Case Study.
A case study describes a completed client project from the starting point through the approach to the result. In marketing it serves as verifiable evidence that a company has solved a specific problem for a specific client.
Case Study — Explained in Detail
A case study tells how a project actually went. It names the client (or describes them anonymously), the problem to be solved, the chosen solution and what changed measurably afterwards. The difference from a list of references is depth: a list says 'we have worked for these companies'; a case study shows how, and with what result.
In marketing, the case study belongs to social proof, the evidence prospective customers use to orient themselves. It carries more weight than a short testimonial because it makes the path traceable: anyone with a similar starting point recognises themselves. For search engines and AI assistants a good case study is also a signal of experience in the sense of E-E-A-T, because it contains first-hand knowledge found nowhere else.
A case study is only as good as its evidence. Results need a metric, a source and a time window, for example 'clicks according to Search Console, 13 days before and after the relaunch'. Without these, a figure is merely a claim. Approval matters just as much: the client must agree to being named and to which figures appear. Some clients only allow percentage changes and no absolute values. That is legitimate and should be stated openly in the text.
A case study should be distinguished from storytelling and from content marketing in general. Storytelling is a narrative technique that also sits inside a case study; content marketing is the overarching method to which case studies belong alongside guides, checklists or a lead magnet. A case study is always tied to a real project. An invented scenario may serve as an example, but must then be clearly labelled as constructed.
Structure of a credible case study
A five-part outline works well. Starting point: who is the client, what was the problem, why now? Goal: what should be different at the end, expressed as a metric? Approach: which steps, which decisions, what was deliberately left out? Result: what changed, with source and period? Context: what can be transferred to other cases and what cannot? The last part is often forgotten, yet it is what makes the case study useful to other readers.
One example from our own work is the Steuererklärung Winterthur reference: it shows only percentage changes (according to Google Search Console, 13 days before versus 13 days after the relaunch on 23.09.2026), because the client does not want absolute figures published. All other projects are listed under works.
Example: a plumbing firm documents a bathroom renovation
A constructed example, not a client case: a plumbing firm in the Zurich Oberland wants to win bathroom renovations in detached houses. Instead of 'We build beautiful bathrooms' it writes a case study about a completed project. Starting point: a bathroom from the 1980s, a family with two children, work only possible during the summer holidays. Approach: planning with a 3D visualisation, ceramics ordered before work began, a fixed schedule. Result: handover on the agreed day, documented by the acceptance report.
The family approves photos and names, and the firm adds a floor plan before and after. The case study appears on the website as a page of its own, is shown in sales meetings and linked in the newsletter. It does not state the project price, because every renovation is different. A content marketing agency in Zurich can help select such content, gather the evidence with the business and distribute it.
Related Page
Social ProofFrequently Asked Questions About Case Study
A reference names a client and the service delivered. A case study additionally describes the starting point, approach and result, with evidence. Every case study is a reference, but not every reference is a case study.
Yes. Name, logo, photos, quotes and figures should only appear with the client's explicit approval, ideally in writing. Without approval a project can at most be described anonymously, and even then it must not be possible to identify the client.
Long enough for the starting point, approach and result to be clear. On a website, one page with short sections, images and a results block is often enough. Verified statements and a clear link to the questions of future customers matter more than length.
Yes. Not every project can be expressed in metrics, and some clients do not release figures. In that case the case study describes the result qualitatively, such as a deadline met or a new process. Invented or estimated figures never belong in it.
More Terms Starting with "C"
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
CLS is one of Google's three Core Web Vitals and measures the visual stability of a page. It quantif...
CMS (Content Management System)
A CMS (content management system) is software that lets you create and change a website's text, imag...
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A CDN (content delivery network) is a network of servers in many locations that stores copies of a w...
Ready for Your Project?
Apply this knowledge to your website — DLM Digital will help you.