Everyone wants their website to rank higher in the Search results, but few go beyond writing a blog and getting backlinks.

While these are both important, many businesses miss the opportunity provided by writing case Studies of people they have helped.

The three keys to SEO

Assuming your website is great, there are basically three significant principles for accelerating your ranks in search results: relevance, trust, and authority.

Relevance is determined by how well a website's content matches the keywords that are being searched for, and the intent of the person searching. If a website's content is relevant to the keywords being searched, it is more likely to rank higher in the SERPs. Sites that get a lot of clicks and user engagement are deemed to be highly relevant.

Trust is another important factor that can impact a website's ranking. Websites that are deemed to be trustworthy by search engines are more likely to rank higher than those that are not. Trustworthiness is often determined by a website's age, popularity, and the quality of its content. A business with a verified location, an accurate and informative About Us page, and consistent business information are trusted by Google.

If a website is seen as an authority on a particular topic, it is more likely to rank well for that topic. This is because Google wants to make sure that the websites that are being ranked highly are those that are considered to be experts in their field. This means that they have a lot of content that is relevant and that they are constantly updating it. If other high quality and trusted sites link to your client, Google sees that as an indication that you have expertise and authority in your field.

In simple terms, search engines like Google are looking for the pages that have the most relevant content to match a particular search query, but they also want to ensure that the page offers trustworthy and authoritative information.

The Case for Case Studies

One of the simplest and most effective ways to communicate that you are experts in your field, and trusted by your customers, is to publish case studies of people you have helped.

Case studies provide several opportunities for improving SEO.

1. Case studies can be based on the keywords you want to rank for

If you install commercial air conditioning, you can create a case study of a recent project in the city and naturally mention air conditioning in a variety of ways.

Bonus tip: You don’t need to worry about using a fixed keyword phrase, as Google understands synonyms and is rewarding natural language rather than text where the phrase is forced or overused.

2. Case studies can be written to match popular search queries

Google suggests that a question people often ask is, “What services does a plumber offer?” It doesn’t take too much imagination to craft a series of case studies around the plumbing services you offer:

• Gas hot water system reduces power bill by 43%
• The bathroom renovation that transformed this home
• Hot water cylinder upgrades that didn’t cost the earth

Bonus tip: Share these stories on your social media feed for more engagement with your brand. Highlight your customer as the hero of the story, with your company as the wise owl that offered the Solution that saved the day! Everyone loves a good story.

3. Case studies offer great social proof and trust

Many businesses have used case studies to great effect. Case studies are highly effective when introduced with a compelling title, like “job management software saved me from endless admin”, that other businesses can relate to.

Great case studies then go into some depth about the benefits the customer enjoyed by using the product or service.

It is always helpful to show real quotes from the customer, as hearing directly from the customer builds trust.

Anyone reading these case studies should be able to relate to the problems the customer experienced before signing up and appreciate the benefits of using the software.

Bonus tip: Be very clear about the problem that the customer was experiencing, and how you solved it. Help the reader to feel the pain your customer was experiencing, and the relief they experienced because of your solution.

4. Case studies allow you to highlight your value proposition

TRT is one of the few companies in Australasia that manufacture their own road-legal crane. They use case studies incredibly well to show off the benefits their Tidd PC28 pick and carry crane has over their competitors. When you read the article, tells a great story while also highlighting the crane's safety features:

TRT have multiple case studies for each of their products and services, so that potential customers can see real-life solutions to a wide range of problems and applications.

Bonus tip: Case studies that link to each other encourage the searcher to keep reading and stay on your site. Google sees this positive engagement as users finding what they are looking for and increasing your rank in the search results.

5. Case studies are a great way to demonstrate your expertise

The key to a great case study, is to make sure that you communicate your knowledge, skill and experience – you really know what you are talking about, and how to solve problems.

Don’t just say you installed an aircon unit in Mr Jones’ living room. Tell the story in some detail. Don’t go overboard and end up with a really long and boring article but mention specific factors about why you chose the exact unit for that situation.

• The customer was in Townsville, which is more of a tropical climate than Melbourne, so we need a higher-rated unit.
• The room was an odd shape so we used a special calculation to determine the correct unit for the room.
• The room had massive sliding glass doors and was north-facing, so that had to be factored in as well. A south-facing home under shady trees would need a different solution.
• We looked at three different models and ultimately chose the Mitsubishi because it has the better warranty.
• The client really like the mobile phone app that allowed them to switch the aircon unit on when they left work, so the house was cool by the time they got home.

Bonus tip: Look at your main competitors’ websites and see what level of expertise they communicate. Now do it better than they do so that Google begins to see you as having more authority than they do.

Tell a great story

Everyone loves a story, and great stories have a problem or villain, a wise guide, and a hero. Craft your case study using these three aspects.

The Problem: Let the reader feel the tension or stress in relatable ways. Talk about the sweltering heat and unrelenting humidity in the north Queensland – the problem.

The Guide: Make sure that you don’t position yourself as the hero – you are the wise guide that offers a brilliant solution. You know exactly how to determine the best solution for every problem. Your experience of over 25 years means you‘ve seen it all – there’s nothing that is a problem for you. Your superior qualifications, certifications or memberships mean you can be trusted over others.

The Hero: The hero is your customer who made the brave decision to call you, and followed through on your solution. This way you subtly position yourself as an expert who can be trusted to solve problems.

Be very specific about the ending, the solution. Nobody enjoys a fuzzy, murky ending. Leave the reader with a very clear picture of what their lives will look like after they use your products or services.

“Mr Jones has the power now – he’s got an app that regulates the temperature of his home. Nothing bothers him anymore as he watches the league on Sunday afternoon – he’s cool, calm and collected in his living room, happy in the knowledge that he’s saving money in the process”

Bonus tip: make sure you get some great sound bites and quotes from your customer. It’s one thing for you to tell the story – but the readers are not sure they trust you yet. But when they read it in the customers own words – there’s something automatically believable about that.

“I can’t believe I didn’t get aircon sooner. I feel five years younger, and I don’t feel like I’m losing my marbles in the heat anymore! Bliss Air did a fantastic job and I highly recommend them”

Conclusion

Case studies create such a great opportunity to tell your story in a way that is informative and compelling. Yes, they take a bit of work. Yes, you have to have a happy customer willing to take the time to talk to you. But the benefits are obvious and significant. You won’t regret it.