Houzz

So a few years ago there was an app called Houzz which took the market by storm. It allowed you to search, view, and tag pictures and items in your photos - which would be house related (interior/exterior). You could even buy items from vendors or get in touch with professionals who helped make the idea happen, such as designers, builders, planners, owners, etc.

Does anyone still use this app, or has it since been superseded by the likes of Instagram?

After a one year commitment to Houzz Pro at a cost of $400 per month our design firm netted 35 clicks or referrals.

For comparison, Google sent over 3,500 people to us. Linked-in with my basic profile sent over 700 distinct enquiries.

Houzz then automatically renewed us on a monthly basis with NO advance warning or any follow up.

On your Houzz-Pro dashboard there is no details of your current subscription costs, end date, pending renewal date.

Nothing.

This is also no way to cancel on your Houzz Pro dashboard. To do this you have to contact your "Success Manager" and personally speak to them one month BEFORE your next payment to cancel.

Houzz and Houzz Pro is definitely not worth the money and with this kind of business model I would rate them as a very dishonest and poor company to do business with.

When we enquired about the lack of results during our "Pro" campaign we were told "add more pictures, add more reviews, add an article"....basically...give us more high quality, free content that we can use on our site for free.

If you have a basic profile then great. The Houzz Pro is a scam, just like the "best of Houzz" badges they give to almost everyone so you promote Houzz on your website.

Just to check, I used a VPN and a private browser to see if my own company would be featured for a relevant search I did for my area and we were not.

Houzz Pro was a rip-off for us.

So, the company that I work for has been harping on making sure all of its designers' Houzz pages are set up and maintained, and I've been asking for reviews from people. That prompted someone to send me a blog post, and then I did some more digging from there. Anyway! Some of the information presented in the AD article here isn't relevant to me, since I'm not an independent designer, but I am curious as to what this community's thoughts and experiences using the platform are. As someone trying to make a living in the home design and decor industry, the classic gripe of "tire kickers" using my images/projects/advice to then DIY or find at a cheaper rate is very frustrating, but part of the internet age - I mean, we're on a forum right now designed to answer people's design questions, free of charge. It's up to me as a professional to discern where to spend my time, but I guess to me, the difference is that I am voluntarily on this forum, answering questions on my free time, whereas Houzz presents itself as a marketing and revenue generating opportunity.

The wildest part of the whole ordeal is the SEO "non following" link, which is actually mind boggling to me! The point of making a profile to begin with is to drive traffic to ME, and if a consumer's ads are showing items they've looked at on Houzz, versus what the company paying them (me, you, corporate company) sells, or the design professional's digital marketing, what is the point?! The way I understand this whole thing, is if I pay for a Facebook/Instagram ad targeting my demo, and someone finds my Houzz profile, I am then competing against myself and Houzz for ad space on my target's feed when they move to their normal online behavior, because the fact that they followed my Houzz profile to my website is not cached in their history. Correct me if I'm understanding that wrong, but ?!?!?!?!

Anyway, I know that I'm a little late to the party on this, but I'm really curious to know what your experiences are, and if you guys have any thoughts on using Houzz to drive website traffic and business. I haven't seen very many results from it, but I will admit I have not optimized it in such a way that I would expect those results.