A prospect spends ten minutes reading three of your case studies. They like the work. They wonder whether you could do something similar for them, how long it would take and roughly what it might cost. The case studies do not say. There is a "contact us" link at the bottom. They mean to use it later, and never do.
Agency portfolio pages attract some of the most serious visitors on your website. Someone reading case studies is actively evaluating whether to hire you. Yet most portfolio pages are built to impress, not to answer questions.
What portfolio visitors want to know
- Could you do this for a business like mine?
- How long did this project take?
- What would something similar cost?
- Who worked on it, and would they work on mine?
- What happened after launch?
- What was it like working with you?
The case study answers "what did you make?" The prospect is asking "what would working with you be like?"
Adding the missing information
Case studies become far more useful with a few additions:
- The problem. What the client needed and why.
- The approach. How you worked, in brief.
- Timeline. Roughly how long the project took.
- Team. Who was involved.
- Outcome. Results you can honestly report.
- A next step. "Want something similar? Ask us about your project."
Be careful with results. Only report outcomes the client has agreed to share and that you can stand behind.
Answering in the moment
Prospect: Could you build something like this for a dental practice? Assistant: Yes, the booking flow in this project would work well for a dental practice, and we've built sites for healthcare clients before. Projects like this usually take 8 to 10 weeks. Would you like to share a little about your practice so the team can follow up?
SpideyChat for agencies answers from your services and case study pages at any hour, and captures the prospect's brief. That turns the moment of interest into a conversation instead of a forgotten tab.
Qualifying portfolio visitors
Not every visitor is a fit. A few gentle questions after answering help: what is the project, when is it needed, what budget range. The approach is covered in filtering agency enquiries that were never going to sign.
Making sure someone follows up
Enquiries captured from portfolio pages need an owner. Without one, they can end up in a shared inbox that nobody watches, a problem described in the cost of an agency inbox nobody owns.
Partners browse portfolios too
Other agencies, freelancers and technology partners also read case studies, looking for collaboration. Recognise and route them separately, as covered in partner and reseller enquiries from your website.
Which case studies to show
Prospects look for work that resembles their own situation. Group your case studies around industry or project type so a dental practice can find healthcare work and a retailer can find ecommerce projects. A small number of well-explained case studies beats a large gallery of screenshots with no context.
Mobile readers
Many prospects browse portfolios on their phones between meetings. Make sure case studies load quickly and the question route is easy on a small screen, a point made in how mobile visitors send enquiries.
To see how portfolio questions would be answered, try an assistant on your agency site, or look at the features.