What a Credible Website Redesign Case Study Shows

What is a website redesign case study?

A website redesign case study documents a real website before and after a redesign and shows what changed in measurable terms. That separates it from a portfolio piece, which shows design quality but says little about results. The distinction matters because a redesign costs time and money, and before you commit you want evidence that similar work delivered value for someone else.

A proper case study includes before and after metrics: organic traffic, form submissions or calls, Core Web Vitals scores, and user engagement data like bounce rate and average session duration. These numbers tell you far more than a before screenshot, which shows how the old site looked but nothing about how it performed.

The case study helps you decide whether a redesign is worth the investment by mapping the problem to the solution and then showing the result in quantified terms. If the old site had slow page loads, a poor mobile experience and low conversion rates, the case study should show what happened on those specific points after the redesign launched. You can then weigh those improvements against the cost and timeline of the work to judge value.

It also clarifies scope. A case study that states how long the project took, what was included and what was excluded gives you a realistic picture of what your own redesign would involve. Without that context, a "before" and "after" comparison is just marketing copy.

What should a website redesign case study include?

A useful case study shows specific elements. Use this checklist when evaluating one from a vendor or when building your own.

• Before metrics. State the baseline numbers for organic traffic, conversions, page speed (Core Web Vitals) and user engagement. Without a clear starting point, any "after" number means little.
• After metrics. Show the same metrics after the redesign goes live. The comparison should use the same measurement tool and method so the numbers are comparable.
• A clear problem statement. Describe what was wrong with the old site. Was it slow? Did it fail to turn visitors into leads? Was it built on a platform that no longer supported the business's needs?
• A clear solution. State what changed in the redesign. A new platform, a new design system, restructured information architecture or technical SEO fixes?
• A clear result. Quantify what improved and by how much. A vague "improved performance" claim cannot be checked; specific percentages and raw counts can.
• A clear timeline. State how long the project took from kickoff to launch, so a reader can judge whether a similar scope would fit their own schedule.

Before metrics

Record organic traffic from Google Analytics or Search Console, conversion counts from your analytics platform, Core Web Vitals from PageSpeed Insights or the Chrome User Experience Report, and engagement metrics like bounce rate and average session duration. These form the baseline against which every change is measured. Without reliable analytics and reporting in place before launch, there is nothing trustworthy to compare against later.

After metrics

Measure the same data points after the redesign launches, with the same tools and a comparable time window. Comparing a quiet month before launch with a busy season after it mixes seasonality into the result, so the comparison tells you less than it appears to. A redesign that drops pages or changes URLs can also move traffic for reasons unrelated to design, which is why a website redesign checklist that protects your rankings matters as much as the new look.

Timeline and scope

State when the project started, key milestones and the final launch date. Note what was included and what was excluded. This shows what the result actually depended on and gives you a realistic expectation of what your own project would look like.

Before vs after: what to compare in a redesign case study

The comparison should be structured and specific. Use this framework to evaluate every case study you encounter.

• Organic traffic

  What to check

  Did monthly organic sessions increase? By what percentage or raw number?

  Why it matters

  Traffic shows whether the site reached more people without paid spend.

• Conversions

  What to check

  Did form submissions, calls or purchases increase? Is the count or rate stated?

  Why it matters

  Traffic only matters if it turns into leads or sales.

• Page speed

  What to check

  Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP (good is under 200 milliseconds), CLS. Did they improve?

  Why it matters

  Core Web Vitals are among the page experience factors that influence rankings, and slow pages lose visitors.

• User engagement

  What to check

  Bounce rate, average session duration, pages per session. Did they move in the right direction?

  Why it matters

  Engagement data suggests whether visitors found what they came for on the new pages.

• Technical SEO

  What to check

  Crawl errors resolved, duplicate content cleaned up, mobile version complete.

  Why it matters

  Google indexes and ranks the mobile version of a site, and crawl problems affect whether pages get found at all.

Each row should have a before number and an after number. A case study that reports only one of these metrics gives you a partial picture; one that reports all five, measured the same way, is far easier to trust. For conversions in particular, check how the rate was worked out, since how to calculate website conversion rate changes what the number means.

How to Spot a Fake or Vague Case Study

Vague case studies are common because they are cheap to produce. A few checks filter them out quickly.

• Look for specific metrics, not vague claims. "Increased traffic" is not a metric. A metric is a verifiable measurement, such as organic sessions or conversion rate, that can be checked in analytics. Numbers that cannot be verified carry little weight.
• Look for a measured before and after, not just a pretty one. Screenshots of a redesigned homepage mean little without data. A real case study shows the old site's performance alongside the new site's.
• Look for a clear timeline, not "in a few months." A timeline with a specific start and end date is specific; "several months" tells you very little.
• Look for a clear problem statement, not "the site was old." "The site ran on a platform that could not handle the new product catalog" is specific. "Old site" tells you nothing about the actual business challenge.
• Look for a clear result, not "the client was happy." Client satisfaction is not a measurable outcome. A before and after count of leads or sales, with the measurement window stated, is.

A case study that fails most of these checks is marketing copy, and you can set it aside.

What to Avoid When Building Your Own

If you are the one creating the case study, these mistakes will undermine its credibility.

• Avoid vague metrics. State the tool, the metric name, and the before and after numbers. Use the same measurement window for both.
• Avoid vague timelines. State the start date, end date and total duration in weeks or months.
• Avoid vague problem statements. State the platform, the limitation and the business impact.
• Avoid vague results. State the measured change rather than how the client felt about it.
• Avoid mismatched comparisons. Comparing a desktop-only before with a mobile-first after without noting the difference is misleading. State the methodology used for each measurement.

Every element of your case study should pass one test: could a reader verify this claim? If the answer is no, rewrite it.

How to Use One to Choose a Vendor

When you evaluate vendors on their case studies, work through these steps.

Step 1: Match industry and size. A case study from a vendor that mostly serves restaurants says little about whether it can handle an ecommerce store. Look for projects in your sector or of comparable complexity.

Step 2: Verify before and after metrics exist. A credible case study shows both sides of the comparison. If a vendor cannot produce before numbers, the baseline was probably never measured, and that is a red flag.

Step 3: Check timeline and scope clarity. A vendor that documents dates and deliverables in its case studies is more likely to document your project the same way.

Step 4: Confirm problem to result logic. The case study should show a clear chain: problem identified, solution designed, result measured. If any link in that chain is missing, the case study is incomplete.

Step 5: Ask for the before, not just the after. Some vendors only show the new site, which makes it a portfolio piece. Ask to see the baseline performance as well, and bring the rest of your questions to ask a web designer before you sign to the same conversation.

When a Case Study Is Not Enough

A case study is not a guarantee of results for your business. Your site, audience and market conditions differ, so one client's outcome does not predict yours, and the result a vendor achieved may depend on factors unique to that client.

It also cannot stand in for a written scope of your own project. A case study describes someone else's problem, timeline and budget; your redesign needs its own problem statement, timeline and list of deliverables before you can compare vendors fairly. Use case studies as one input among many, not as the final word.

The most useful thing you can bring to that comparison is a measured starting point for your own site. Skyline's free website audit checks your site: enter your email and the report is sent to you automatically.