Helping people find the best professionals for their projects has always been at the core of Houzz. In fact, not having a resource through which they could find and connect with the right architect was one of the reasons our married co-founders started Houzz. Here’s the lowdown on how Houzz helps connect homeowners and pros today, and promotes the value of professional help.
Editorial Since Houzz’s earliest days, our editorial stories have highlighted the amazing projects and talent of the designers, architects and other professionals on the platform, while educating homeowners so they can better navigate the home renovation process and work more effectively with their home professionals. More than 18,000 editorial stories have been written since we started; they are delivered to millions of active Houzz users in the form of twice-weekly email newsletters, are shared on social media and are organized as a resource library in the Houzz Stories section. Tens of thousands of Houzzers read and save articles and photos each day.
– Nearly every article we publish showcases the incredible work of pros on Houzz, with direct attribution to the professional whose work is highlighted and the ability for homeowners to learn more about that pro by clicking through to their profile.
– Articles often showcase a specific project, including how the pro addressed the needs and challenges of the client. Articles such as this laundry room tour and this home tour highlight the pro who did the work, display photos of the finished project and prominently link to the designer, architect or other professional who worked on the project.
– Our home improvement and design guides give homeowners the confidence and background they need to start looking for the right pro to help them navigate their project. These guides link to the related pro directories, where people can find pros in their area and obtain contact info. Our series on working with pros [https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/working-with-pros] has become a category of its own.
What’s new? At the end of articles, Houzz not only links to more articles on related topics, it also often includes a link to our pro directory, to further encourage readers to reach out for professional help on their projects.
Photos Photos are one of the primary ways homeowners discover and connect with pros on Houzz.
– The photo stream is one of the most popular areas on Houzz; it’s where millions of homeowners start their renovation journey by browsing and saving photos of the spaces they love to their ideabooks.
– On Houzz, photos show homeowners the amazing possibilities for their homes when they hire professional help.
Every photo on Houzz not only has clear attribution to the pro who did the work, but each is also directly linked to that pro’s profile on Houzz, enabling homeowners in one click to see more photos from the pro’s portfolio, learn more about their business, visit their website and reach out by phone or email.
Pro Profiles Professional profiles on Houzz are designed to encourage homeowners to reach out to pros whose work they love.
– Professional profiles give homeowners a 360-degree view of each professional, enabling them to see photos of a pro’s work, learn more about the company philosophy and what the pro might be like to work with and read reviews from real clients. Building a rich profile results in higher homeowner confidence that you are the right person for the job.
– Profiles are also designed to empower professionals to build their brand. By curating their own photos, crafting a story about their business and responding to each client review with a personal note, professionals can create or reinforce the brand and message they want to convey to every potential client. The Houzz Photographer Network not only helps pros better showcase the quality of the work they do, it also gives photographers in our industry quality connections to pros.
– Houzz profiles provide three ways for homeowners to get in touch with a pro. Homeowners can call, send a message through the Houzz platform or visit the pro’s website.
– Houzz has a rich community of homeowners and design remodeling professionals who often come together in the discussions on Houzz. To make sure pros are recognized for their status as experts in the industry, any comments posted by professionals in discussions on Houzz have a Pro badge attached to them.
What’s new? We added a Save button to the header of every pro profile, making it easy for homeowners to save pros they are interested in working with to their ideabooks, so when they are ready to hire, they have that information handy.
Building Awareness In addition to encouraging people already using Houzz to hire professional help, we’re building awareness among new users that Houzz is the best place to find the right professional for a remodeling or design project.
My Houzz Our “My Houzz” series is one of the newest ways we’re drawing attention to the impact professionals have on a project. The series follows popular celebrities as they surprise someone important to them with the gift of a renovation, using Houzz throughout the journey. In each episode, we highlight how the celebrity finds and collaborates with the right pro for their project, as well as the creativity, expertise and value those professionals provide. We’re currently rolling out Season 2, and so far we’ve featured world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay and Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews, with more episodes to come. Ramsay and Matthews hired pros on Houzz — Matthew Ferrarini of Ferrarini & Co. Kitchens & Interiors and Pat Hurst and Bridget DiFilippo of Hurst Design-Build Remodeling, respectively — to complete major home renovations. Season 1 of “My Houzz” featured Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Kyrie Irving, Jenna Fischer and Ludacris — all of whom found and worked with designers on Houzz to complete their projects. Our series also takes a unique approach as far as renovation shows go: The projects take place over several weeks or months, as they do in reality. WATCH NOW
TV Advertising While Houzz first grew by word of mouth, we have been investing in advertising for the past several years, including on TV, to further build our brand awareness among consumers. A big focus for us is letting homeowners know they can find the best pro for their project on Houzz. You can watch our current pro ad here; the “actors” are our own Houzz team members!