If you’re in the business of selling, designing, decorating, or remodeling homes, you know by now that Houzz is your biggest and best online marketing tool. With up to 14 million unique visitors every month, an active Houzz profile can help you generate massive leads and increase your revenue, and you don’t have to be a marketing expert to achieve great results.
1. Start with Great Photos
This should go without saying, but an updated profile with great photos keeps you active in user searches and helps potential clients find you. Upload high-quality images and don’t forget to tag them. Houzz profiles with profile pictures stand out more in user searches and get more visits, especially if it’s of you or your team. Potential clients want to know who they’re hiring. If you don’t yet have a professional photo of yourself to use, upload your company logo as a profile picture until you get one.
2. Use SEO Keywords
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it starts with great keywords. Help your target market find you and use as many relevant search words in your profile as you can. These will be words that describe and categorize your online profile, business description, and projects. Think from the perspective of your ideal customer and use words that they would use to search for services or projects like yours.
You’ll also want to include relevant geographic terms to target your region, as it’s the best way to rank your profile on Houzz.
The easiest way to do this is to use them in your project titles, like “Denver Kitchen Renovation” for example. You want to show up in as many search results as possible while still using appropriate keywords. Be sure to fill up the keyword section on every photo you upload with at least three keywords. Use these same keywords in the description field on your projects as well.
3. Use Ideabooks to Show Off
Many people spend months browsing, planning, and shopping for a home renovation before they hire a contractor, interior designer, or architect. Houzz Ideabooks are like digital scrapbooks, similar to Pinterest Boards, and are a great way to generate leads and interest in your services. Homeowners primarily use them to collect images and info that inspire them for future reference, but as a professional builder or designer, you can use them to show off what your business can do.
Categorize your Ideabooks by project type, location, or even color scheme to showcase your work in an impressive and aesthetically captivating way. Be sure to caption each image, add keywords, branding, and the location of the project.
4. Be Communicative
The Houzz forums (https://www.houzz.com/discussions) are where many homeowners can ask questions and seek opinions from construction and design professionals. Offering your professional opinions and advice by answering discussion questions proves that you’re an expert who knows your business inside and out. It will also help expose your business to people who may not have found your services by searching for it themselves.
Houzz also provides a “Questions” feature that allows users to ask about your projects. Users that ask you a direct question are most likely ready to move forward, so responding as soon as possible is key for turning them into leads. If you take several days to respond after the question is asked, you risk the user finding an answer from someone else. People want to work with others who are engaged, active listeners, and thoughtfully communicative, so being helpful and timely will instill confidence and build trust and a great rapport with potential clients.
5. Link Your Projects to Other Posts
When you add a project to your profile, you can include an external link to provide more information on it. Expand on each project by writing blog posts on your website that you can link on Houzz. This will help drive more traffic to your website and encourage people to learn more about your company. Include call-to-actions in your posts to encourage lead generation and customer interaction. You can also link to a landing page with a contact form or content download to add the user to your email list.
6. Referrals and Reviews
The best sales leads always come from word-of-mouth referrals. Online reviews are always regarded heavily before someone makes a big purchase, and Houzz reviews are no different. The more positive reviews you receive, the higher you rank in the Houzz directory for your geographic area.
Use Houzz’s “Get Reviews” feature or send an email from the Houzz platform to your clients requesting a review. In addition, you can request referrals and reviews from business associates and partners that are also on Houzz. Exchange reviews with your partners to help both of your businesses rank higher.
By taking the time to implement a few simple marketing basics, entrepreneurs can greatly increase their lead generation and website traffic using their Houzz profiles. A complete Houzz account that showcases your expertise, product quality, and professionalism will help you increase your web presence and make it easier for users to not only find you, but hire you. These are just a few tips to help you optimize your Houzz profile. For additional information take a look at our resource library for additional marketing tips. If you want to speak with one of our professionals contact us or schedule a strategy session so we can help you grow your business.