Do you need a tradesman website if you are already on Checkatrade?
Short answer: yes, if you want the leads to be yours. Checkatrade, Rated People, MyBuilder and Trustatrader are useful, and plenty of good trades get work from them. But a directory is a marketplace. Every enquiry it sends you is also sent to other members, and the directory charges you for the introduction. Your own tradesman website is the one place online where the customer is looking only at you.
What a directory actually does
Being straight about it, because directories do some things well.
- They rank. Search “plumber Chester” and a directory page is usually on the first page, because the directory has thousands of pages and years of links.
- They carry reviews, and customers trust a review they cannot see you editing.
- They send leads quickly, often within days of joining.
And here is the other side.
- The lead is shared. A customer posts one job and it goes to several members. You are quoting against 3 or 4 other trades before you have spoken to anyone.
- You pay whether or not you win. Membership fees, lead fees or both, every month, for as long as you stay.
- The customer belongs to the directory. Their reviews, their photos of your work, their profile page. Leave and it all stays behind.
- You cannot control the page. Layout, the order of competitors, upsells to featured listings, all theirs.
A directory is a good place to be found. It is a poor place to be chosen.
What your own site does differently
A 5-page tradesman website has one job: rank for your trade plus your town, and turn that search into an email or a call to you alone.
| Directory listing | Your own website | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees the enquiry | You and several competitors | You |
| Cost per month | Membership and lead fees | £150 care plan, or hosting only if you prefer |
| Ranks for “plumber Chester” | The directory’s page does | Your page can, with town pages and reviews |
| Reviews and photos | Belong to the directory | Belong to you |
| What happens if you leave | Profile gone, reviews gone | Site stays, rankings stay |
The honest caveat: a new site does not rank on day one. It takes months of steady work, a Google Business Profile, reviews and pages for the towns you cover. That is why we say keep both.
The 5 pages a tradesman website needs
- Home: what you do, where, and how to get in touch, before anyone scrolls
- Services: one section per main service, written in plain words
- Areas: the towns and villages you cover, each named, so Google can match you to “electrician Northwich”
- About and reviews: a photo of you, your van, your certifications, and reviews copied across from the directory you already use
- Contact: a short form, your email first, phone for people who would rather talk
Each page is written with you, not pasted from a template, because “we are passionate about quality” ranks for nothing.
Keep both for the first year
Our advice to every trade we work with is the same. Do not cancel the directory the week your site goes live.
- Launch the site and set up your Google Business Profile the same week.
- Keep the directory running. Ask every happy customer for a review on Google as well as on the directory.
- Each month, note where each enquiry came from. A simple “how did you find us?” on the form is enough.
- After 12 months, compare. The enquiries from your own site are the ones nobody else is quoting on, so count them separately.
Then decide whether the directory fee is still earning its keep. Some trades keep it for the reviews. Some drop it. Either way you decide with numbers rather than a hunch.
What it costs to run both
A directory membership is a monthly fee set by the directory, and it rises as you add trades or areas. A website is £399 to build and, if you want it looked after, £150 a month for hosting, edits, a new page each month and a rank report. If money is tight in year one, you can take the £399 site and host it yourself for a few pounds a month, then add the care plan when the site starts paying for it.
Questions to ask yourself
- When a customer searches my trade plus my town, what do they see, and is any of it mine?
- How many of my directory leads did I actually win last month, and what did each one cost?
- If the directory doubled its fee tomorrow, what would I have left?
- Do I own a single review, photo or page online that cannot be taken away?
If the last answer is no, that is the reason for a website, whatever else you are listed on.