Do tradespeople need a website if they're on Checkatrade?

Short answer: yes, most do, but not instead of Checkatrade. Directories like Checkatrade, MyBuilder and TrustATrader are good at building trust and can bring in steady work. A website of your own does a different job: it’s the one place you control, it’s what your Google Business Profile links to, and it keeps working whatever happens to a directory membership. Most tradespeople do best with both.

What directories do well

There’s a reason so many good trades use them:

• Trust. Vetting checks and a long list of reviews reassure customers who’ve never heard of you.
• Leads. People go straight to directories to find a trade, so a good profile can bring in jobs.
• Easy to start. A profile takes an afternoon, with no design decisions.

If a directory is bringing you work at a price that makes sense, keep it.

Where they fall short

• You’re renting, not owning. The profile, the layout and the rules belong to the directory. It works for you while you’re a member, and fees are part of the deal.
• Your competitors are one tap away. Customers comparing you see other firms listed right beside you, sometimes with a “similar trades” box.
• It’s hard to show what makes you different. A profile has the same layout as everyone else’s. You can’t add a page about the jobs you most want, or explain how you work.
• Google wants a website. Your Google Business Profile has a website button. When it points to a directory profile, or nowhere at all, you miss a chance to show customers (and Google) who you are and where you work.

What your own website adds

A simple website, even a single page, gives you:

1. A home for your Google Business Profile. The website link on Google Maps goes somewhere you control, with your services and areas spelled out.
2. Your best work in one place. Photos of finished jobs stay put instead of sliding down a Facebook feed.
3. Every review you’ve earned. Show your Google and Facebook reviews, and link to your directory profile so people can see those too.
4. Direct enquiries. A click-to-call button and a quote form that sends photos straight to you, not through a middleman.
5. Something that’s yours for good. Once it’s paid for, the site and the domain are yours, whatever you decide about directories later.

Use them together

The trades who get the most out of the web usually join the dots:

• Your website is the hub: services, areas, photos, reviews and contact details.
• Your Google Business Profile links to the website and gets regular photos and posts.
• Your directory profiles link to the website where they allow it, and your website links back to them as proof.
• Your van, cards and invoices all show the same web address.

Does it need to cost a lot?

No. A one-page site with your services, areas, reviews and a quote form is often enough to start with. See what a good website for tradespeople includes, read the guide to website costs, or ask for a free mock-up to see what yours could look like before spending anything.