The Unofficial Guide to Houzz.com: Create a Profile That Resonates With Clients and Outranks Your Competition

by Eric Reinholdt

Marketing for architects and designers has changed significantly with the advent of Houzz.com. With its curated collection of high quality photographs and editorial content, Houzz.com is equal parts social media and marketing and it deserves a place in every construction professional's business marketing plan. The Problem: With its vast and ever-growing database of professional users and photographs it can be hard to stand out and be discovered by clients and Houzz editors. Ranking in your target market, especially if it's crowded can be a real challenge. That is, until you understand how you can leverage Houzz to your advantage. The Solution: Understanding the Houzz ecosystem and ranking criteria are key factors to being discovered. The book addresses the ecosystem and provides actionable advice for crafting a profile that connects with clients and editors alike. I discuss both basic and advanced strategies for appearing in more searches and for being showcased on Houzz.com's front page in their featured Ideabooks. Once you understand how the Houzz ecosystem works you can put it to work netting more qualified leads and ultimately more projects for your business. The Author: The text is written specifically for Architects, Designers, Brands, and Construction Professionals by a practicing Architect and Houzz contributor. The advice offered is precise and industry specific delivered from an insider's perspective. As a practicing architect, Eric Reinholdt developed the marketing strategies outlined in the book as a way to fill the boards of his nascent architecture practice. He has successfully transitioned from an architect employee to sole practitioner using Houzz.com as a means for attracting the clients that are a best fit for his practice.

80 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2014

About the author

Eric Reinholdt is an award-winning architect, mountain climber, designer, guitar player, paper cutter, blogger and author. He is the founder of 30X40 Design Workshop, a residential design studio bordering Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island just off the coast of Maine. This is where he lives and practices in a modern Longhouse, designed by him with his family.

His architecture is simple, modern, site-specific, and craft-driven. It features local materials and familiar forms juxtaposed against modern, open floor plans with minimalist detailing. The work celebrates humble materials, subtle contrasts and finely crafted details.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of information. I'm looking forward to testing it out with my co-founder for our firm.

[Jane Vorbrodt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was useful and it gave me ideas about the use of Houzz for marketing.

I am, however, sad to see that the book has been adjusted to include a paid placement from Houzz Pro+. I was happy with my involvement with Houzz until the day that the Pro+ marketing team started to harass me about joining and paying (large amounts of $$) for premium placement on the website.

Other than that, the ebook is worth a read.