Houzz is an online platform that hosts millions of building products, ideas and projects for homeowners and pros to discover — and has 40+ million active monthly users. An interesting thing about Houzz is that it’s a mix between a search engine, social network and forum.
This makes it a great marketing channel for building materials companies. You can sell products, show off your latest projects, engage in Houzz’s online forum and build a larger online presence — all while engaging your audiences to build relationships and drive sales.
In fact, designers and other industry professionals claim that up to 65% of their website traffic comes from Houzz.
However, if you’re new to Houzz, it can seem complicated. How can you navigate all of its features and maximize its marketing ROI? How can you justify the monthly costs? Don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll teach you how to use Houzz for marketing step-by-step.
Houzz is a free platform for building material manufacturers, professionals and homeowners. However, to get the most marketing potential out of the platform, you will want to focus on Houzz’s paid advertising platform. Houzz’s advertising solutions include:
- Sponsored content: Position your building material products in front of the right audience with content written by Houzz’s in-house team.
- Native display advertising: Integrate your products directly into the Houzz platform to gain the most exposure.
- Local advertising: Team up with local partners to increase brand awareness.
- Sponsored newsletters: Have your brand distributed in the Houzz Magazine email newsletter.
- Dedicated emails: Emails ideal for product launches and promotions sent to targeted audiences on Houzz.
Advertising with Houzz will help you reach millions of potential customers and build your brand’s authority. According to Vendasta, Houzz had 28.7 million visits in one month — 73.17% of those visits being from America. Since millions of homeowners and pros use Houzz to purchase products, find building materials manufacturers and get design inspiration, Houzz is a worthy investment.
Every building materials manufacturer and related business should be on Houzz. The audience is majority female and slightly more well-educated than the normal internet user. However, it doesn‘t matter if you sell to architects, homeowners, general contractors or others — with tens of millions of users, you can reach a wide variety of pros and audiences.
You can see from Houzz’s “Find Professionals” tab that dozens of building materials audiences use the platform.
65 million homeowners use Houzz worldwide, which accounts for 90% of their users. Building material companies targeting DIYers will find Houzz especially effective for driving traffic and sales.
Although all manufacturers and others in the building industry should use Houzz, those offering services or products for bathrooms and kitchens especially should utilize this tool, as 28% and 23% of Houzz’s audience reported wanting to tackle a bathroom and kitchen project next.
Keep in mind, Houzz is one of the largest online directories out of any industry, too. According to SimilarWeb, they’re raking in an impressive 24.38 million visitors every month. Any building materials company that wants to reach a larger audience and acquire customers should be on Houzz.
Houzz is unique. Unlike social networks like Facebook and Pinterest, Houzz targets visitors who want to do more than just look at design ideas.
They can purchase products they discover through Ideabooks and Mood Boards (more on those later), start forum conversations and message brands to learn more about them. It’s also dedicated to building materials, decor and inspiration.
Houzz users are actively searching for products, people and conversations to elevate their plans.
Like all channels, multiple benefits come from their use. Below we detail just a few of the many benefits that Houzz presents to building materials manufacturers to help give you a better understanding of just what this marketing channel offers.
1. More Website Traffic
Per visitor, the average number of page views is over 8, and over 6 minutes are spent daily on the site. Houzz is a traffic machine for building materials companies. Your profile will include a link to your website which will drive users back to your building materials website.
When you engage with pros through forum discussions, you can also include links to your site and product pages. With an optimized website and eCommerce capabilities, Houzz traffic can convert into sales for your business.
2. Reach a Highly Targeted Audience
One of Houzz’s greatest strengths is that it connects you to a global audience of building pros. You don’t have to sift through the platform like other social networks to find a building materials audience. It’s made for them.
By engaging with building material audiences specifically, you are more likely to convert those audiences and create more business. You engage with building material audiences who have the highest chance of converting.
3. Search Engine Visibility
When you create an account on Houzz, projects and products you publish will rank on search engines like Google. Houzz itself has a built-in search engine you can be discovered through as well. By using targeted keywords related to your brand and products, Houzz will increase the amount of organic visibility your building materials company generates.
Next, let's discuss how to market your building materials company on Houzz.
When you get started with Houzz, there are a few baselines you should know.
- Add all updated contact information to your page. This will make it easier for people to reach out and limits confusion regarding how to get into touch with you.
- Use high-quality profile images and product images. If your photos aren’t high quality, why would a potential customer think your brand or products are any different?
- List all of your offered services. This will save you and your viewers time, as they can quickly gauge if you can help them with their project.
- When people ask questions, be sure to answer honestly and in a timely manner. Customers will have a better experience with you if their questions are prioritized and answered truthfully.
Now for the fun stuff. These are strategies building materials manufacturers can use to market their business through Houzz.
Create Ideabooks
Ideabooks are much like Pinterest boards. They are collections of product photos that are created into design inspiration for customers. You achieve two things.
- You have one central place to keep all your ideas, notes and photos, making them easier to find and utilize.
- Houzz ideabooks lets you share your inspirations with others. With a simple click, you can let other people comment and add to the Ideabook, making it great for collaboration and working on projects.
To share your Ideabook, first, go to your book and hit the “Invite” button.
Then, you will type in the email address of the person you want to invite to the page, and give them either view-only access or edit access if you want them to be able to comment or add to your Ideabook. Once you are ready, hit “Share” to send to your Ideabook.
Add Finished Projects
Houzz projects are collections of building projects you’ve completed. Think of them as an album. They’re great for showing prospects the products you have and what they look like when used. Projects can also be organized by client, job site or product to help prospects find exactly what they want.
To rank locally on search engines, select the city, state and country where the project was completed. Use keywords that your target audience would search for like the materials used or services provided. Tag photos with keywords as well. All of this helps you rank internally on Houzz (which means more traffic) and on search engines like Google. It’s win-win.
Generate Houzz Reviews
93% of customers read reviews before making a purchase. Having reviews on your Houzz profile acts as social proof, builds trust and increases conversions. You can get more reviews on your Houzz profile by providing great customer service that motivates people to tell their story.
Building materials manufacturers can also ask customers to leave a review after they’ve made a purchase. Consider making it a part of your customer service follow-up process.
To request reviews on Houzz, the process is quite easy.
- Go to “My Houzz” at the top right of your screen.
- Click “Get Reviews” by your profile image.
- A form will appear for you to type a message requesting a review.
- Enter the email address to whoever you want a review from.
- Hit “Send.”
Engage the Community
Want to build relationships with building pros and drive traffic to your website? Make sure to engage audiences on the Houzz forum by answering questions.
Visit Houzz’s discussion board, and filter the results from the left sidebar. Click a thread that relates to your specialty.
Once in the thread, click the “Comment” button and provide a helpful response. Recommend your products and include links back to your profile or building materials website if the conversation naturally allows for it.
Keep Up to Date Business Information
Having updated business information — including your website URL, phone number, email and location — will allow more leads to contact you and find your business. Be sure to check it every 6-12 months. You don’t want prospects to try to get in touch with outdated information.
Visit your Houzz profile and click “Contact Info” to get started.
Afterward, click “Profile Info.” Choose the “Building Supplies'' category so you’re discovered for the right products. Adding your website URL drives referral traffic and earns you a backlink for SEO. Finally, add your license number and any certifications to build credibility.
In the description section, explain what products you sell and how you help pros. How long have you been in business? What do you specialize in? Make it clear what you do, how you help and why they should work with you over competitors.
Use a call to action for viewing your products or visiting your website as well.
If you're using Houzz, it's important to measure how much traffic and sales it's generating for your business. Otherwise, you won't know if it's a good investment. Houzz offers insights and analytics like profile views, statistics by photo and other performance metrics. However, for the most in-depth analysis of its results, we recommend using Google Analytics.
Click "All Traffic" and the "Referrals" section. You will be able to see the referral traffic driven by Houzz there.
To get more visitors from Houzz, include links to your website when engaging in discussions. Continually add projects and photos of your work.
Building materials manufacturers also need to set up goals in Google Analytics to determine if the Houzz traffic is converting. Check out Google’s official documentation on eCommerce tracking. After the goal is created, you will begin to see what traffic sources generate the most amount of sales, including Houzz.
As a building materials manufacturer, it is important to have a strong online presence. Houzz not only helps you drive traffic to your website but also generates leads and loyal customers.
With tens of millions of users on it every month, it’s a channel you can’t afford to miss. With a free profile, you receive a basic listing for your pros to discover and learn more about your brand. However, you can also invest in Houzz Pro to gain more marketing tools and insights to drive revenue.
Ensure that your profile has up-to-date business information. Choose the right category and write a business description that excites Pros to visit your website and check out your products. Get active in the community forum to show off your expertise and build relationships. Ask customers to leave reviews to build social proof and authority.
Take advantage of mood boards and projects to create engaging content that drives traffic to your products. These strategies help building materials manufacturers generate revenue and awareness through Houzz.
Need more help on generating sales and business through your social media or website? Learn more about how Venveo can turn your online presence into your best salesperson.
What are some ways to use Ideabooks on Houzz to showcase a service or product?
Use Ideabooks to show prospective customers what products look like in completed projects. This offers inspiration, promotes your product and creates social proof. You can also create different Ideabooks based on individual product categories so users can find exactly what they want.
How do you crop and edit photos for the best optimization on Houzz?
Houzz crops images to be square by default. Check all uploaded photographs to ensure important parts aren't cropped out by accident. Ideally, you should use images that are 1,000 pixels or wider to offer the best resolution for users navigating your profile.
How do you use keywords on Houzz?
Keywords help users organically find your profile, products and services. You should target keywords that your audience would be searching for. These include specific building materials, services, locations or design inspiration. You can add keywords to everything from project galleries to Ideabooks and your profile to increase visibility.
Does Houzz cost money?
A basic Houzz account is free. However, to unlock more marketing features and capabilities, building materials manufacturers have to upgrade to a paid account. These start at $49/month and go up to $999+/month based on the individual plan.
How does Houzz Pro work?
Houzz Pro gives professionals like designers and contractors an all-in-one marketing platform. The suite helps pros manage business inquiries, send proposals, accept online payments and attract customers with a professional website.
How much does it cost to advertise on Houzz?
Building materials manufacturers can contact Houzz to speak with a representative to determine the best ad budget based on their goals and company size. We suggest dedicating a small amount, measuring results and investing more as you see a return on investment.
