every SEO needs to know.

How Fery Kaszoni got 100s of Backlinks in One Weekend

Master PR backlink builder teaches you the fundamentals of building quality backlinks.

PR Link Building

The Secrets Behind Animalz Own Content Strategy

Learn how the content agency Animalz executes its own strategy.

Content Strategy

4 Thought Leadership Frameworks for SEO Content

Use these frameworks to make your SEO content really connect with your audience.

Best SEO Case Studies for B2B SaaS

From Eli Schwartz to Kevin Indig, from Monday.com to Typeform, these SEO case studies display some of the most successful strategies of our time. They're *real* results by world-class SEOs ↓

How to Build Thought Leadership into a Velocity SEO Workflow

Erin Balsa teaches us how to scale quality. And she really, really knows her stuff about thought leadership-quality content.

How Copy.ai Seized First Mover Advantages and Got 1M Clicks in 5 Months

The SEO team who worked with Copy.ai during their SEO scale period tells all.

Part 1: How Monday Wrote 1,000 SEO Articles in 12 Months (and then IPO'd)

In this actionable guide, Brad Smith from Codeless teaches us how they scaled monday.com's SEO.

Part 2: How Monday.com Scaled Search Traffic 600% in 2 Years

We catch up with the in-house team at monday.com to talk about their SEO strategy and how it evolved.

How SurveyMonkey Scaled Organic to $200M in Annual Revenue

Eli Schwartz teaches us product-led SEO and guides us on building an SEO engine with scale in mind.

Typeform's $3M Annual LTV SEO Strategy

Typeform's Head of Growth tells us about their experiments and core growth drivers.

Aura's Rise to ~1 Million Monthly Visitors in 12 Months: A Full-Funnel SEO Strategy

Gaetano from Aura teaches us the SEO strategy the Aura team implemented.

How Hotjar Drives Revenue with SEO (+20% Sign Ups)

Hotjar's Senior Content Strategist teaches us how deep customer understanding drives fast growth at Hotjar.

How Maze Built an SEO Revenue Engine. And You Can, Too.

Learn how Maze built a full-funnel SEO strategy that drives & captures demand [900 inbound sign-ups a month].

How Scribe Grew from 0-100K Monthly Visitors in 7 Months

Jakub from Scribe describes the type of content that drives both traffic AND sign-ups.

How SEO Helped Supermetrics Grow to $50m ARR

Product-led content was a core part of Supermetrics' SEO journey.

How Operto 4x Revenue in 12 Months With the FGS SEO Framework

This framework from Flying Cat Marketing is how you build revenue growth into your SEO strategy.

How Topical Authority Helped Respona Grow 0 to ~100K Monthly Organic Visitors

The team from Minuttia describe the concept of topical authority and they built it.

Tim Soulo explains the content they invest in, and why it matters for every SaaS product company.

How Venngage Went From 0 to 3M Monthly Traffic & 150K Monthly Sign-Ups

Learn about the tricks of rapid backlink building in this SEO case study with Venngage.

How Gaetano Generates High-Quality Organic Leads on a Budget

B2B legend Gaetano teaches us how to drive lots of leads with SEO.

How to Get 30K Organic Downloads and $2M ARR From One Ebook

CustomerGauge marketing leader, Ian, describes the campaign that exploded their eBook downloads.

Learn the secrets of scaling search traffic

• Instantly access 25+ case studies • Growing library of content ops templates • New case studies each week

B2C SaaS SEO Case Studies

From Peanut App to Cazoo, these B2C SEO case studies display some of the most successful SEO strategies of our time. They're *real* results by world-class SEOs ↓

0 to £6 billion IPO in 2 years | The role of SEO in Cazoo's growth story

Cazoo's Director of Organic Performance explains how we designed their extraordinary SEO strategy.

6-Steps to Building a High-Converting SEO Strategy

Benji from Grow & Convert teaches us how to create a quality-focused SEO strategy that drives revenue AND traffic.

Fixing the SEO of an £80M Monthly Fashion Store (+22% In Revenue in 12 Months)

eCommerce SEO expert explains the nuance of enterpise eCom SEO and the mistakes this fashion company was making.

Growing a Daycare to £13M in Revenue via SEO (Local SEO Case Study)

Tim Hanson's local SEO strategy redesigned how this daycare approached organic growth.

How to Get 2m Clicks in 16 Months in a Tough-to-Win Niche

Healthcare is a YMYL space. Here's how to make sure your SEO strategy will win in such a difficult to win space.

How Peanut Grew from 0 to 2.3M Monthly Traffic in 12 Months

Peanut App grew faster than anyone we've ever seen. Here are all their SEO secrets.

Top Niche Site Case Studies

From Retro Dodo to Investopedia, these SEO case studies display some of the most successful publication case studies of our time. Here's a further break down of 4 niche site examples and the strategy behind them ↓

How Living Cozy Grew to 335K/Month

Ash Read's side-gig became a publishing powerhouse. Here's the full story.

Growing My Niche Website to 75,000 Visitors & £7K Income per Month in 2 Years

Samantha North learned SEO from scratch and replaced her full time income. Here's how.

How Investopedia Gets 80 Million in Monthly Traffic

Investopedia is a powerhouse in the finance space. And for good reason, their topical and backlink authority is top of its game.

Tomb Raiding SEO: Effective Keyword Research

Every SEO needs to know this keyword research strategy.

How to Choose a Profitable Niche for Your Blog

Stop choosing passion. Start making money.

How to Use Aged Domains to Juice Up Your Authority

Aged domains are one way to quickly gain backlink authority. Here's how to not mess up buying an expired domain.

4 Incredible SEO Case Study Examples

1/ how monday.com wrote 1,000 seo articles in 12 months.

The project management software, monday.com, is infamous for their intrusive, yet intriguing advertising campaigns.

But, did you know they’re also HOT in the SEO game, too? 

Back in 2020, they were new kids on the block. They had an SEO manager but hadn’t built any kind of strategic SEO plan. But that all changed in Q4 2020.

Rotem Shay, monday’s Head of Acquisition of 8 years, was looking to diversify. And in true monday.com style their attitude was to go big, or go home.

‍ “The head of acquisitions mindset was to just go big or go home. And that's really what you saw.”—Zoe Averbuch, Senior SEO Manager, on the How the F*ck SEO Podcast

In the 12 months that followed, monday.com:

• Produced 1,000 articles
• Scaled up to over 1 million monthly visitors

In the How the F*ck SEO community, I was lucky enough to interview multiple people involved in the scaleup.

In part one, we learned the lessons of scale. Brad Smith, from the content production company Codeless, taught the community the critical components of an content operation that can produce 100+ articles in a month.

In part two, monday.com insiders, Eliana Atia and Zoe Averbuch, shared their perspective. We learned how their 8 years of PPC helped prioritization of keywords, and we found out what mistakes, improvements, and best practices they learned on their journey.

“If all this relied on us just being brilliant, that would be bad. I’d probably still be broke.”-Brad Smith on the How the F*ck SEO Podcast

Key Takeaways:

• ⚡ Moving forward: What were their biggest learnings and how are they continuously maintaining their enormous content library?
• ⚡ Documentation: What foundational guides are fundamental to scaling content creation? And the ones you must not miss.
• ⚡ Keywords: How to choose those that rank in a short space of time. So you see results now, not in 12 months.
• ⚡ Writer acquisition: How to find enough great writers for 125 articles per month. And filter out the rubbish ones.
• ⚡ Quality: How to write good enough quality for Monday, even on technical topics.
• ⚡ Return on investment: Was the experiment worth it? How has Monday's SEO strategy iterated from their learnings?
• ⚡ Why prioritization is everything in SEO . And why this means it's important to ship new content before it's fully edited.

Read the Case Studies:

• monday.com’s SEO content operation scale up [part 1]
• monday.com’s traffic scale up strategy [part 2]

Listen to the Interview:

2/ How Typeform Built SEO into a $3M Annual Lifetime Revenue Channel

Typeform felt like they came out of nowhere. SurveyMonkey dominated the space, but Typeform’s slick and intuitive UI put them on the map.

Jake Stainer, Typeform’s Head of Growth throughout their scaleup, was new to SEO when he joined, but built out one of the most profitable SaaS SEO strategies I’ve seen.

Typeform’s trick?

Embedding their product in their content strategy. I shared this in the How the F*ck newsletter in April 2023 which summarizes this part of their SEO strategy well:

“I guess the trick is how can you relate your SEO to your product as closely as possible and not start creating like just educational content"—Jake Stainer, Co-Founder of Skale, Ex-Typeform Head of Growth on the How the F*ck SEO Podcast

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we learn in this case study. From growth modelling to rank-boosting experiments, Typeform gave us a masterclass in SEO strategy.

• ⚡ How Typeform selected and prioritized keywords to drive the most revenue growth (an example of product-led SEO in action)
• ⚡ How Typeform built out their template library, ranking for 1,000s of bottom-of-funnel keywords.
• ⚡ Typeforms unique backlink building technique that scaled them to 2.3M backlinks (and 93 domain rating)
• ⚡ How to build an SEO growth model that makes sure your strategy prioritizes revenue (with template)

Read the Case Study here.

3/ How UserPilot Used Programmatic SEO to Scale to 100,000 Monthly Traffic in 10 Months

Emilia Korczyńska, UserPilot’s whip-smart Head of Marketing, built up UserPilot content operation to output 40 blog posts a month. 

But the potential output capability was, at one point, 29 long-form blog posts per hour.

You may be thinking, huh?! 🤨

But, yeah, that’s right. That’s the power of systems-based thinking and programmatic content compiling.

“Programmatic SEO is essentially building content at scale from templates. Typically it’s content that follows certain patterns, for example, a formulaic keyword with an interchangeable variable.”—Emilia Korczyńska on the How the F*ck SEO Podcast

In the case study, we learn how Emilia extracted product pain points and turned them into a customer-focused keyword strategy.

They tackled the bottom-of-funnel keyword patterns in priority:

• Use case (ie. Customer segment + pain point)
• Industry (ie. X + industry)
• Role (ie. X + job titles)
• Business Type (ie. X + for business type)
• Solution (ie. tool, software, platform, solution)
• Competitors (ie. X vs Y or X alternatives)

They leveraged a system of database of tools → templates → automation → human editing to write these keyword patterns rapidly.

Here’s an example of some content created:

• ⚡ How to build systems that overcome your reliance on any one individual, so your content production never slows.
• ⚡ How to leverage keyword patterns across content types to exponentially scale production.
• ⚡ The templates and databases required to do programmatic SEO yourself (Spoiler: It's not that hard, even I have done it using Webflow + Sheets alone)

Read the Case Study: Programmatic SEO case study

4/ How Webflow Uses Programmatic SEO to Generate 100,000 Monthly Search Visitors—and Drive Customer Retention

I recently documented a clever strategy by the team at Webflow.

They’ve turned their user-generated template library into an internal search engine.

If you search for:

• Text animation’s Webflow
• Forms Webflow
• Scroller examples Webflow
• Essential ANY component you might want to see/steal examples from

Then they likely have a page for it, filled with examples and copiable components.

The best thing?

As a Webflow user, these genuinely really help get more value from the product. So by tapping into what their users are searching Google for, they’re aiding customer activation and retention.

Read the case study here.

How We Make Our SEO Case Studies

Most case studies really suck. Why? The incentives are all wrong. They're made by someone trying to sell to you. And, most people can't help but talk all about themselves, bending the truth along the way. When we make case studies—we focus on the actionable takeaways. Our goal is to educate and inspire, because that's what's valuable. If you're looking to get better at keyword research, SEO strategy, or the art of scaling your traffic, then our case studies are worth a read. Read more about how we make them here: SEO case study template .

SEO Case Study Best Practices

To create a best practice SEO case study, try to completely forget you are making a case study. If you were teaching someone exactly how you did it, what would you say? Focusing your case study on the fundamentals of teaching, not selling, is sure to make potential customers devour every single word.

www.thefxck.com

A Goodey Marketing Project

The Essential Guide to Creating Case Studies [Free Template]

Updated: February 01, 2017

Published: January 13, 2015

Nowadays, reviews are more important than ever --  9 out of 10 people are looking at online product reviews and posts on social networks before making a purchasing decision. Do you have a plan in place to take advantage of this trend?

Enter the ever useful and efficient case study. Case studies give your audience more information about your product or service in the context of a specific company size or vertical.  Though each case study may have slightly differing details, the core messaging will fundamentally remain the same: how your product and/or service has helped one of your existing customers overcome a challenge, achieve  a goal, and/or better their lives.

Download our free case study study template here.

Case studies are also crucial to your sales process. Having a variety of case studies based on various categories such as industry, location, company size, or type of business can help your sales team convert leads into customers and upsell existing customers.

We know that building out an awesome case study that shares a compelling story can be both time-consuming and difficult if you’re not sure how to go about it. You may be wondering where to start, who to speak to, and what to ask.

To help you to focus on creating content that drives both your sales team and process forward, we have created The Ultimate Case Study Creation Guide and Template .   With this helpful kit you’ll be able to:

• Select perfect-fit participants to help your case study shine the spotlight on your product and/or service.
• Reach out to potential participants and engage them in the process.
• Devise great questions to ask your perfect-fit participants. 
• Layout the case study in a comprehensive, clear, and informative manner -- giving you more time to focus on the actual content at hand.

Click here to download the case study template and guide , and if you want to share this resource with others, use the click-to-tweet links and image below.

  "The Ultimate Case Study Creation Kit : http://bit.ly/14LzKAm  via @HubSpot "  

hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '135a3569-62bd-4fb6-826e-5c4d648c74b4', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"});

Don't forget to share this post, related articles.

How to Write a Case Study: Bookmarkable Guide & Template

How to Market an Ebook: 21 Ways to Promote Your Content Offers

7 Pieces of Content Your Audience Really Wants to See [New Data]

How to Write a Listicle [+ Examples and Ideas]

28 Case Study Examples Every Marketer Should See

What Is a White Paper? [FAQs]

What is an Advertorial? 8 Examples to Help You Write One

How to Create Marketing Offers That Don't Fall Flat

20 Creative Ways To Repurpose Content

16 Important Ways to Use Case Studies in Your Marketing

Outline your company's marketing strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

How to write a case study — examples, templates, and tools

It’s a marketer’s job to communicate the effectiveness of a product or service to potential and current customers to convince them to buy and keep business moving. One of the best methods for doing this is to share success stories that are relatable to prospects and customers based on their pain points, experiences, and overall needs.

That’s where case studies come in. Case studies are an essential part of a content marketing plan. These in-depth stories of customer experiences are some of the most effective at demonstrating the value of a product or service. Yet many marketers don’t use them, whether because of their regimented formats or the process of customer involvement and approval.

A case study is a powerful tool for showcasing your hard work and the success your customer achieved. But writing a great case study can be difficult if you’ve never done it before or if it’s been a while. This guide will show you how to write an effective case study and provide real-world examples and templates that will keep readers engaged and support your business.

In this article, you’ll learn:

What is a case study?

How to write a case study, case study templates, case study examples, case study tools.

A case study is the detailed story of a customer’s experience with a product or service that demonstrates their success and often includes measurable outcomes. Case studies are used in a range of fields and for various reasons, from business to academic research. They’re especially impactful in marketing as brands work to convince and convert consumers with relatable, real-world stories of actual customer experiences.

The best case studies tell the story of a customer’s success, including the steps they took, the results they achieved, and the support they received from a brand along the way. To write a great case study, you need to:

• Celebrate the customer and make them — not a product or service — the star of the story.
• Craft the story with specific audiences or target segments in mind so that the story of one customer will be viewed as relatable and actionable for another customer.
• Write copy that is easy to read and engaging so that readers will gain the insights and messages intended.
• Follow a standardized format that includes all of the essentials a potential customer would find interesting and useful.
• Support all of the claims for success made in the story with data in the forms of hard numbers and customer statements.

Case studies are a type of review but more in depth, aiming to show — rather than just tell — the positive experiences that customers have with a brand. Notably, 89% of consumers read reviews before deciding to buy, and 79% view case study content as part of their purchasing process. When it comes to B2B sales, 52% of buyers rank case studies as an important part of their evaluation process.

Telling a brand story through the experience of a tried-and-true customer matters. The story is relatable to potential new customers as they imagine themselves in the shoes of the company or individual featured in the case study. Showcasing previous customers can help new ones see themselves engaging with your brand in the ways that are most meaningful to them.

Besides sharing the perspective of another customer, case studies stand out from other content marketing forms because they are based on evidence. Whether pulling from client testimonials or data-driven results, case studies tend to have more impact on new business because the story contains information that is both objective (data) and subjective (customer experience) — and the brand doesn’t sound too self-promotional.

Case studies are unique in that there’s a fairly standardized format for telling a customer’s story. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity. It’s all about making sure that teams are clear on the goals for the case study — along with strategies for supporting content and channels — and understanding how the story fits within the framework of the company’s overall marketing goals.

Here are the basic steps to writing a good case study.

1. Identify your goal

Start by defining exactly who your case study will be designed to help. Case studies are about specific instances where a company works with a customer to achieve a goal. Identify which customers are likely to have these goals, as well as other needs the story should cover to appeal to them.

The answer is often found in one of the buyer personas that have been constructed as part of your larger marketing strategy. This can include anything from new leads generated by the marketing team to long-term customers that are being pressed for cross-sell opportunities. In all of these cases, demonstrating value through a relatable customer success story can be part of the solution to conversion.

2. Choose your client or subject

Who you highlight matters. Case studies tie brands together that might otherwise not cross paths. A writer will want to ensure that the highlighted customer aligns with their own company’s brand identity and offerings. Look for a customer with positive name recognition who has had great success with a product or service and is willing to be an advocate.

The client should also match up with the identified target audience. Whichever company or individual is selected should be a reflection of other potential customers who can see themselves in similar circumstances, having the same problems and possible solutions.

Some of the most compelling case studies feature customers who:

• Switch from one product or service to another while naming competitors that missed the mark.
• Experience measurable results that are relatable to others in a specific industry.
• Represent well-known brands and recognizable names that are likely to compel action.
• Advocate for a product or service as a champion and are well-versed in its advantages.

Whoever or whatever customer is selected, marketers must ensure they have the permission of the company involved before getting started. Some brands have strict review and approval procedures for any official marketing or promotional materials that include their name. Acquiring those approvals in advance will prevent any miscommunication or wasted effort if there is an issue with their legal or compliance teams.

3. Conduct research and compile data

Substantiating the claims made in a case study — either by the marketing team or customers themselves — adds validity to the story. To do this, include data and feedback from the client that defines what success looks like. This can be anything from demonstrating return on investment (ROI) to a specific metric the customer was striving to improve. Case studies should prove how an outcome was achieved and show tangible results that indicate to the customer that your solution is the right one.

This step could also include customer interviews. Make sure that the people being interviewed are key stakeholders in the purchase decision or deployment and use of the product or service that is being highlighted. Content writers should work off a set list of questions prepared in advance. It can be helpful to share these with the interviewees beforehand so they have time to consider and craft their responses. One of the best interview tactics to keep in mind is to ask questions where yes and no are not natural answers. This way, your subject will provide more open-ended responses that produce more meaningful content.

4. Choose the right format

There are a number of different ways to format a case study. Depending on what you hope to achieve, one style will be better than another. However, there are some common elements to include, such as:

• An engaging headline
• A subject and customer introduction
• The unique challenge or challenges the customer faced
• The solution the customer used to solve the problem
• The results achieved
• Data and statistics to back up claims of success
• A strong call to action (CTA) to engage with the vendor

It’s also important to note that while case studies are traditionally written as stories, they don’t have to be in a written format. Some companies choose to get more creative with their case studies and produce multimedia content, depending on their audience and objectives. Case study formats can include traditional print stories, interactive web or social content, data-heavy infographics, professionally shot videos, podcasts, and more.

5. Write your case study

We’ll go into more detail later about how exactly to write a case study, including templates and examples. Generally speaking, though, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing your case study.

• Be clear and concise. Readers want to get to the point of the story quickly and easily, and they’ll be looking to see themselves reflected in the story right from the start.
• Provide a big picture. Always make sure to explain who the client is, their goals, and how they achieved success in a short introduction to engage the reader.
• Construct a clear narrative. Stick to the story from the perspective of the customer and what they needed to solve instead of just listing product features or benefits.
• Leverage graphics. Incorporating infographics, charts, and sidebars can be a more engaging and eye-catching way to share key statistics and data in readable ways.
• Offer the right amount of detail. Most case studies are one or two pages with clear sections that a reader can skim to find the information most important to them.
• Include data to support claims. Show real results — both facts and figures and customer quotes — to demonstrate credibility and prove the solution works.

6. Promote your story

Marketers have a number of options for distribution of a freshly minted case study. Many brands choose to publish case studies on their website and post them on social media. This can help support SEO and organic content strategies while also boosting company credibility and trust as visitors see that other businesses have used the product or service.

Marketers are always looking for quality content they can use for lead generation. Consider offering a case study as gated content behind a form on a landing page or as an offer in an email message. One great way to do this is to summarize the content and tease the full story available for download after the user takes an action.

Sales teams can also leverage case studies, so be sure they are aware that the assets exist once they’re published. Especially when it comes to larger B2B sales, companies often ask for examples of similar customer challenges that have been solved.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about case studies and what they should include, you may be wondering how to start creating great customer story content. Here are a couple of templates you can use to structure your case study.

Template 1 — Challenge-solution-result format

• Start with an engaging title. This should be fewer than 70 characters long for SEO best practices. One of the best ways to approach the title is to include the customer’s name and a hint at the challenge they overcame in the end.
• Create an introduction. Lead with an explanation as to who the customer is, the need they had, and the opportunity they found with a specific product or solution. Writers can also suggest the success the customer experienced with the solution they chose.
• Present the challenge. This should be several paragraphs long and explain the problem the customer faced and the issues they were trying to solve. Details should tie into the company’s products and services naturally. This section needs to be the most relatable to the reader so they can picture themselves in a similar situation.
• Share the solution. Explain which product or service offered was the ideal fit for the customer and why. Feel free to delve into their experience setting up, purchasing, and onboarding the solution.
• Explain the results. Demonstrate the impact of the solution they chose by backing up their positive experience with data. Fill in with customer quotes and tangible, measurable results that show the effect of their choice.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that invites readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to nurture them further in the marketing pipeline. What you ask of the reader should tie directly into the goals that were established for the case study in the first place.

Template 2 — Data-driven format

• Start with an engaging title. Be sure to include a statistic or data point in the first 70 characters. Again, it’s best to include the customer’s name as part of the title.
• Create an overview. Share the customer’s background and a short version of the challenge they faced. Present the reason a particular product or service was chosen, and feel free to include quotes from the customer about their selection process.
• Present data point 1. Isolate the first metric that the customer used to define success and explain how the product or solution helped to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 2. Isolate the second metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 3. Isolate the final metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Summarize the results. Reiterate the fact that the customer was able to achieve success thanks to a specific product or service. Include quotes and statements that reflect customer satisfaction and suggest they plan to continue using the solution.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that asks readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to further nurture them in the marketing pipeline. Again, remember that this is where marketers can look to convert their content into action with the customer.

While templates are helpful, seeing a case study in action can also be a great way to learn. Here are some examples of how Adobe customers have experienced success.

Juniper Networks

One example is the Adobe and Juniper Networks case study , which puts the reader in the customer’s shoes. The beginning of the story quickly orients the reader so that they know exactly who the article is about and what they were trying to achieve. Solutions are outlined in a way that shows Adobe Experience Manager is the best choice and a natural fit for the customer. Along the way, quotes from the client are incorporated to help add validity to the statements. The results in the case study are conveyed with clear evidence of scale and volume using tangible data.

The story of Lenovo’s journey with Adobe is one that spans years of planning, implementation, and rollout. The Lenovo case study does a great job of consolidating all of this into a relatable journey that other enterprise organizations can see themselves taking, despite the project size. This case study also features descriptive headers and compelling visual elements that engage the reader and strengthen the content.

Tata Consulting

When it comes to using data to show customer results, this case study does an excellent job of conveying details and numbers in an easy-to-digest manner. Bullet points at the start break up the content while also helping the reader understand exactly what the case study will be about. Tata Consulting used Adobe to deliver elevated, engaging content experiences for a large telecommunications client of its own — an objective that’s relatable for a lot of companies.

Case studies are a vital tool for any marketing team as they enable you to demonstrate the value of your company’s products and services to others. They help marketers do their job and add credibility to a brand trying to promote its solutions by using the experiences and stories of real customers.

When you’re ready to get started with a case study:

• Think about a few goals you’d like to accomplish with your content.
• Make a list of successful clients that would be strong candidates for a case study.
• Reach out to the client to get their approval and conduct an interview.
• Gather the data to present an engaging and effective customer story.

Adobe can help

There are several Adobe products that can help you craft compelling case studies. Adobe Experience Platform helps you collect data and deliver great customer experiences across every channel. Once you’ve created your case studies, Experience Platform will help you deliver the right information to the right customer at the right time for maximum impact.

To learn more, watch the Adobe Experience Platform story .

Keep in mind that the best case studies are backed by data. That’s where Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform and Adobe Analytics come into play. With Real-Time CDP, you can gather the data you need to build a great case study and target specific customers to deliver the content to the right audience at the perfect moment.

Watch the Real-Time CDP overview video to learn more.

Finally, Adobe Analytics turns real-time data into real-time insights. It helps your business collect and synthesize data from multiple platforms to make more informed decisions and create the best case study possible.

Request a demo to learn more about Adobe Analytics.

https://business.adobe.com/blog/perspectives/b2b-ecommerce-10-case-studies-inspire-you

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/business-case

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/what-is-real-time-analytics

Generative AI

Artificial intelligence isn’t going anywhere.

Create once. Distribute forever.

Saas seo: why alternative pages are a great investment, how calm business is using content & seo to win in b2b, about us overview.

• Software Companies
• Manufacturing Companies
• “Boring” Industries
• Link Building
• Content Creation

Content Distribution

• Content Repurposing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Content Marketing Strategies
• Technical Search Engine Optimization
• Conversion Rate Optimization Services
• Case Studies
• Training & Development
• Our Leadership

Subscribe For Exclusive Trends, Research & Data

Gain access to exclusive research, training, trends and support from the best marketers in the world.

Foundation Labs provides you with timely, meaningful, and relevant data that enables you to grow your company in a meaningful way. The world’s top SaaS companies subscribe to Foundation Labs to receive industry news and data driven insights to create a marketing culture that drives results.

We have two different plans:

→ Exclusive B2B SaaS growth, SEO & content case studies​ → Quarterly reports on data-backed B2B SaaS trends, correlations & more​ → Weekly Insiders-only email on trends, data & research​ → Insiders-only webinars on B2B SaaS content marketing​ → Two weekly newsletters with case studies & SaaS stories​

→ Exclusive B2B SaaS growth, SEO & content case studies​ → Quarterly reports on data-backed B2B SaaS trends, correlations & more​ → Weekly Insiders-only email on trends, data & research​ → Insiders-only webinars on B2B SaaS content marketing​ → Two weekly newsletters with case studies & SaaS stories​ → Invite-only fireside chats with marketing leaders at B2B SaaS giants → SaaS reports breaking down what’s working across industries today

Learn How The Best B2B SaaS Companies Do Marketing.

• Name * First Last
• Enter your email address

Last updated on April 3rd, 2024

The Canva Backlink Empire: How SEO, Outreach & Content Led To A $6B Valuation

“Empires were not built in a day, nor homes in an hour.” —E. A. Bucchianeri

This is a complete breakdown of the Canva marketing strategy that helped the brand grow to a $6 billion valuation, generate 20 million monthly active users, and gain customers across 190 countries—including 85% of all Fortune 500 brands.

Like a great Empire – Canva hasn’t achieved this success overnight. It’s taken years of smart decisions, brilliant execution and prolific vision to build their brand.

We’ll be diving deep into the marketing tactics that have helped them acquire 4+ million backlinks and over 270 million visitors a year. This is not just a guide to understanding how Canva dominated the SERP . It’s a masterclass on how to create a content marketing empire that drives real results using an inbound marketing funnel .

In this essay you’re going to learn:

• How to create content for user intent
• The role of content directories for SEO
• How to create scalable landing pages
• How to create a scalable backlink program
• The role of responding to current trends for products
• How to reach thousands of people through your blog
• An opportunity that even Canva has overlooked

So if you want to scale up your content, get more traffic and create a content marketing engine that runs as smooth as butter, you’re going to love today’s essay. This is the story of how Canva was able to create a backlink empire. Let’s get started.

Using Search Intent To Inspire Landing Pages

Canva has two key landing pages for most of their use cases:

A page for discovery and a page for creation. 

Check out the examples below. On the left, we have a page for people who want to design a certificate, and on the right we have a landing page for people looking for certificate templates. Both types of searchers are trying to find a solution like Canva, but the way they view their problem is different.

The landing page on the left, which is ranking for phrases like “design certificates” and “create certificates,” gets 16,000 visits a month. The landing page on the right, which ranks for phrases like “ certificate template” and “free certificate template,” generates 33,000 hits a month. Both of these landing pages have a role to play in Canva’s SEO strategy, which we’ll dive into throughout this essay.

But at the core, Canva’s success with these landing pages comes down to a few fundamental ideas:

• Understanding the intent of the person using Google
• Develop a parent and child relationship for other landing pages
• Create a scalable landing page structure
• An investment in backlink outreach
• Creating a strong content culture

Understand the intent of the person using Google

Search intent is a fundamental part of SEO, but it’s often overlooked by marketers and content creators. Most SEOs only focus on keyword volume when they should be thinking about the intent behind those keywords. Search intent is the goal a person has when they type a query into a search engine.

There are four key types of online search intent:

• Informational : Looking for information (e.g., “who is Prince?”)
• Navigational : Looking to get somewhere specific (e.g., “Canva blog”)
• Transactional : Looking for an asset to buy, use or download (e.g., “create invitation”)
• Investigational : Trying to compare assets (e.g., “Canva vs. Adobe Spark”)

Let’s revisit those two landing pages from Canva. Both appeal to transactional intent, but one landing page attracts those who want to do something (“create certificates”) while the other attracts those who want to discover something (“free certificate template”).

Using terms from Canva’s site architecture, we’ll call these two types “Create Pages” and “Template Pages.”

Create Pages: Use Case – Certificates Title: Free online certificate maker: create custom designs online Top Keywords: certificate maker, create certificate, make your own certificate Volume: 16,000 / month

Template Pages: Use Case – Certificates Title: Customize 1,649+ certificates templates online Top Keywords: certificate template, free certificate template, award certificate template Volume: 32,400 / month

Landing Pages & A Directory For Niche Intent & Use Cases

One of the strategies that Canva has embraced to perfection is the use of content directories focused on different use cases and long tail keywords . The site architecture being used for both do (Create) and discover (Template) pages is a thing of beauty:

For example in the the do (create) pages for “invitations” the URL would be:

• Canva.com / templates / search / invitations / save-the-date

/ invitations is the asset and / save-the-date is the niche-asset For the discover (template) pages for invitations the URL would be: Canva.com / Create / Invitations That URL would have a link that then drove back to various invitation templates like: 

• Canva.com / templates / search / invitations / christmas
• Canva.com / templates / search / invitations / wedding
• Canva.com / templates / search / invitations / baby-shower

Across the entire site, we found that Canva has more than 55 parent pages, each with up to 78 child pages. For example, here’s a look at the parent and child relationship for landing pages focused on “Invitations” and the various keyword variations that make up child landing pages (aka niche types of invitations):

This isn’t even all of the child pages for invitations. There are 73 of them in total!

But each of these child pages has been able to capture quite a few backlinks and as a result generate a significant amount of traffic. The “Invitations” category alone has 900 backlinks and generates more than 65,000 organic visitors per month across the parent and child pages.

WHY BACKLINKS MATTER : Backlinks are valuable for SEO because they act as a vote of confidence from one site to another. Search engines track backlinks to determine the trustworthiness of your content—the more links your page can get from other trusted pages, the better that page will look to search engines. All resource metrics can be analyzed and monitored by a backlink management tool , which will show the authority of the domains, links types (dofollow or noffolow), website traffic, etc.

Here’s a snapshot of the distribution of backlinks across the “Invitations” child pages:

These child pages have links from The Next Web, Yahoo, Thrillist, The Spruce and more. These sites range in domain authority from 80 to 92—meaning they’re trusted by search engines and are unlikely to be filled with spam. In fact, some of the sites that compete directly with Canva for relevant keywords link to Canva’s child pages, lending additional credibility.

The anchor text associated with many of these links is a variation of “Free [Child Page] Invitation Templates from Canva.” This is as good as it gets for SEO purposes. Every backlink with this anchor text tells Google that this asset is the best template for creating movie night invitations, sweet 16 invitations or baby shower invitations. 

Now apply this same approach across 57 parent pages ( Coupons , Letterheads, Invoices, Flyers, Labels, Book Covers, Class Schedules, etc.) and more than 300 child pages that are essentially niche versions of their parent pages.

It’s an SEO dream come true:

Want access to the entire spreadsheet? Click here to download.

All these landing pages compound the effects of Canva’s great internal linking , but they also allow the brand to rank for very niche / long tail keywords.

For example, it’s estimated that there are fewer than 15 searches a month for “create massage gift certificates.” But Canva has a landing page for just that keyword. Thanks to the strength of their existing backlinks and their authority in the “certificate” space, they’re able to capture even this small level of demand with a landing page that will rank for a long time.

Create Scalable Landing Pages That Rank & Convert

The “Create” landing pages for Canva aren’t just great for interlinking—they’re crafted in a way that easily scales. The pages follow a very standard template that is easy for a content creator to replicate for multiple child pages:

Each section of the landing page has intent. From the H1 that clearly communicates the value of the page while using keywords, to the list that further “educates” the readers and offers additional value, the content is developed for both SEO and conversion.

The approach has worked so well that Canva’s competitor Adobe Spark has followed suit:

You know the saying:

Great artists don’t copy … they steal.

Invest In Personalized Backlink Outreach

Getting backlinks doesn’t happen overnight.

It’s a process that requires long-term investment if you want it to pay dividends in organic traffic. The landing pages created by Canva to rank for transactional queries like “infographic maker” or “certificate templates” haven’t picked up all those backlinks by chance. Canva has intentionally invested in these pages to capture backlinks from third parties such as bloggers and journalists.

Canva has developed a team of outreach specialists who identify content that mentions things like “invitations,” “posters” or “ digital marketing tools .” Then they reach out to the creators.

Here’s an email that Canva sent to a blog owner back in 2016: 

And here’s one that I received while writing this post (2020):

A few things to note that Canva did right with this outreach (in the midst of COVID-19):

• Leading with an empathetic message
• Including the name of my article in the email
• Saying “here” and linking the URL vs. showing the full URL
• Using an image to stand out from most emails
• Bolding the ideal anchor text (inception)

For the last five years (maybe more), Canva has been investing in backlink outreach and as a result they’ve seen some massive growth.

Today, they have more than 4.24M backlinks from 100,000 domains and generate more than 270 million visitors every single year from organic traffic alone. This doesn’t include their ongoing investment in paid traffic as they go after high intent and highly competitive keywords.

Here’s a snapshot of how their backlinks have grown over time:

How does Canva do it?

The most important part is investing in a strong content culture. And a strong content culture requires a strong team.

The content marketing team needs to consist of great leaders / managers, developers, specialists (outreach) and creators (writers and optimizers).

Canva has invested heavily in staffing and building a marketing engine that prioritizes SEO. Today, more than 75 people are listed as working at Canva (part time or full time) with SEO in their title or job description. In particular, the individuals behind the brand’s explosive backlink efforts are called “SEO specialists,” and they span the globe, with team members in the Philippines, Indonesia, Estonia, London, Kyiv, Australia and more.

We found a recent job posting from Canva for a SEO Outreach Specialist:

The job description for this role includes:

• Identify high authority quality blogs & sites to reach out to through our outreach process
• Analyse competitors & find out new link opportunities
• Maintain link diversity
• Meet monthly minimum target
• Send weekly & monthly reports to the team
• Have fun and enjoy working with our amazing international team!

Two things stand out in this job listing:

• They reference an already established outreach process
• Their SEO specialists are given a quota just like a salesperson

Based on this description, it seems like the SEO specialists are responsible for end-to-end link building , from discovering opportunities to closing those opportunities and reporting on them. The minimum quota is likely in terms of volume of links per month, and it very likely comes with criteria for link quality. I’ve heard that in some organizations, outreach professionals are also incentivized with bonuses for exceeding monthly link quota or for being the highest performer on the team when considering cumulative domain authority.

While it’s very possible that Canva’s SEO team has swapped out tools since 2016, the original marketing stack consisted of SEMrush, Ahrefs, Mixpanel, Heap Analytics, Google Analytics, Mention and BuzzSumo (according to an AMA on Inbound.org).

Let’s look at how this strong content culture helped Canva continue to grow its backlink empire even during the pandemic.

Create Landing Pages In Response To New Demand

The rise of remote work around the world led to a massive increase in the adoption of Zoom.

Teleconferencing software was one of the most popular SaaS industries during the initial wave of COVID-19 . At first glance, it doesn’t seem like Canva would benefit much from the rise of telecommuting and remote work—but they did. The increased demand for Zoom resulted in the increased demand for custom Zoom backgrounds.

Take a look at this Google Trends track for the query “Zoom Background”:

When demand spiked, Canva reacted.

They developed a new vertical dedicated to Zoom backgrounds. The landing page for “Customizable Zoom Backgrounds” has 351 backlinks (60% “Do Follow”) from 154 domains. At the end of March, this landing page didn’t exist. Since launch, it’s averaged 15 new backlinks per week. In the same Zoom Backgrounds category, the landing page “Create a Zoom Background” has 298 backlinks from 132 domains.

These assets didn’t exist until the end of March.

Yet they have already started to rise in the rankings…

The first step was to stir up as much buzz as possible. They launched the feature on Product Hunt:

If you’re not familiar with Product Hunt, it’s a site where people share their favorite products, and other folks discuss them and upvote the products they believe are good. The Zoom background maker garnered over 300 upvotes on Product Hunt, but the teaser video promoting the asset currently boasts an impressive 29,362 views and 154 thumbs up. In just the first seven days of publishing, the Zoom video hit 13,000+ views:

That’s how you launch a new feature.

In the last 30 days, the asset has generated over 150 referring domains.

It’s been featured and linked to on AmericanExpress.com, Today.com, The Sun, Gizmodo, Salesforce.org and much more. This isn’t by accident.

This is because Canva has contacted publications talking about topics like “How to work from home in 2020” and has been able to get links to the appropriate assets with ideal anchor text .

Leveraging Blog Content To Drive More Results

After launching their Zoom background asset on Product Hunt, Canva wasn’t done promoting the new feature.

Historically, the brand has generated a significant amount of traffic through their blog. In 2015, the former head of growth at Canva wrote about the techniques that helped them increase blog traffic by 226.47% in 60 days:

• Longer posts
• Inspirational posts like “ 50 best business cards ”
• Varied content types—lists, feature articles, interviews, etc.
• Free resources
• Proactive list building

Here’s a screenshot of their growth after implementing this strategy: 

The fundamentals of this strategy are still used today.

Canva recognizes the power of their blog as not just a vehicle for traffic but as an educational resource and lead generation tool. The team developed two blog posts that went after highly searched terms and further promoted their new feature, while embracing the formula that has worked since 2015.

The posts were titled:

• How to use Zoom virtual backgrounds (1,790 words)
• Funny zoom backgrounds that will have you laughing (1,051 words)

These two blog posts are strategically developed not only to rank but also to convert. In the how-to post , the phrase “Zoom virtual background” shows up 15 times in the title, H1s, H2s and body content. In the inspirational post , the phrase “Zoom background” shows up 7 times in the title, meta description, H1s and H2s.

Throughout the blog posts there are calls-to-action directing the reader to the various templates that are shown. Here’s how the templates are promoted throughout the inspirational blog post.

The blog posts link back to the original landing pages with the perfect anchor text: Zoom virtual background. But what’s most interesting is the new backlinks that have been generated by these two blog posts. In just 30 days, these blog posts have 58 links and are rising in the SERP for their target keywords.

Missing Opportunity: Comparison Pages (Investigation Intent) 

Now… despite all the things that Canva is doing right, there’s one area in which they’re missing out. They’ve done a great job of creating content to meet every kind of search intent—except one: They don’t have any content to capture traffic when someone does a comparative search.

Take the search “Canva vs. Adobe Spark” as an example. This phrase has more than 450 searches a month, and it’s safe to assume they’re coming from people who are really close to making a decision between the two platforms:

The first three articles ranking for this query are not from Adobe Spark OR Canva. Creating a landing page that targets these keywords would allow either brand to own the narrative when someone lands on this SERP looking for answers. It’s my expectation that if neither of these brands capitalizes on this search volume, the various online review sites leading the way in the Yelpification of B2B will eventually start to show their head.

The Google autocomplete suggestions clarify the opportunity here: 

Comparison landing pages can be a great way to connect with people at the bottom of your funnel and capture leads for remarketing purposes. It’s at this point in the buying process where someone is typically deciding between you and your competitor. The development of an asset that can influence that individual in the direction of your brand is a smart way to capture value.

Wrapping This All Up

It’s impossible for any marketer to read this essay and in 48 hours unlock results similar to Canva’s. It takes time to build a backlink empire and create a sustainable series of landing pages that work for you long after they’ve been developed. It takes time to write job descriptions, create training, develop a compensation model and onboard a group of outreach specialists and experts. It’s impressive to see what Canva has accomplished.

And while it’s certainly not going to be easy for any brand to replicate their success, it’s certainly possible to look at Canva for inspiration moving forward. The best organizations will recognize that it all comes down to creating a culture that understands and truly believes that content is a key factor in driving success.

If you’re a company or marketer that wants to accomplish similar feats, we’ve developed a B2B Growth Strategy Guide that is sure to help. Check it out and use these strategies to fuel growth in your organization for years to come:

Did you enjoy this post?

Read this next.

Content Distribution Strategy: What Is It & Why Do You Need One?

Other reads on this topic, the strategy behind stripe’s million dollar page | vol 181, a million dollar stripe page: why some content is worth $$$, the rise of ai in crm — strategic shifts, messaging tactics, and more.

SEO Case Study: How Terminus Increased Leads 4x

With Demandwell, every SaaS Marketer can drive demand, traffic, leads, and revenue with SEO.

Are you wondering what other B2B SaaS marketers are doing to reach the top of the search results? You may think that SEO is more work than it’s worth and that whoever is at the top of the rankings is always going to beat you out. What if you could follow a proven process to win in organic search? Learn more from our case study and learn how Terminus has used our SEO platform to repeatedly climb to the top of the rankings.

SEO Case Study

If you want your marketing strategies to be successful, then you need to be able to tell stories that will draw visitors to your content and keep them engaged with it.

At first glance this statement might seem counterintuitive to data-driven insights, but in reality, it isn’t. When trying to improve your  search engine optimization  (SEO) campaigns, you should focus on the data they provide, and this is important because objective data will tell you exactly how your campaigns are performing. However, even the best data can’t sell itself, or your products and services. In other words, the reality of data is not as interesting to your users as stories are. To catch peoples’ attention, you need to demonstrate the narrative built around or from that data.

For example, this narrative might ask (and answer!): why are your clients coming to you? What do these clients usually need? What are some of the problems they are experiencing? How are you able to solve those problems?

This is precisely where an SEO case study can be helpful. SEO case studies are detailed records of the processes that different businesses or users have utilized in order to improve their SEO or SEO-related results, such as  organic traffic , search rankings, or even revenue generation. By creating and sharing SEO case studies, you are demonstrating your own expertise and your business’s viability. So, if you are trying to craft SEO case studies, then it might be helpful to take a look at an SEO case study example.

In general, there are a few case study SEO best practices that it’s worth following. These include:

• Start with the problem:  Make sure that the issue your SEO services will address is clear, and what negative consequences will result if that issue is not addressed. What happens if this problem is not solved?
• Outline the strategy:  Once you’ve clarified what problem, ensure that you explain your approach to solving it clearly. What processes, strategies, and tools are you going to use, and how? What can readers do to replicate these kinds of results? Walk them through it step by step.
• Cover the results:  Ensure that you discuss what happened when you followed that strategy. In addition, what is the impact of these results? How did these results improve the quality of the business? Put another way, you can’t simply say that you helped the client: you also need to explain  how  you helped the client and what the impact of that help was on their jobs, careers, companies etc.

By following this basic formula, you can construct strong SEO case studies.

Translate the success of that particular client into the success of any prospective client reading the case study. Even though it is important to show that every client and business is unique, you also have to make the point that these problems, strategies, and results can be of interest to other clients as well. In doing so, prospective clients will know that you have methods that can work for their business as well. This is how you can use SEO case studies to the advantage of your business.

Gated Content and SEO Case Study  PDFs

There are many places to find examples of effective SEO case studies, including an SEO case study PDF or an SEO agency case study. At some point, you’ll also need to decide whether your case studies will be posted on your website or if access to them will be limited in some way. To grab people’s interest while also preserving content for paying clients, you may want to divide your case studies, making some of them readily available while “gating” others.

“Gating,” or “gated” content, refers to editorial content that is valuable enough that someone might be willing to trade their contact information in order to access it. In this case, you might ask website visitors to exchange their email address for access to copies of multiple case studies. This strategy is one way in which you can grow your email list and subscriber base without paying for costly advertising that may not even work.

Gated content serves an additional purpose as well. While organic traffic is great for driving at page views, you also need to learn more about who is actually visiting your website, and whether they return to engage with your other content. With gated content, then, you can figure out who is truly interested in your offerings and unique content. On the other hand, search engines such as Google won’t be able to crawl gated content. Therefore, you still have to provide content for search engines to access freely, which will help you improve your search rankings and drive site traffic.

Clearly, there is a balance that you’ll need to strike, since gated content can’t help you with  search engine ranking  but does have other benefits such as collecting contact information for potential clients who may turn into qualified leads. At this point it’s worth considering: what are the main goals of your website? If you need to drive more traffic to your website, then it might not make sense to gate a lot of content. This is why a lot of company websites, blogs, and social media posts are not hidden behind gated content.

On the other hand, if you already have a lot of traffic and your website is growing, then it may make sense to have more gated content. Downloadable PDFs are an outstanding format for many SEO case studies, and they also let you strike a good balance between gated and ungated content.

SEO Case Study  Template

As you begin preparing your own SEO case studies, it might be helpful to take a closer look at an SEO case study template as well. This is because, in order to get the most out of your case studies, you need to understand what the point of a case study actually is. Remember that case studies should be designed specifically to help you show prospects and clients your expertise. Hiring the right SEO team is a major decision for your clients to make, so you need to show them how you’ve achieved strong results for other businesses in similar straits. Referring to an SEO case study template can help you do exactly this.

In essence, it might help to think of SEO case studies as brochures. Both are documents that will help you show that your company has a long track record of success. Depending on your industry, though, your case studies may also take slightly different approaches. For example, an SEO case study guide will not be relevant to all areas of marketing, though there are certain specific areas that it will be immensely relevant to. Here, consider what type of customers you are trying to attract; then, think about what kinds of problems, strategies, and results will best showcase your expertise. These will form the subjects of effective SEO case studies.

In the end, SEO case studies should accomplish several important things for your company. A strong SEO case study should be able to tell your clients what they can do with a strong SEO campaign, as well as how you can help them accomplish that. From this basis, SEO case studies can also show your clients how you are responsible for helping other clients in the past. Finally, SEO case studies should also give specific clients an idea of what your expertise can do for them.

The challenge is that you need to do all of this using a document that is quick, easy to digest, and focused on results. If you are able to do all of this, then you will get the most out of every SEO case study you publish.

SEO Case Study  Sample

As mentioned above, it might be helpful to take a look at a sample SEO case study. In this specific case study, a client approached the SaaS B2B marketing firm Demandwell and tried the PACE model employed by this outstanding SEO software company and agency. Demandwell’s program is designed specifically to attract more qualified  web traffic , which can then be converted into qualified leads. As a result of implementing the PACE model recommended by Demandwell, the client enjoyed a 4x increase in monthly  organic search  keywords, a 12x increase in monthly organic search impressions, and a 3x increase in monthly organic visitors. Ultimately, this led to a 4x increase in monthly organic sourced leads for Demandwell’s client.

Here, it’s worth noting that this case study is clear, concise, and to the point. It highlights the client, the agency, the strategy used, and the results of that strategy being applied. For best results, all of this would be located at the top of the page, and the remainder of the document would be dedicated to more details about each step.

If you want to make it easier for potential clients to digest this information, then it might be a good idea to convert this into slides. From here, if your sales team has access to these slides, they can use this during a presentation. That is where an SEO case study PPT can be helpful, since PowerPoint slides are a quick, industry-standard way of presenting pitches and similar information.

Here’s an example:

SEO Campaign Case Study

If you are trying to incorporate a new website SEO case study, it may also be helpful to refer to SEO campaign case study examples, including a backlink case study. By doing this, you can include numerous elements that detail how the campaign unfolded.

To create an effective SEO campaign case study, you should include:

• The goals of the SEO campaign and how they are tracked
• Insight regarding the campaign and who it is targeting, specifically discussing the target market
• Key offers included in the campaign messages, which is the “how” of the campaign
• The campaign media plan and its budget, including specific media examples and content calendars
• How individual assets across a campaign are managed effectively
• How the campaign is executed and launched

By focusing on these individual elements in your SEO campaign case study, you will place it in the best position possible to market your agency. Also, remember to include these specific elements in every campaign case study. That way, potential clients understand how you will be able to fix the same problems, use the same strategies, and achieve the same results for them too.

Related Articles

• SEO Software
• Best SEO Platform
• Marketing Cost
• Advantages of Getting Organic Traffic
• How To Learn Organic SEO
• SEO Automation
• SEO Services
• Search Engine Optimization Meaning
• Local Search Engine Optimization
• Search Engine Optimization Google
• Search Engine Optimization Course
• Search Engine Optimization

If you’re committed to SEO success through content production, the Content Production Suite makes it possible for anyone to drive impact with SEO. Let’s talk.

SEO Case Studies

1m clicks/mo in just 12 months.

5 lessons from Aura

How the UK Gov Does SEO

11 tips behind 86M/mo

How Cazoo Designs Category Pages

these earn £180M/month

How to Build Traffic Fast with Land Grabs

scaling up with patterns

How to Find High-Converting Keywords

drive actual $£$ results

How to Make SEO-Friendly URLs

17 best practices 🤩

How to Produce Content at Scale

and *actually* drive $$$

Internal Link Audit in 5 Minutes

free template

8 Free SEO Tools & Templates

optimize your workflows!

8 Defensible Backlink Building Methods

you don't have to pay for

7 Real SEO Experiments

that might 📈 your traffic

19 Meta Title Examples

tap into desire (and 7x click-through rates)

www. SEO casestudy.com

A How the F*ck Project

• Website Heatmap Tool
• Pop-Up Software
• SEO Checker
• SERP Checker
• UX Assistant
• Session Replay Software
• Event Tracking Tools
• Ecommerce Analytics
• Website Funnel Analysis
• A/B Testing Tool
• Website Feedback Tool
• Digital marketing
• Content Marketing
• SEO Analytics
• Technical SEO
• On-page SEO
• User Experience (UX)
• All Articles
• Usability Testing Checklist
• Shopify Launch Checklist
• SEO Checklist
• Ecommerce Checklist
• Fears of SEO specialist
• Marketing Glossary
• Google Analytics 4 Course
• Affiliate Program
• Take a Full-Page Screenshot in Chrome
• Free Chrome Extensions for SEO
• Book a Demo

11 Best Case Study Templates

• Post author By Andrew Chornyy
• Post date Oct 27, 2022
• No Comments on 11 Best Case Study Templates

Many people ask themselves how to design a case study properly. A case study is a non-standard task, so it is possible not to adhere to strict rules in its design. In other words, the case study design is not as serious a task as a business offer. However, it is still necessary to follow general recommendations. The case study should contain the following:

• Title. It is crucial that the case study title reflects the essence of the case study and gives an idea in advance of the situation considered next.
• Description of the situation. The situation should be broken down into points to make the information easier to perceive.
• Search for solutions. It is a detailed description and analysis of ways to solve the case and choose the best way out of the situation. Here you need to consider all possible options, indicating the expected consequences.
• Description of the result. This paragraph describes the result of actions to solve the problem. What was, what became and why.

Choosing a font that is comfortable and easy to read is recommended. Case study design welcomes using illustrative materials: graphs, diagrams, videos, and tables. Often case studies are designed as presentations.

Example: a company is in the business of demolishing buildings. The case study posted on the website deals with the task of demolishing an old power plant in the town of Kyiv. After seeing the case study, a potential customer immediately sees how the work is done, what equipment is used, and how real practical problems are solved. In other words, it is a visual demonstration of the service.

Any experience is given hard by trial and error. You can avoid this by using 11 case study templates. These case study templates will not solve your problems.

Best 11 Case Study Template

Before we move to the best 11 case study templates , we want to share our recommendations for writing a case study:

• Standard case study structure will work for most cases: who is the client → what task → what was done and how it was done → what happened.
• The title describes the essence of the work or shows a cool result. If you have worked with a well-known company, add its name to the headline.
• Put a call to action at the end and include contacts. Don’t make people interested in your work look for ways to contact you.
• Illustrate the case study – show photos, screenshots, and graphs. Add comments from employees who worked on the project and client feedback – this will make the case study more lively and compelling.
• Remember, there’s no such thing as a case study without a result. If you’re talking about a long process that’s not over yet, show some intermediate results – what has changed in a month or six months of your work. You can discuss plans if you continue to work with a client.
• Do not forget to decorate the case study beautifully. You don’t have to create a work of design with a bunch of animations. It’s enough to have a neat design. Break up the text into paragraphs, write headings and choose high-quality illustrations.
• You don’t have to post case studies only on your website. Write an exciting story about the project and offer it to thematic communities on social networks, blogs, or media. Every niche has websites that are happy to publish quality material. This way, many new people will learn about your case study.
• The case can be made viral so that it gets maximum coverage. All the PR techniques are suitable: provocation, use of trends, and looking for a common enemy. But do not go overboard – you are advertising your services , not just entertaining people.

If you do not want to spend money on the design of the case study, you can use 1 out of 11 case study templates below. You don’t need to design anything – the case study templates are ready. You just need to change the content.

Case Study Creation Kit

Here you will find 3 free case study templates by HubSpot – a CRM platform that’s both powerful and easy to use. Here you will find not only case study templates but also examples. Case Study Creation Kit by HubSpot includes:

• 3 Text-Only Case Study Templates
• 3 Designed Case Study Templates
• A Data-Driven Case Study Template
• A Product-Specific Case Study Template
• A General Case Study Template

If you have never created case studies before, Case Study Creation Kit is the best option for you.

Bold Social Media Business Case Study Template

This is a free case study template by Venngage – a simple drag-and-drop editor for creating infographics. It provides a simple template that suits you if your completed project is not complex and you have little time to create a case study. The free case study template by Venngage consists of a title, main part (overview), and contacts. Feel free to use it quickly if you need to create a case study.

Modern Lead Generation Business Case Study Template

Like the previous one, Modern Lead Generation Business Case Study Template was created by Venngage – a service for making infographics. It is a more detailed case study template than the previous one. This free case study template consists of the following:

• About section
• Strategy , goals, and results section
• The final results section

This is a universal case study that any business can use. It is not too detailed and provides the reader with all the necessary information.

PR Case Study Template

Do you have a unique case study you must deliver to clients or leads? PR Case Study Template is the best for this purpose! It is provided by Decktopus – the best online presentation tool for busy professionals ‍who want to get their point across with style. It is in the form of a presentation and is great for PR case studies. It consists of the following parts:

• Introduction
• History & Findings
• Titles to look for

Each section of this case study template discusses what you should write about. This PR case study template is great to place on the website and show the lead when selling your services.

Lead Generation Business Case Study Template

The lead Generation Business Case Study Template is the same as Modern Lead Generation Business Case Study Template by Venngage discussed above. It consists of the following:

• Strategy, goals , and results section

This free case study template shows you how to write it to sell your services. It is detailed and, at the same time, doesn’t have anything redundant. If you need to create a case study to sell your services, feel free to use it.

Gray Lead Generation Business Case Study Template

Gray Lead Generation Business Case Study Template is the same as Lead Generation Business Case Study Template and Modern Lead Generation Business Case Study Template by Venngage. The only difference is the color of the case study template. It consists of the following:

• Strategy, goals, and results section

This case study template will be great for you if you have a severe business or your corporate identity is black.

Vibrant Content Marketing Case Study Template

This free case study template by Venngage dramatically differs from the previously discussed in this article. It has a different structure, design, and sections. It consists of the following:

• Growth & Impact section
• Strategy discussion section
• Results that speak volume section
• Review by the client

This is an attractive case study template for any niche. It is compact and has nothing redundant.

SEO Case Study Template

The SEO Case Study Template by Decktopus is in the form of a presentation and has a stylish design. With components like showcasing your business details and detailed info on how analytics is estimated, the case study will come alive and become more comfortable for audiences during live webinars. Each section of this case study template discusses what you should write about. It consists of the following parts:

This SEO case study template can be used by anyone who makes presentations around SEO strategies. This template is perfect if you have never created SEO case studies. First, it is easy to perceive, and second, it has an attractive, stylish design.

Art Case Study Template

It is a creative case study for the art niche developed by Decktopus. It is simple and creative simultaneously, providing a lot of place for images. With its straightforward design and wide spectrum of customizable possibilities, this art case study template is excellent for any artist looking to make a strong impression. It consists of the following:

• Challenge & Objectives

Each section of this case study template discusses what you should write about. This one-of-a-kind art case study template is ideal for delivering and discussing your case studies with customers , coworkers, and art experts everyplace. If you are working in the art niche, feel free to use it.

UI Case Study Template

This UI case study template was developed by Decktopus in the form of a presentation and includes 6 sections. Each section of this case study template discusses what you should write about. It consists of the following:

• History of the Project & Findings

This case study template is specifically designed for UI designers , making it easy to discuss your design approach and discoveries. With the UI case study template, you’ll be able to showcase your work straightforwardly.

Medical Case Study Template

This multi-purpose medical case study template will keep your time and allow you to introduce your job with flare so more people will take note of what’s necessary. You will quickly write your medical case study with this template. It consists of the following:

With one click , you can have all the critical elements needed to deliver a patient’s journey and generate ideas to enhance results. This medical case study template is perfect because it consists of the most necessary sections and does not have anything redundant.

As you can see, case studies are actively used in business. To attract new clients, a company can write a case study based on a particular situation. Thus, the case study is a powerful tool to promote services and products. Now you have 11 case study templates that will help you create a case study quickly.

CEO Plerdy — expert in SEO&CRO with over 14 years of experience.

Leave a reply for "11 Best Case Study Templates"

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Plerdy is an All-in-one website analysis tool

Boost conversions and buff your SEO by keeping tabs on user behavior.

Get a free 14-day trial