A consulting case study on your website should tell the story of one decision: the situation the client faced, the options you weighed, the call you recommended and what happened afterwards, with real outcomes. Keep it to a page, lead with the result, name the client only with permission and anonymise carefully when you cannot. Several short, specific case studies persuade a prospective client more than one long, vague one.
Search for "consulting case study" and most results are about interview preparation for consulting jobs. That leaves room for firms to rank with real engagement write-ups, and it means a prospective client who finds yours is reading something few competitors publish.
What should a consulting case study include?
| Section | What to write |
|---|
| Headline | The outcome, in one line |
| The client | Sector, size and situation, named only with permission |
| The question | The decision or problem, as the client put it |
| Options weighed | Two to four options you considered, with the trade-offs |
| The call | What you recommended and why |
| What happened | What the client did and the measured result |
| Who worked on it | The partner and team |
| Timescale | How long the engagement ran |
The "options weighed" section is what sets a consulting case study apart. It shows how you think, which is what a client is buying.
How do you write one, step by step?
- Pick an engagement with a clear decision and a result you can state.
- Ask the client for permission to publish, and agree what can be named.
- Draft the outcome first as a one-line headline, such as "Closed two of five regional offices and kept [your measured figure] of clients".
- Describe the situation in three or four sentences.
- List the options you considered and why each was or was not chosen.
- State your recommendation and the reasoning.
- Report the result with numbers the client has approved, and the date they were measured.
- Send the draft to the client for sign-off before publishing.
Use only figures the client agrees to. Do not round up or estimate results you did not measure.
How do you write a case study without naming the client?
Most consulting work is confidential. You can still publish if you anonymise carefully:
- Describe the client by sector, size band and region, such as "a family-owned food manufacturer with about 400 staff in the north of England".
- Remove details that would identify them in a small sector.
- Keep the decision and the reasoning, which is the useful part.
- Get the client's agreement to the anonymised version.
An anonymised case study with a clear decision is more useful than a named one with no substance.
How long should a case study be?
Four hundred to eight hundred words is enough for most. Put the outcome and the key facts at the top so someone skimming gets the point, and let the detail follow for readers who want it.
Where should case studies go on the site?
- A section or page listing all engagements, filterable by sector or type of decision
- A page per case study
- Two or three featured on the home page
- Linked from the relevant service and partner pages
Each case study page should end with a way to book a conversation.
Do case studies help with search and AI answers?
A case study that states the sector, the question and the result in plain words is easy for a search engine or AI assistant to match to a question such as "consultancy that helps manufacturers restructure". It also shows real experience, which Google's guidance on helpful content emphasises. See how to get your local business recommended by ChatGPT.
What do consulting case studies often get wrong?
- No result, or a result with no number or date
- A list of activities ("we ran workshops, we interviewed stakeholders") instead of a decision
- Client logos with no story
- Long introductions about the firm before the case itself
- Figures the client never approved
For the consultant's site as a whole, see consultant websites that lead with outcomes. For the about page, see about pages for small businesses.
Which templates are built around case studies?
Counsel is a free Framer template for a consulting or strategy advisory firm. The home page opens on one clear promise and a Book a conversation button, then shows how you work in three steps, a decision file of past engagements, a client quote, the partners and your latest thinking. Every engagement gets its own CMS page with the options weighed, the call and the outcome, which matches the structure above.
Halden (free) is built for independent consultants and small consultancies: it names the founding partner in the hero, states the offer in one line and runs insights and case studies on the CMS. See all Framer templates for consultants. For a firm that also does creative work, see creative agency websites.
Related guides: B2B SaaS websites for operations buyers and how to choose a website template.
Frequently asked questions
What should a consulting case study include?
The client's situation, the decision they faced, the options you weighed, your recommendation, what happened and the measured result, plus who worked on it and how long it took.
How do I write a case study if my client work is confidential?
Anonymise the client by sector, size and region, remove identifying details, keep the decision and reasoning, and get the client's agreement to the anonymised version.
How long should a case study be?
Four hundred to eight hundred words is enough for most. Put the outcome and key facts at the top.
Can I publish results without the client's approval?
Do not publish figures the client has not approved. Ask for sign-off on the whole draft before it goes live.
Is there a free website template for consulting firms?
Yes. Counsel and Halden are free Framer templates for consultancies. Counsel gives every past engagement its own page with the options weighed, the call and the outcome.