Houzz is the largest, most popular website on the Internet for people interested in designing, building, redecorating and remodeling their home. It’s also the fastest-growing directory of industry professionals, including general contractors, design/build remodelers, interior designers and more.

This means there’s both good news and bad news if you’re an industry professional trying to grow your business. The really great news is that Houzz is FREE and the ideal place for potential clients to find you.

The bad news is that every professional in the industry also knows this, so the competition is fierce. However, we’re here to help you optimize your Houzz presence with the following tips:

#1—Be Visible

If you own a business, people in your area need to be able to find you on Houzz. The most important thing any business can do to improve their visibility on Houzz is to complete their profile.

The two biggest reasons most profiles are incomplete — and are therefore essentially invisible on Houzz — is because they:

1. Didn’t provide a link from their website to Houzz, and

2. Didn’t yet have at least three reviews.

Fix these two problems on your profile and you’ll be getting more calls than ever before.

#2—Be Trustworthy

Houzz is many things — search engine, business directory, social media channel and review website. Most of us have been conditioned to think we can’t buy anything without reading online reviews (I’m looking at you, Yelp and Amazon), and because Houzz puts a high value on reviews, you should too.

People value reviews because they provide social proof. The more good reviews you have, the more people will see just how great a company you are.

Houzz has made getting reviews from your clients even easier by letting you send email requests directly from your Houzz account. Make sure you ask for a review immediately following the successful completion of every project.

#3—Be Active

The way people use any social media channel is simple: We follow people we like and those who post information we like. Houzz knows this, and they have a built an algorithm that considers your profile to determine where you show up in the search results.

Being active on Houzz is as simple as answering questions, contributing to discussions and creating content on your profile,

The other big benefit of being consistently active on Houzz is that it gives people a reason to follow you.

#4—Be Responsive

When someone asks a question about one of your photos or projects, you need to respond right away. The worst thing you can do for your business on Houzz is not respond at all. The faster you respond, the better people will feel about doing business with you.

Being responsive is also another fantastic way to get more people to follow you on Houzz. (See points 2 and 3!)

#5—Be a Photographer

The main driving force for all the traffic on Houzz is pictures, which makes photos the most important ranking factor in your profile. But it’s not about quantity on Houzz — it’s all about quality.

A large number of low-resolution, poor-quality photos will make you look sloppy and unprofessional. High-quality photos will improve your ranking and set you apart from your competitors.

There are two ways to improve in this area:

1. Buy a great camera and learn how to take great pictures. (YouTube has a ton of free videos that teach photography.)

2. Hire a professional photographer to shoot your projects.

While you may be grimacing about the cost of either of these options, the money you invest into photography now will pay off many times over when you’re getting more clients.

#6—Be a Writer

The single most valuable thing a business can do to get more traffic online is to create interesting and worthwhile content. If you have a website but no blog, your website is all but dead to Google and, to a certain extent, Houzz.

Good content is the lifeblood of the Internet and the primary way companies convince prospective customers to buy from them. Quality content is also one of the best ways to engage with people online. If you can deliver content that resonates with people they’ll share it on social media and that means more business for you.

The big opportunity to write on Houzz is in Ideabooks. I find that the best Ideabooks are a combination of compelling content and quality photos. If you want to increase your visibility on Houzz, attract more followers, and generate more leads and sales you’ll need to invest some time creating content that people will want to read.

The good news is Houzz is a great place to showcase and promote your content and photos because there are millions of users hungry for information about improving their homes.

Ken Horst - Digital Marketing Wingman

Hi Everyone!

I’d like to start out by thanking Dan Baumann for giving me the opportunity to write this blog post. Dan wanted me to share this information about Houzz because it’s so important and relevant in today’s business world.

With over 18 years of digital marketing experience, my passion for helping others get more business from their online marketing efforts is stronger than ever.

I’ve seen and tried a lot of tactics to get more business online. I am continually honing my skills to keep up with the rapidly changing times by managing my websites and by following and reading books, blogs, guides and whitepapers from the brightest minds in digital marketing today.

I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and stay connected to some of the smartest digital marketers in the business who I consider to be my “advisory board”.

If there is anything I can help you with your online marketing efforts, please feel free to contact me!

Article Compliments of Ken Horst